Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 1966
Director: Seijun Suzuki
Writer: Yasunori Kawauchi
Cast: Tetsuya Watari, Chieko Matsubara, Hideaki Nitani, Ryuji Kita

DVD Released: February 23rd, 1999
Approximate Running Time: 83 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Non-Anamorphic Widescreen
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital Mono
DVD Release: Criterion
Region Coding: Region 1 NTSC
Retail Price: $29.95

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Synopsis: After Tetsu (Tetsuya Watari), is beaten up by rivals at the shipyards because he refuses to join Otsuka’s gang. Tetsu’s loyalty his father figure gang leader Kurata (Ryuji Kita), they want to want to break ties with the criminal element. Otsuka believes with Tetsu out of the picture will force Kurata to succumb to their authority. All of Kurata’s gang has abandoned him except Tetsu, because they refuse to work for someone who is leaving the business. After Going straight Kurata finds himself in debt the money lender backing Kurata in his new venture is Mr. Yoshi. Chiharu (Chieko Matsubara), is kidnapped from the lounge where she sings at by Otsuka’s gang. After Tetsu rescues Chiharu heads over to Kurata’s office to celebrate his new business venture. Otsuka’s men strong-arm Mr. Yoshi at gunpoint and he hands over the deed to Kurata’s building and they kill him after he signs the paper.

Otsuka, the now owner of the building, goes over to Kurata’s office to humiliate him, and force him to turn over his seal. Kurata refuses and a shoot-out with his rivals erupts as Tetsu arrives and saves Kurata. Tetsu is forced to leave Tokyo and the crime business until everything cools off. Tetsu leaves Tokyo without telling Chiharu and when he arrives up north he is arrested by a police detective on the train tracks. Tetsu with the aide of members of a South group friendly with Kurata escapes from police custody only to find him caught up in a power struggle between the South Group and the North Group. Otsuka schemes his way into forcing an alliance with Kurata and their first agenda is to rub out Tetsu. After a failed attempt on Tetsu he returns to Tokyo where Otsuka and Kurata have kidnapped Chiharu to use against him. In a final face off against Otsuki and his former mentor Kurata, can Tetsu stay one step ahead of his enemies?

A few years ago when I first came across Tokyo Drifter I knew nothing about Seijun Suzuki or his films. Tokyo Drifter would peak my interest in Seijun Suzuki’s work and over the last few years more of his work has been released for western audiences to experience for the first time. From the first Suzuki film I saw my appreciation for his cinematic vision has grown. Suzuki masterfully manipulates colors and compositions within the scoped frame. The fractured narrative style compliments the violent action that takes place on lush sets straight out of a Hollywood musical. Tokyo Drifter explores themes of loyalty and responsibility that have there roots in Samurai films. There is a sequence in the snow country that is accentuated by gunfights and samurai swordfights. The films title song is played throughout as part of the films music design or music with Tetsu singing or whistling it to himself. Logic takes a back seat as is often the case in a Seijun Suzuki film as his sublime visual style takes us from one bizarre set piece to another.

The DVD:

An early effort from Criterion, “Tokyo Drifter” isn’t as clean as Criterion’s “Branded to kill” transfer and the 2.35:1 letterboxed transfer could have benefited from a anamorphic enhancement. The quality of the transfer improves as the film progresses, but you still have to put up with a fair amount of artifacts. The color isn’t as vivid as other Suzuki titles on DVD and the black-and-white sequence at the beginning of the film alternates between being too dark and being too bright.

The audio in presented in its original Japanese Mono. The sound is full for a mono track and the dialog comes through clear. The subtitles are easy to read and follow.

John Zorn’s informative liner notes and the DVD’S only extra is a seventeen minute interview with director Seijun Suzuki as he discusses his movies and influences. Tokyo Drifter is a B movie masterpiece filled with vivid colors and enough action set pieces to keep you on the edge of your seat. Seijun Suzuki’s abstract tale of a gangster who wants to go straight but is bound by loyalty to his former life is must own DVD.