Branded to Kill

3/7/2016

If someone both hated black-and-white films and movies with subtitles, I would encourage them to see this corker. It has 'hilarious masterpiece' written all over it. Suzuki's gangster movies are a cinephile's delight, to be sure--and this is one of his very best. I cannot recommend it highly enough. If you need a really good laugh, love cinema and haven't seen it yet, I would recommend you RUN to your nearest film store and take a chance on it. It'll be the best 30 bucks you've spent in a very long time.

5/9/2026

Branded to Kill is a supposedly hard-boiled action film that gradually turns into an absurd dark comedy, drifting through disconnected scenes and bizarre imagery. Revolving around a chubby-cheeked assassin obsessed with the smell of boiling rice, the film constantly undermines the conventions of gangster cinema with surreal humor and chaotic energy. Seijun Suzuki transforms what could have been a routine hitman story into a fever dream filled with eccentric characters, strange erotic tension, and visual experimentation. Its fragmented narrative and rebellious style make it feel less like a crime thriller and more like a cinematic act of sabotage against traditional studio filmmaking.