Kenjû zankoku monogatari

(1964) Cruel Gun Story/ Kenjû zankoku monogatari (In Japanese with English subtitles) CRIME DRAMA/ ACTION

The Japanese equivalent of "The Killing", "Riffifi" and "The Asphalt Jungle" to name a few ...starring Joe Shishido as Togawa experiencing his early release set up by the syndicate, instructs him to rob the Japanese derby, only to find out later that he and his partner were tricked and double crossed. The fourth of five movies of the Nakkatsu Noir Criterion.

I was like, kind of hoping that this Japanese heist equivalent of both American and UK movies was not going to end in the same manner as the other heist movies, if one were to watch enough of them made during that era may define it as cliche at this point.

"Cruel Gun Story" stars one of the weirder actors of his era, Jô Shishido. I say weird because Shishido actually paid to have surgery to give him bizarre cheeks--making him appear, somewhat, like a human chipmunk! This apparently made him quite popular in Japanese crime films (I didn't realize that Japanese criminals were cursed with this odd facial characteristic!). I've seen him in quite a few films including: "Branded to Kill", "Youth of the Beast", "Detective bureau 2-3" and "Gate of Flesh" and he is the epitome of Japanese cool.

When the story begins, you learn that Shishido's been in prison for killing a man who ran over Sashido's sister. As a result, the sister is wheelchair-bound, so Shishido felt compelled to kill the guy. Now, he's been sprung from prison early--apparently some mob boss wants him lead a team in an armored car robbery. Shishido agrees--as he hopes that the money can pay for some miracle surgery to heal her. Unfortunately, there's more to the plan than Shishido is aware of and perhaps this is NOT a good way to make a fast buck. Can our anti-hero somehow survive this bold caper? I could say more, but it would spoil the film.

This is a very taut and exciting crime film thanks to a great plot, good acting and Shishido's character--a nice mixture of coolness, machismo and, in an odd way, honor. Plus, I sure liked the very dark ending--what a finale. Overall, I'd say this is one of the best examples of Japanese noir I have seen and it's well worth seeing--whether or not you are a fan of the genre.

Film 4/5 in the Nikkatsu Noir series, and like Take Aim at the Police Van before it, Cruel Gun Story has a great title.

This one is less noir-ish and more of a straightforward heist film than any of the films in this boxset that came before, and I was perfectly okay with that. Heist movies are always satisfying when they get the basic components right, and all the stages are executed fairly well here- the planning, the heist itself, and then the inevitable fallout and consequences.

There's some good shootouts, and Jo Shishido makes for a good lead, as he always seems to do. I wish the aftermath of the heist had been a little more engaging, or at least on par with the first two chunks of the film, but it still had a decent conclusion overall.

Easy to recommend if you want something like Stanley Kubrick's The Killing, which is another tight and satisfying black & white heist movie that I should maybe revisit some day.

As a heist film this one is a little by-the-numbers, but there is a certain cool and conflicted angst that Joe "the Ace" Shishido brings to the role, and you can certainly do worse. He's a criminal who lives by a moral code and is looking out for his sister who has a disability, a trope akin to the hooker with a heart of gold. Naturally things don't go completely as planned during the robbery, there are betrayals, and big shoot-out scenes, all leading to a wild ending. Not a bad way to spend 87 minutes.

Cruel Gun Story, originally known as Kenju Zankoku Monogatari, is a Japanese film noir that mixes elements of a personal drama with gritty action-thriller sequences. This is one of the last movies directed by Nikkatsu Studio employee Furukawa Takumi who would live to get one hundred one years old and stars charismatic lead actor Shishido Jo who has been excelling in such particular genre flicks.

This film tells the story of a young criminal named Togawa Joji who has been spending time in prison for getting his revenge on a reckless truck driver who brutally injured his sister who has since been living in reclusion in a sanitarium as she is confined to a wheelchair. Upon getting out of prison, Togawa Joji is immediately forced by his influential employers who managed to get him out of prison earlier than expected, to organize and execute an ambitious theft with three partners in crime. While one of them is a dear friend of old date, the other two are scheming outcasts who cannot be trusted. When the four criminals are forced to go into hiding after their crime, they turn against one another. To make matters worse, Togawa Joji is also betrayed by his employer. He is now on a quest for survival, motivated by a thirst for revenge and obsessed with taking care of his sister.

Kenju Zankoku Monogatari is an above average film noir that ultimately qualifies as a very good crime drama. The actresses and actors become one with their roles and Shishido Jo excels as rough protagonist with a heart of gold. The mixture of brutal scenes such as prolonged car chases are fluidly intertwined with heartfelt moments such as the protagonist's relation to his physically challenged sister who has no hope for recovery. The script comes around with interesting twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end that might get you to the edge of your seat. The desolate settings such as crumbling buildings, abandoned industrial areas and dirty sewer systems have been chosen with great care. This film has been shot with great care thanks to precise light and sound techniques. The fact that this film has been shot in black and white due to a limited budget actually enhances its gloomy atmosphere that fits perfectly with its genre.

On the negative side, the film's script is expertly written but fails to come around with any new ideas that would appeal to cineasts who aren't interested in the film noir genre. It's also obvious that this film has aged quite a lot due to its limited budget and actually looks much older than other genre films created at the same time or even earlier. Another element that deserves to be mentioned is the movie's controversial ending. Personally, I feel that it fits in perfectly but other reviewers might be disappointed by its particularly dark tone. This movie is most certainly only recommended to mature adults and shouldn't be watched by children at all.

At the end of the day, Cruel Gun Story, originally known as Kenju Zankoku Monogatari, is highly recommended to film noir fans, cineasts who enjoy gripping personal dramas, anyone looking for old-fashioned action-thrillers and people interested in Japan's post-war culture of the sixties.