El lagarto negro

The most purely entertaining and amusing film I have seen in a long time. The dialogue between the two antithetically engaged principal characters reflects their exactly opposite ethics, and at the same time, their clearest view of each others thinking. Their well matched genius creates plot, foil, and counter-foil, throughout the film. I almost never watch a film twice. This one, I can't wait to see again.

This obscure Japanese thriller would seem to have a very good reputation among cult fans; and while I can see the appeal of the film, I do have to say that I'm surprised by all the praise it gets as aside from the odd memorable moment; the film is a mostly flawed piece. Black Lizard is directed by Kinji Fukasaku; the director who would go on to direct the seminal masterpiece Battle Royale in 2000. The film is basically a heist movie; although it often gets labelled as a comedy and that is mainly down to the thick layer of absurd comedy emanating from the central villain; although anyone going into this film expecting to laugh will be disappointed. The central character is named 'Black Lizard' - a thief with a penchant for jewels. She sets her sights on a diamond named "The Star of Egypt" and in order to get to it, kidnaps the owner's daughter and asks for the jewel in ransom. The detective on the case is named Akechi; and after a card game together, the two develop a mutual respect; and Black Lizard falls in love with the detective.

The most bizarre thing about this film is the casting of transvestite Akihiro Miwa in the lead role. Initially, I was sure that the central character was a transvestite; but as the film went on, it seemed to suggest more that the character is actually a woman, although there are some suggestions that maybe that isn't the case. The actor's performance would have been quite good if the character was meant to be a man in fact; but he really doesn't convince as a woman, and while I appreciate the idea of putting him in the lead role; I don't think it was a very good one. The plot has rather a lot to it and moves very quickly considering the running time of the film which is definitely to it's credit; although at times it does move a bit too quickly and the film does not have time to really put forward all of it's ideas. This is mainly at the expense of the characters; as we are not made to care about anyone in the film, which leaves the whole thing feeling a bit cold. There's some good style on display, however, and that's one of the main positives. Overall, this film might be of interest to some but I wasn't very impressed with it!

I'll be perfectly honest, from the beginning I had a hard time getting on board with this to any degree. In every capacity it is curt, direct, and forthright as soon as it begins. As the length draws on it increasingly swerves into a space so outrageous that the most immoderate self-indulgence of Eon Productions' James Bond franchise almost seems tame, and the hodgepodge that was 1967's 'Casino Royale' quite comes to mind. This is an approach that I can most definitely appreciate, and I absolutely have elsewhere; the trouble in this case is that I'm not certain of what the intent actually is in 'Black Lizard.' Initially, and at irregular intervals to come, the picture seems perfectly sincere, and just sorrily sloppy or inconsistent in how it is rendered. A little later, and elsewhere, the doing becomes so over the top that it could only be considered either an unblinking parody, or an excitably overcooked curiosity. Later still the feature becomes so outlandish that it leaps past James Bond to evoke genre romps like Toho's 'King Kong Escapes,' Adam West's 'Batman,' or the most theatrical and colorful of Vincent Price's horror flicks. What is going on here?! I can truthfully say that I like this, but I really don't know what to make of it.

The dialogue pretends at grandiosity, poetry, and profundity, but it kind of just comes off as word salad. The narrative pretends at a game of cat and mouse between Detective Akechi and the titular figure, but there's no requisite subtlety in the first place, and even if there were, it constantly has the rug pulled out from underneath it - or maybe a better frame of reference would be imagining panel after panel of Lucy withdrawing the football from under Charlie Brown. By the time we're only about thirty minutes in we're greeted with a scene that reminds me of the 'Star Trek: The next generation' episode "Elementary, dear Data," and this comparison will be appropriate again later. To wit: Data, having committed all of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories to memory, frustrates Geordi when a holodeck game based on such a story has scarcely begun and Data, knowing every detail, reveals the entirety of the mystery from the outset. Just as Data ruined the fun for Geordi, is it the case that Akechi ruins an earnest film for we viewers by demonstrating exact knowledge of the crime being committed? Or is this a bit that is part of the sly frivolity? The conventional surroundings of nightclubs, high-rises, and large homes gives way to elaborate set pieces and lavishly decorated hide-outs; restrained acting gives way to unfettered overacting; even the editing and cinematography change their tune over time. Is all this deliberate, or is it deficient?

I don't know Edogawa Rampo's novel, nor Mishima Yukio's play, and I don't believe I've encountered screenwriter Narusawa Masashige heretofore. I do know filmmaker Fukasaku Kinji, however, and there's no genre that he didn't dabble with at some point throughout his long, rather prolific career. Not all his works are equal, but of those I've seen to date, I've enjoyed all in some measure, and deeply loved others. I'm inclined to think the tack taken in 'Black Lizard' was purposeful, a twisted variation on conventional storytelling territory. One question that remains is whether this is a thread pulled through the novel and play and into the screenplay; another question that remains, despite my generosity, is just what Fukasaku was looking to do, and I'm still unsure. This is a movie that's all over the place, and it has either succeeded in its cheekiness or failed in its genuineness. Operating on the assumption that the result is precisely what it wanted to be - it's a wildcard, but I can't say I wasn't entertained! And even as I'm left somewhat mystified, more than not it really is well done.

Any stunts and effects that are employed here look fantastic and are duly exciting. The more straightforward visuals are aptly crafted; the most lovingly shaped costume design, hair, and makeup, and the most fanciful conceptions of set design (think Hammer or American International Productions horror, or fantasy from The Shaw Brothers or Jim Henson) are a gratifying sight for sore eyes. Some actors are given more to do than others - Akechi is rather plain and unemotional, so star Kimura Isao is just sort of there - but in fits and starts some have more opportunities than others to demonstrate their skills (luckily for Matsuoka Kikko, supporting character Sanae goes from "just a pretty face" to meaningfully expressing herself), and if nothing else, Maruyama Akihiro is to be commended for his wholehearted, committed performance as Black Lizard, giving the criminal mastermind a sense of personality and complexity beyond what is already more or less represented in the writing. Everyone behind the scenes did a great job, for that matter, even Fukasaku, cinematographer Dowaki Hiroshi, and editor Uraoka Keiichi at their most free-wheeling. Yes, I'm divided on the writing, but for good or for ill, Narusawa leaned into it; in the worst case scenario I admire the gumption, and in the best case scenario, the man pulled off a tricky maneuver in continuously riding a line between different tones.

It's an odd one, and I can't blame anyone who engages with this title and steps away flummoxed and turned off. Conversely, for those who are even more on the same wavelength and totally adore it, you have my congratulations. I'm stymied, and I was extremely skeptical up to a particular point (that is, roughly the 33-minute mark), but as 'Black Lizard' goes off the rails more and more, it does the unexpected and arcs back into my favor. This is a piece for those who are open to all the wide, weird possibilities of cinema, who are ready to take whatever comes their way and get what they can out of it. Be aware of what you're getting into (or not, I'm not the boss of you), but if you're receptive to the peculiar and have the chance to watch, this is enjoyable in its own way and worth checking out.

Kenji Fukasaku's BLACK LIZARD (1958) was released in the US by CINEVISTA in the early 90's. The movie received a focused and limited release in the US, but its existence in video has developed a cult following that has gained momentum as the years has passed. With the totally bizarre appearances of then-Japan's most famous Kabuki theater transvestite Akihiro Murayama as the title role Black Lizard, Yukio Mishima's cameo as a "statue" or maybe even as an eerie stuffed human figure; a screen play by Mishima based on a story of one of Japan's most famous horror writers, Rampo Edogawa, and even music by electronic "planet music" guru Isao Tomita, this movie reads as a who's who in the arts and literature in Japan in the 60's. But many movies in the past created by geniuses have failed in delivering an intellectual as well as a cinematic punch. This is NOT the case with "Black Lizard". From the psychedelic settings, the poetic dialogue and tragicomic developments, the movie succeeds both as high-art "manga" as well as a well-thought piece of "agit-prop". Few movies deliver so much substance hidden under so much flash; it is one experience that has to be felt viscerally as well as intellectually. Unfortunately, the VHS version is out of print, and I do not know of any plans for a DVD release as of this writing. We wait anxiously until someone revives this totally bizarre and wonderful piece of art and it is released in DVD format for a new generation of anime-educated viewers.

Rampo Edogawa is one of the most famous writers of Japan, not winner of any Nobel prize (for that we have the award nominee Yukio Mishima's more than weird cameo in this movie, who also adapts the story) but creator of the most famous Japanese detective, Akechi Kogoro, and father of the ero-grotesque genre in the country.

"Black Lizard" is one in the series of Akechi Kogoro's novels, and the movie has been able to adapt to the screen the spirit of Edogawa's writing. For that, it would be already an interesting movie, as Edogawa had a knack for the grotesque and bizarre, but the movie is interesting for what it is: a mystery, a battle of wits, with a couple of characters who are a lot of fun to be with: Akechi and the Black Lizard.

The story is pretty basic: the criminal "Black Lizard" wants to kidnap a jeweler's daughter, Sanae, and the jeweler contracts Akechi Kogoro to protect her. Cue the Black Lizard trying to kidnap the girl in different and very original ways, and Akechi trying to stop the criminal from doing so.

The atmosphere, dark and decadent, the music, the actors way of playing the characters, the 60s Japan, way different from nowadays... Fukusaku does a great job of bringing Edogawa's world to life. The way Akechi and Black Lizard meet and tease each other continuously (this movie is more in the vein of "Columbo", the detective and the criminal meeting throughout the movie and having very entertaining dialogues)... All makes for a very engrossing environment, and a really entertaining time at the movies. As with almost all of Edogawa's characters, the criminal is the most interesting character, and Akihiro Miwa does a great job of making an ambiguous character we care for. Isao Kimura as Akechi just keeps a stoic countenance, impassive and kind of heartless.

A very good movie, with a very particular atmosphere and scenery.