Yûhi ni akai ore no kao

Jean-Luc Godard once described a Jerry Lewis movie as the "acme of stupidity." But that description might fit this movie better. Killer on Parade is a farce so broad that it cannot be called called a comedy, as it is so far from any human experience that there aren't any laughs in it. A spoof of gangster and spy movies, it is so absurd that it's closest analogy is the Batman television series that came a few years later, but only without that show's irony. The movie's plot (such as it is) is about a gang of assassins and the problems they encounter when an assignment they covet is assigned to another. Just describing the assassins can give an idea of how "wacky" this movie is: one is actually a doctor (who carries a black bag that helpfully has the English word Doctor stenciled on it), another is a former athlete who still wears his college football uniform, another is a country bumpkin who carries her pet goat, etc. It's hard to believe the studio thought any adults would be interested in this; it comes across like it was adapted from a bad grade school boy's manga. The only redeeming feature of this movie are its color scheme and sets; the cinematography is riot of color. But other than that, the movie is pretty much a waste of time.

This is by far Shinoda's most accessible work, but don't let that fool you because it doesn't lack the depth one expects from Shinoda. On the outside the film seems simplistic but that's used as a tool because this Shinoda and the writer is none other but the master surrealist rebel Shuji Terayama. The cinematography while tame compared to other Japanese New Wave films it's still very very beautiful and I as I mentioned before it's more accessible, yet Shinoda always surprises me with his use of framing. The music, well this has enough song that it's not stretch to call a musical crime film and it is. The songs and the main motif are catchy and tie the plot really well, on top of that they blend really nicely and are not in anyway obtrusive. The story is somewhat linear and simple but it still succeeds in its commentary, the ideas are presented in a less subtle way than in other Shinoda films and they are given this simplistic shell. Underneath all of the comedy and the hyperstylization there is an anticapitalist theme, especially against corporations and their dirty ways of achieving success. There's also commentary on the pollution cause by capitalism and mindless expansion and exploitation of nature. The effect of westernization is brought to the front here using the costume design and production design. This film is largely misunderstood and it could be misleading but looking at the talent and artistry involved is enough to tell us there's more under the surface and beyond the short runtime. A small package that has a bit of everything, the themes are nothing new for the rebellious 1960s Japan but the way they're presented make this film unforgettable and iconic.

Feels quite a few years ahead of its time. I know this new wave style was very popular in the 60s, but this was surprisingly early in the decade for a film of this kind of style. I forgot it was '61 while watching it, and assumed it was more like '64-'67 based on how it felt.

I know that may not sound like a massive difference, but it did at least make me go from saying "this seems heavily inspired by Godard's Pierrot Le Fou" to saying "wait, was Pierrot Le Fou inspired by this?"

Plot is kinda all over the place, and a little hard to follow at a point, but it's not super important. The style and the humour and just the overall feel is more essential here, and a good deal of it works.

It's not in any way pretentious, which is a word you could arguably throw at some new wave films of this era, and it doesn't feel unpolished, either, striking a good balance between slick and chaotic.

The head of a major construction firm wants some one killed; price is no object. He contacts a hitman's (and hitwoman's) club, saying he wants the best. They argue over who that individual is. When they set up a challenge to determine the answer, outsider Yûsuke Kawazu inadvertently wins and gets the contract. However, he's distracted by having fallen in love with Shima Iwashita. Guess who the target is!

In between there are the usual eccentric hitmen (and hitwoman), bright colors and songs. Yes, this is Crime Musical, with ballads like "You're an Uptown Hitwoman and I'm a Downtown Hitman". At first it seems like an eccentric and frequently foolish burlesque of a popular form. However, I believe the film makers had a serious point.

This was the early 1960s, and young film makers were anti-industrial, anti-pollution, anti-corruption, all the hallmarks of the political/social/economic system that was propelling Japan from a post-War recovery into prosperity: in a word, Communist. Young film makers were decrying stodgy film makers like Kurosawa, even as he put subtext into YOJIMBO, and clear text into other movies. The corrupt businessmen who kill off inconvenient reporters, the corrupt editors who take money to kill embarrassing stories, while the audiences complacently watch meaningless musicals with songs about the glories of death-dealing... these were the targets of this satire.

The question then becomes not was this a meaningless artifact of pop culture, but how well it succeeded. Judging by the reviews I've seen, no one noticed. Everyone seems to have thought it was a silly thing. So I'd say it didn't have any effect and while we can enjoy the artistry, the serious message, the bones of the movie, the subtext, was wasted.