Le Vagabond de Kanto

_Kanto Wanderer_ is a very different film to more contemporary Yakuza movies, such as _Black Rain_. Rather than focusing on the action, _Kanto Wanderer_ examines in depth the motivation and ethics of Yakuza members, in particular those of the young gangster Katsuta. The Yakuza ethic is of prime importance to this young man - he is, in fact, derided by an older member as being too traditional. Whilst examining Katsuta's efforts to remain faithful to the old ways in a changing world, the viewer is treated to a very low-key look inside Yakuza business, including several scenes of card-sharping, Japanese style.

Visually, the film is quite beautiful, with meticulously balanced composition and very effective use of colour. The latter is particularly noticeable with reference to banners and signs (which appear in a great many scenes), and in the skilful use of contrast - bright colours which stand out against white flags in the background, for example. One scene in which two gangsters are killed in a gambling house perhaps uses of colour to the greatest effect and impact, as well as blending diegetic and non-diegetic visual elements seamlessly.

The story is a bit hard to follow, but quite involving. But the main asset of this film is the lush photography. The colours are just glorious, and a number of shots would make wonderful postcards.

Handsome young Katsuta tries to follow the yakuza code, but even his boss doesn't believe in it. Diamond Fuyu is less ethical, and allows the idiotic Tetsu to trick a schoolgirl he fancies, Hanako, into a type of bonded prostitution. Because of gang conflict, the Izu family (to whom Katsuta belongs) has their last gambling den taken over, and he seeks revenge. This brings him back into contact with a former lover who is also a card trickster - she is also Diamond Fuyu's sister, and is now married to Okaru-Hachi, who has mastered a clever card cheating trick called Okaru, which involves the deft use of mirrors. Hey, I warned you it was hard to follow ! And it gets more complicated until, finally, the story starts to gel near the end. Not a conventional yakuza film, despite containing many of the elements. Don't expect lots of action. Quite good.

Kanto Wanderer is not a good place to start an exploration of either Seijun Suzuki or yakuza movies in general. For real Suzuki fans it's interesting to see what he was doing during his "salary man" phase, before breaking loose with surreal masterpieces like Branded to Kill or Tokyo Drifter. If you're looking for a superior, mid-career, yakuza film from Suzuki, watch his action-packed Youth of the Beast (also made in 1963).

The real problem here is the script, calling it soft would be an understatement. Yakuza. Gambling. Women. That's the plot, and though it might sound good, in this case it just fails to gel. If you've seen other Suzuki films you're probably expecting me to say he triumphs over a mediocre script. Sorry, not this time. Though there are definitely a few stylistic flourishes, mostly in the last twenty minutes, overall it's bland and what's worse it *really* drags toward the middle. Ultimately the director is as responsible for this mess as his screenwriter and his star.

Speaking of that star, I don't have any idea if Akira Kobayashi is an icon in Japanese cinema or someone who faded into obscurity immediately after this film, but I'd put my money on the latter. Starring as Katsuta he looks the part of the young yakuza underboss, but he doesn't have half the screen presence of Jo Shishido or some of Suzuki's other leads. The three schoolgirls going giggly over him in the opening scene is all too apropos.

So, that's what's wrong with it. On the other hand the remastered DVD from Homevision looks spectacular. The film is shot in widescreen "TohoScope" and Seijun Suzuki is an unqualified master at filling up that huge rectangular.

I've watched this film many times over the last ten years and every time I revisit I put together another piece of the puzzle. It isn't so much the written script but the filmography and fashion in which the film was created that tells the story; A standard for Japanese filmmaking.