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.

Fairly mundane set up, criminal looking to do one last job, with fairly typical characters, but well done and with a Japanese outlook and form. Bleak and dark with some nice action and final act. Worth seeing for old Chipmunk Shishido who plays it cool as usual.

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.

A gritty Japanese film noir from 1964. Joe Shishido stars as a recently released thief who gets a job from a Yakuza boss to pull off an armored car heist. Accepting the job & picking out his own gang (even testing them by giving them a beating to see if they would hold up under police questioning), the team is set & the crime is pulled off nearly w/o a hitch but then the inevitable double cross comes down (both by the Yakuza & his own gang) but he manages to blast his way to freedom, gaining the aid of a rival Yakuza gang when they kidnap the Capo's son but then the right hand man of the Capo decides to double cross his boss during the exchange (the son's killed) which finds Shishido w/the upper hand (recovering the loot) until they find his hiding spot right before he sets sail to South America. Will Shushido make it to the bitter end? Knowing the genre in which this film resides should give you the answer as the shade wearing anti-hero is always all business from the film's start to finish w/Shushido (who according to Eddie Muller's Noir Alley intro/outro got cheek implants so that he would be taken seriously as a distinctive actor) meting out his own brand of justice to any & everyone.