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Twisty detective flick from the director of Branded to Kill. After the police van of which he was in charge is ambushed by a sniper, prison guard Michitaro Mizushima (the star of the earlier Suzuki film Underworld Beauty) is suspended from his job. Upset over his failure to protect those under his charge, Mizushima conducts his own investigation. This is an extremely convoluted mystery - a fact to which the film cops. Suzuki's master direction keeps it moving. The opening and closing sequences in particular are brilliant. I just wish I knew what the Hell was going on! I was very tired while watching it, I should say.

Film 3/5 in the Nikkatsu Noir boxset I'm working through, and I'd rank this behind Rusty Knife (film 2/5), but ahead of I Am Waiting (film 1/5).

I'll give it this: Take Aim at the Police Van has a great title and a great opening- both work well to get you hooked early to the simple premise (prison guard is partially blamed for deaths that weren't his fault, so he goes looking for the real killers himself) that soon balloons out and gets very complicated.

While some of the complexity and mystery is intentional, given the main character doesn't really know what's going on much of the time, I think it may have left the audience in the dark just a little too much. You could say that about a lot of classic noir, though- I think it's The Maltese Falcon where the writer even admitted he didn't really understand 100% of the plot.

(EDIT: legend actually goes that it was The Big Sleep where the screenwriters were confused by what they were writing. Do remember Maltese Falcon also having a confusing plot, for what it's worth)

But in any event, it stays entertaining because of the fast (if almost a little too quick) pace, the stylish direction, and some exciting sequences. Plus the mystery is a pretty decent one.

It all makes for an overall solid watch.

An exceptionally well-shot if bitterly average and utterly bewildering mystery, Take Aim at the Police Van marks the very early days for Seijun Suzuki, far less abstract than what I've heard about his more well-known works. He's shooting to a formula but delivering where it matters, be it the woman killed by an arrow to the boob or the faceless gunman who lovingly strokes his rifle's stock before sticking his bubblegum atop its scope. It's a film I wish was slightly more cohesive (and less jazzy) than it is but Police Van benefits from the endless swagger of its lead and fun filmmaking flourishes to stop it from being a frustrating or bad time. A testament to how artists pumping out quickie exploitation movies can often work in truths about their times that prestige filmmakers can't.

Great opening, but got messy quickly, and ultimately was an unsatisfying 79 minutes. The frumpled lead character (48 year old Michitaro Mizushima) reminded me a little of Glenn Ford in The Big Heat and the befuddling, often nonsensical plot reminded me of The Big Sleep, but Seijun Suzuki's work lacks the star power and atmosphere of those films. Questions piled up for me as I watched, and not just about the sequence of events from one scene to the next, but about basic character motivations for pretty much all of these people. The grand reveal of Akiba near the end was silly and a letdown too.

I never began actively disliking it though, because I never really knew what Suzuki was going to put on the screen next. There's a topless stripper shot in the chest with an arrow, and a James Bond like escape from an attempted execution (when of course a simple bullet would have made so much more sense). One of the mysterious young women being tracked down loves American rock 'n' roll, and has a gang of teenage friends pile out of car to protect her. There are several murders, but the main character believes in the goodness in people, and improbably the beautiful young femme fatale (Misako Watanabe) softens and falls in love with him. It's an absurdity set to a jazzy soundtrack and doesn't really work, but somehow held my interest. You can do better though.

This film begins with a bus carrying two convicts to prison being ambushed by a man with a rifle which results in both of the prisoners being killed. Outraged about this incident, the authorities quickly suspend the prison guard responsible for the prisoner transport by the name of "Daijiro Tamon" (Michitaro Mizushima). So, with nothing but time on his hands, Daijiro goes about investigating the ambush and what clues he finds eventually leads him to a company known as the Hamaju Agency which is being temporarily run by a young woman by the name of "Yuko Hamajima" (Misako Watanabe). What he doesn't realize, however, is that the closer his investigation gets to the culprit behind the murders, the more dangerous it becomes for him. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this turned out to be a decent film due in large part to the mystery involved along with some good suspense here and there as well. Admittedly, there are some parts of the plot that are a bit unrealistic, but even so, I enjoyed this movie for the most part and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

(1960) Take Aim At The Police Van/ 'Jûsangô taihisen' yori: Sono gosôsha o nerae (In Japanese with English subtitles) CRIME DRAMA/ MYSTERY/ ACTION

The set up regards a prison guard, Daijirô Tamon (Michitarô Mizushima) getting suspended for six months as a result of failing to protect two prisoners. He then goes on an odyssey to find out why. First he would interview another former inmate prisoner who was also there by the name of Gorô Kashima (Shôichi Ozawa), as Tamon realizes he scribbled something onto the window on the bus they both riding on before the other two inmates were executed. And he tries to follow him after seeing the name Aki written on a piece of paper. Leading him to uncover two objectives which is to find out who was that lady he had seen on the fateful night during the bus ride and the identity of Aki who we find out is actually Akiba.

Despite it's short running time of less than a hour and a half, this was quite boring until it got to the very end with the gun shootings to be quite relative.

This is one violent (not in gore as it is brute force intensity), gritty film-noir (part of the "Nikkatsu Noir" set from Eclipse/Criterion) that has a helluva hook - a prison van carrying a couple of peeps is driving at night and two criminals knock a truck in its path to stop the van and then shoot to kill. In the aftermath, one of the guards, Tamon (Mizushima, strapping and no BS male star for Japan if I ever saw one, a bit like a Japanese Mitchum or Glenn Ford), takes it on himself to investigate who was behind it, and it leads him into an 'Agency' that pimps out young women among other nefarious crimes (and what does Tsunaka Ando, played by Shiraki, have to do with it all, or does she even know?)

What makes Seizuki's direction so palpable and involving is how he manages to find some stylistic flourishes while keeping this tight 79 minute story moving; there's this one superbly edited bit where Tamon is walking down a street and Seizuki cuts from him and his grim-determined profile and these four young ladies singing along to a pop song on a jukebox. You think he's recognized the young woman he's been after, he followed her and lost her in a previous scene (those darn graveyards will get ya), but it's not till just a slight beat after he goes by her that he does a double take and recognizes her (and her him) and as he lunges for her she gives a look and the other girls pounce on him. It's extremely clever direction placing us in suspense we aren't even sure will come about, and then it ends on a tussle that is more funny than thrilling (and that's good sometimes!)

Take Aim at the Police Van (one of my favorite titles of all time for the record) doesn't have the most original supporting characters, mostly low life thugs and pissants who may only best Tamon because they're a step ahead of him, and even Shiraki is mostly there to get tense when questioned and then fold pretty quickly thereafter. But the mystery is drawn out without any extra fat on the spine, when characters (mostly Tamon but eventually some others in his orbit) are in danger and are either trapped or fending for their lives it feels like anything can happen, and Seizuki understands widescreen can be used formidably for creating spaces and tension and also for an impactful, once or twice nearly iconic close up (like the sunglasses when we get to see them on the man).

Maybe it is "minor" when compared to Branded to Kill, but that's a tall bar to clear and this is perfectly entertaining B moviemaking all on its own - with an ironic twist ending, but one that means to end more on a surprising emotional beat than a simple "gotcha.

Kinda reminded me of another foreign homage to American noir/crime drama shown a couple months ago on Noir Alley, "Le Samurai", in its gripping action scenes and high speed train-like pacing from director Seijun Suzuki and haunting, twilight cinematography from DP Shigeyoshi Mine combined with cardboard characters and a very silly story best described as Women Sex Slaves Meets King Lear. The difference between Suzuki's film and Jean Pierre Melville's is that while the Japanese director's characters tend toward the cardboard and melodramatic Gallic director Melville's folks are cardboard and oh so cool. Both fall far short of the ambiguous, lost, morally pliable people we see in the best Hollywood noirs. Give it a B minus.

I find myself a little surprised by how straightforward this is. It carries definite airs of film-noir, and the crime thriller, as protagonist Tamon independently pursues an investigation into a spiraling series of events. The body count rises amidst seedy business and pure underworld dealings, and there are plenty of turns to come as the plot develops. Even so, the movement is fairly linear, and with infrequent exceptions the tone is unexpectedly muted if not just plain flat. Granted, that tone is no mark against the picture per se as it doesn't speak specifically to the substance, though it does reduce our engagement to some degree. On the other hand, stood next to the most readily comparable fare, the relative lack of sophistication in the narrative does specifically impact our opinion to at least some extent - and when we learn who is behind the deaths and why, the explanations aren't entirely convincing on paper, nor satisfying. A major component of any murder mystery or kindred story is the dramatic reveal of the killer and their motives, or at least the underlying scheme, and if these aren't adequately compelling, then our viewing experience will be diminished. I'm definitely not saying that 'Take aim at the police van' is bad, because that's plainly not true, but all told the strength of its storytelling is just variable enough that its lasting value is lessened.

Be that as it may, the feature remains enjoyable and worthwhile on its own merits. Though the writing has its weaknesses, more than not scribes Shimada Kazuo and Sekizawa Shinichi penned a solid, absorbing story and a fine screenplay. The scene writing is strong, the best of the characterizations are interesting, and perceived shortcomings in the script amount to insufficient development of all characters and ideas, and thin connective threads between ideas. More than not Suzuki Seijun's direction is just splendid in orchestrating shots and scenes; it's technically capable for sure, and maybe just a tad softer when it comes to infusing the necessary vitality for the proceedings. In fairness, the climax is wonderfully sharp, suspenseful, and exciting, arguably the peak in these seventy-nine minutes where the direction is concerned - and importantly, where the reveals indicated above don't necessarily impress as written, in realization the drama is most assuredly felt in the last minutes. Furthermore, even when Suzuki comes up short, other contributors pick up the slack. Suzuki Akira's editing is marvelously tight and effective, and Mine Shigeyoshi's cinematography is reliably rich and vibrant. The cast is unfailingly fantastic; among others, Mizushima Michitaro deftly navigates the lead role with swell nuanced range and commanding presence, and Watanabe Misako increasingly stands out with the personality and emotional depth she brings to her part as Yuko. Moreover, where stunts, effects, and action sequences rule the day (above all at the climax), they are roundly excellent and absolutely do much to invest us in the film.

Rounded out with terrific filming locations, music, and various other work from those behind the scenes, when all is said and done I actually think this is pretty swell, and we're certainly treated to a superb finish. The final sequence is so smartly written and executed that it makes me reconsider my critiques in some measure. I just kind of wish that the whole screenplay were approached with equal care from top to bottom, for some beats, characterizations, and connective threads are unquestionably more firm and sure-footed than others. Ultimately 'Take aim at the police van' is entertaining and engrossing, and it holds its own reasonably well against like-minded contemporary fare out of Hollywood, England, France, or elsewhere. This deserves a look if one has the chance to watch. Just know that it's imperfect, and maybe like me you'll find that in the end the whole manages to pull out a win despite its occasional infirmities.

Take Aim at the Police Van is action-packed, fast-moving Japanese Noir. Perhaps though, it's a little too fast moving. And unfortunately employs some rather erratic editing.

The story itself has all the makings of a good noir-ish detective murder mystery. Daijirô Tamon (Michitarô Mizushima) is a prison guard who has convicts murdered during a prison transfer. Tamon decides to hunt down those responsible. He quickly stumbles upon an "agency" that supplies young women as "showgirls" and "masseuses". There is no need to read between the lines or even get metaphorical as the fact they are being used as call-girls is blatantly evident. However, Tamon begins to have feelings for the agency's madam, Yûko (Misako Watanabe).

Directed by Seijun Suzuki, Take Aim at the Police Van builds up a good mystery and adds in a number of chases and shooting sequences. Yet the speed of the story and the choppiness of the editing truly shows that this was simply another movie quickly being fed through the Nikkatsu Studios machine. As swiftly Tamon decides to solve the case, the source of all the woe is discovered (also, such identity is not a shock), and the credits roll.

Take Aim at the Police Van is faster than service at a ramen house. But also quite tasty.

Michitarô Mizushima is a prison guard. He's on a bus moving prisoners when it is ambushed and two people killed. He's suspended for six months, so he decides to investigate the double murder himself, despite the fact the police are working hard on it. He soon outdistances them, into a web of a prostitution ring led by beautiful Misako Watanabe, who falls in love with him.... maybe.

It's another the fast-moving crime movies directed by Seijun Suzuki, with a great start, exciting action sequences shot day-for-night, a jazzy score and a meandering plot that never answers the questions it raises initially. Mizushima is good as the compassionate guard who can not only out-sleuth the police, but outshoot multiple assassins. His first movie was in 1925, although his film career didn't really get moving for another ten years. Dealing with a poorly plotted movie, neither he nor Suzuki can do much except make it move fast.

Suzuki would go on to do wonders with abstraction and suggestive atmosphere in his later films but this is mostly a compact potboiler that doesn't have any time to spare. In fact there's so much plot here we need to get inside the protagonist's head to hear him try and clear some of it out. Voice-over narration tells us that "Fuychita had a sister, she's my next lead" and we're immediately transported to a tavern where that sister may be spotted. The movie jumps like that from place to place and character to character, gathering very little as it does but a growing number of names and intertwining relationships which are only as meaningful as the next person or clue they lead us to, and then at some point a sharpshooter is shooting at the protagonist and an underground prostitution ring is revealed. This is the kind of movie where people are presumed dead only to reappear later, where the protagonist goes back to his place to find a key character waiting for him in his living room with no explanations given or asked, and where the bad guys stage an elaborate death for the protagonist and his girl to escape when two bullets would have sufficed. It's not film noir by the American standard of the term and it's not even film noir compared to some of the stuff Teruo Ishii was doing at the time in Shintoho studios. It's a comic-book murder mystery with onedimensional characters and convoluted plot (one to make up for the other), a couple of cool scenes, and a swinging jazzy score. Like a dimestore viper novel, it keeps you turning the page but you know you're reading something mostly cheap and disposable by the end of it.

A 1960 police actioner from writer/director Seijin Suzuki (Branded to Kill/Tokyo Drifter) about a disgraced prison guard, Michitaro Mizushima, who loses some of his charges during a shootout during a nighttime transfer. Taking the law into his own hands but also at some point in the story cops are brought in, Mizushima tracks down the players behind the act siding up to the moll of one of the crooks in the hopes of getting back some dignity he suffered from the escape. As per Noir Alley's host Eddie Muller, the film was a revelation to Japanese audiences, especially the younger sect, which embraced the film embarrassing the honchos at the film studio but now 64 years after the fact the film is fine but ultimately safe when a lot of the gunfights which may've lit a fire under the viewing public butts now feel like so much uncontrolled chaos but the throughline of the plot is solid enough though.

A wacked out Japanese noir that plays like something Quentin Tarantino would have been inspired by.

I would try to summarize the plot if I had any idea what this movie was about. It doesn't make a lick of sense, but it's got a cool as hell vibe and terrific music, and it's one of those films where style counts for a lot. A lot of noirs are like that -- you watch them for the atmosphere, not the plot. But even with that this one is more byzantine and inscrutable than most.

TCM's Eddie Muller talked about how "Take Aim at the Police Van" is just a run-of-the-mill normal walk in the park compared to this director's later movies, which makes me want to see these later movies. If this gonzo film is "normal," what on earth are these other movies like?

Grade: A-

Take Aim at the Police Van, originally known as Jûsangô taihisen' yori: Sono gosôsha o nerae, is a Japanese film noir that unfolds as an investigative thriller through seventy-nine minutes. The movie was made by renowned director Seijun Suzuki who had become a regular choice for Nikkatsu Studios by the early sixties before experimenting wildly with visual effects and being kicked out in 1967. Mizushima Michitaro incarnates the film's sincere protagonist and his grounded depiction provides much depth to the film while his acting experience of thirty-five years makes for a charismatic screen presence throughout. He is paired up with rising star Watanabe Misako who shines as charismatic feminist with remarkable courage, smart decisions and dedicated independence.

In this particular film, Mizushima Michitaro plays a guard who is supposed to bring a group of prisoners to a new location in the middle of the night. The van gets ambushed and two prisoners are brutally murdered. The guard is suspended for six months and decides to investigate the motive behind those assassinations. He starts by observing a third prisoner who survived the ordeal who seems to have ties to a shady call girl agency. Said agency is led by an enigmatic young woman whose father is in jail. She starts investigating the mysterious case as well as she believes a mysterious concurrent called Akiba might be the mastermind behind the crimes. The disgraced guard and the ambitious businesswoman team up in order to make justice prevail despite opposition from arrogant police officers and nagging business partners alike.

This film noir convinces on several levels. The movie oozes with sinister atmosphere thanks to excellent lighting techniques, gloomy camera work and appropriate settings on isolated roads in the middle of the night or in decaying industrial areas on the outskirts of rapidly developing towns. The acting performances are great as Mizushima Michitaro convinces as unusually old lead actor while Watanabe Misako is ahead of her time by portraying a strong feminist femme fatale. The film's finale is particularly intense and will leave a lasting emotional impression upon genre fans, thus bringing the movie full circle as it reconnects to its gripping overture.

However, this film is also weaker than many other Japanese films noirs that saw the light of day in the late fifties and early sixties. Despite its short running time, the movie has noticeable lengths and especially its middle section drags on for far too long. The script is thin and takes much time to unfold between the intense opening ten minutes and the conciliatory final ten minutes. The film's side characters remain shallow and the supporting actors and actresses aren't given any chance to showcase their talents significantly.

At the end of the day, the coolest thing about Take Aim at the Police Van, originally known as Jûsangô taihisen' yori: Sono gosôsha o nerae, might actually be its catchy title. Its gloomy atmosphere, excellent lead actress and lead actor as well as its gripping opening and closing scene keep this film from drowning in mediocrity. The middle section's exhausting lengths, weak script and shallow side characters incarnated by a cast that fails to stand out reduce this movie to a film noir that only just qualifies as good average movie that tends to be slightly overrated in hindsight. My sincere recommendation is to watch several other Japanese genre films of the same era instead while this particular film here is only of interest for adamant fans of the lead actor, the lead actress and the controversial director in particular.