Detetive Bureau 2-3

Not really an early film for Seijun Suzuki but he is at last unleashed into the world of 'A' features and begins to make his mark. This is a truly wonderful, brilliantly coloured widescreen print on the Arrow Blu-ray and if the director is only beginning his playfulness with splashes of vivid colour and idiosyncratic, almost surreal moments, it is a good start. The story itself preposterous but with guns blazing this barely stops with action throughout, much of it around what must be Yokohama with wharves and warehouses a plenty. If not all the cast are up to the level of charismatic Jo Shishido his performance is pretty much enough to carry this. Used to the odd musical number in yakuza films, here we get three scorchers on a Christmas theme complete with bikinis (!) and Diamond Guy, Shishido even joins in. Not a great film but great fun.

This was made slightly before the time when Suzuki began to experiment with the medium more radically. That would be Youth of the Beast. This one is more straightforward. Yet it is not any less entertaining. The guy was a heck of a director, even when he was apparently bored with what he saw as generic assignments. Jo Shishido stars as a private detective. He is hired by the police to infiltrate a yakuza gang to help them stop their gun running ring. The story doesn't always make a ton of sense, but it moves along so quickly that you might only realize it later. Shishido is awesome, and the film includes three wildly colored musical numbers (at night clubs - it's in no way a musical). Jo Shishido even joins into one of the numbers, which is just orgasmic!

I have no idea why, but Japanese actor Jô Shishido apparently had plastic surgery in order to give him squirrel-like cheeks (you know--filled with acorns)!! This is according to IMDb and I have wondered why he would do this and why the director would keep starring this odd man in his films. I assume Suzuki just had some sort of cheek fetish! Regardless, it's pretty weird.

The film begins with some Yakuza (Japanese mobsters) being viciously gunned down during an illegal transaction of guns. Who did this is unknown--and a private detective (Mr. Squirrel) offers to solve the crime if the cops pay him and give him a new identity. Apparently there is another guy who is a mobster and part-time chipmunk, so they give him fake i.d. for that guy and agree to the rest of his terms. I didn't realize that cops accepted freelance commissions! The film, quite honestly, then gets a little confusing--something I noticed in other Suzuki films. But, the style is so cool and the story so full of neat little twists, that I didn't terribly mind. I am not sure why, but they cast a deliberately bad actress who apparently talks through her nose and dresses like a man as Squirrel-boy's assistant. Why?! I guess it's just another weird touch in a generally weird film. Another thing you do need to say about this film is that it has fantastic music--very 1960s and very cool. It's sort of like James Bond music, cool jazz and Beach movie music combined! And in addition, there are some very kooky music numbers in nightclubs that you just have to see. Weird and fun.

I swear there must be a rule that, when making a crime film for Nikkatsu, one's title must go hard as hell, cause you're gosh darn right I watched this purely for the title alone. An ultra-stylish, rapid-fire yakuza thriller, Detective Bureau 2-3: Go to Hell, Bastards! Plays almost like an anarchic parody of the genre, from its eye-popping colours, wild comedy and even a bloody musical number. Suzuki's send up of post-war greed this has got to be one of his loosest and goofiest, directing it all with the tongue-in-cheek attitude that, while certainly has lost its bite today, makes for a rip-roaring good time. An unholy cocktail of Adam West's Batman, Connery's 007, Warhol's pop art and swinging jazz.

Having seen no comment for this film, I decide to put up my own. This is the first Suzuki film that I saw, What struck me about the film was how accessible it was to western audiences. It really was a 60's crime thriller, Joe Shishido could easily be the Japanese James Bond. Another thing that struck me was the music, having become accustomed to hearing traditional chants and whistle tunes in Chambara films, I was surprised to hear a song that could effortlessly be converted to English. Not only that but I really did like the music in the film, I also have a feeling that Suzuki is a man of music, as it seems to be a crucial element in all his films.

Although by no means a masterpiece, I do think that this is a light, enjoyable film, not as heavy going as some other Japanese films. If you are interested in discovering Japanese Pop Cinema, I think that this is an easy beginner's step but that's just one man's opinion, check it out for yourself.

7/10