Branded to Kill

The film to earn outlaw master Seijun Suzuki his P45, Branded to Kill is the flawed masterpiece of a misunderstood genius. Asked to follow up his stylised classic Tokyo Drifter with something a little more mainstream, Suzuki petulantly ignored studio instructions and instead deconstructed the well-worn hitman subgenre made famous by Nikkatsu pictures, turning it fully inside out. The result is a misshapen jigsaw of pop culture, noir and new wave influences dipped in acid.

Stripped down, it’s all very simple. the Number Three Killer – the hamster-cheeked Shishido – fails in his commission to kill, which leads to the Number One Killer taking up a hit on his head. Time and space are altered through surreal editing techniques, possibly down to unworkably tight schedules as much as aesthetic principle. It forms a fever dream that unravels alongside the characters' sanity. The exquisite monochrome photography bloomed into garish colour for Suzuki's surreal 2001 remake and feminine reflection of sorts, Pistol Opera.