Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Branded to Kill Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 27, 2011

Japanese director Seijun Suzuki's "Koroshi no rakuin" a.k.a. "Branded to Kill" (1967) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include the film's original theatrical trailer; new and exclusive video interview with director Seijun Suzuki and assistant director Masami Kuzuu; new and exclusive video interview with actor Joe Shishido; and a video interview with director Seijun Suzuki recorded during a retrospective of his work by the Japan Foundation and Los Angeles Filmforum. The disc also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring an essay by Asian cinema expert Tony Rayns, and a statement by the film's art director, Sukezo Kawahara. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles. Region-A "locked".

Hanada, the rice-sniffing killer

Yakuza hitman Hanada (Joe Shishido, Gate of Flesh, Retaliation) is Number Three on a prestigious list in the Japanese underworld. He wants to become Number One but faces an unsolvable problem -- no one knows who the best of the best is, which means that he cannot challenge him. Puzzled and frustrated, he kills hitmen Two and Four.

While trying to figure out a way to bring Number One out of the shadows, Hanada meets Misako (Annu Mari, Mini Skirt Lynchers), a disillusioned and suicidal beauty who asks if he might be interested in a job. This one, the girl explains to Hanada, is not like the other jobs he has done in the past because the target is a foreigner (Franz Gruber) who will be in the country only for a very short period of time. Intrigued by the warning, Hanada agrees to do the job.

But soon after everything that could go wrong goes terribly wrong -- Hanada misses his target and kills an innocent person. The mistake is unforgivable and the damage to Hanada’s reputation irreparable, because according to an old yakuza code he will no longer be able to legitimately challenge Number One, and because every other hitman on the prestigious list will now hunt him down until the day he is killed and removed from it.

Hanada’s life slowly begins to spin out of control. First, seriously depressed he decides to drink himself to death, but instead realizes that he has fallen in love with the mysterious Misako. Then his jealous wife, Mami (Mariko Ogawa), discovers that he no longer desires her and attempts to kill him. Number One steps out of the shadows too, but instead of killing Hanada proceeds to torture and humiliate him.

Branded to Kill is Japanese director Seijun Suzuki’s boldest, darkest, and most perverted film. It has the important ingredients great film noirs share but it is too surreal to be considered one. At times it is also too violent and explicit, entering territories most exploitation films like to explore.

The main protagonist, Hanada, is a lot like Jef Costello from Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le Samouraï. He is a terrific killer and a loner who attracts dangerous women. Unlike Costello, however, Hanada has a darker side. Actually, it is more of a freaky side. For example, he likes sniffing cooked rice because it helps him get an erection, and when he makes love to his wife, it looks like he is trying to kill her.

Even by contemporary standards Branded to Kill remains a pretty eccentric film, but it is never arrogant, nihilistic, or even remotely offensive. Everything Suzuki does in it unapologetically tests various once-current Japanese moral boundaries. Also, even the most outrageous sequences in it are done with a flawless sense of style that is not copied. This genuine desire to be original, no matter the consequences, is what makes Branded to Kill so fascinating to behold.

Among the films Suzuki shot during the 1960s, Branded to Kill has the most thought-provoking and ultimately prophetic finale. Unlike the rest of the film, the finale is very much grounded in reality and perhaps reflective of the one Suzuki was forced to endure.

* Shortly after top brass at Nikkatsu saw the completed Branded to Kill, Suzuki was unceremniously fired. After that, for nearly ten years, Suzuki could not find work and was forced to shoot TV commercials to make ends meet.

Branded to Kill Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Seijun Suzuki's Branded to Kill arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:

"This new high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit Datacine from a fine-grain master positive. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, warps, jitter, and flicker were manually removed using MTI's DRS and Pixel Farm's PFClean, while Image System's DVNR was used for small dirt, grain, and noise reduction.

Telecine supervisor: Lee Kline.
Telecine colorist: Joe Gawler/Technicolor, New York."

Aside from some random artifacts that occasionally pop up, the presentation of this classic Japanese film is very impressive, and especially when one attempts to compare it to the old R1 non-anamorphic DVD release Criterion produced back in 1999. In addition to dramatically improved detail, the new high-definition transfer also impressively stabilizes the color scheme, which is both delicate and dramatic. Naturally, the noirish nighttime sequences (see screencapture #3) now look beautiful, not fuzzy and blocky, while the close-ups convey pleasing depth (see screencapture #5). Contrast levels are also stabilized, giving the film an entirely new, very healthy look. Additionally, various delicate noise and grain corrections have been performed, but when projected the film boasts wonderful organic qualities. There are no serious stability issues. The high-definition transfer is also free of large damage marks, debris, stains, and cuts. All in all, the Blu-ray release of Branded to Kill offers a much needed, and anticipated, gigantic upgrade in visual quality. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Branded to Kill Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: Japanese LPCM 1.0. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:

"The monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from the original soundtrack print. Clicks, thumps, hiss, and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using AudioCube's integrated workstation."

The uncompressed monaural soundtrack serves the film very well. During the shootouts, for instance, the sound is crisp and clean, and a few of the car crashes sound quite intense. Naozumi Yamamoto 's score also gets a decent boost, though admittedly the music in Branded to Kill is not as prominent as it is in Tokyo Drifter. The dialog is crisp, clean, stable, and easy to follow. For the record, there are no sync issues or audio dropouts to report in this review. The English translation is very good.

Branded to Kill Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - an original theatrical trailer for Branded to Kill. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles. (4 min, 1080i).

• Seijun Suzuki and Masami Kuzuu - in this interview, director Seijun Suzuki and assistant director Massami Kuzuu discuss the production history of Branded to Kill, Nikkatsu's reaction to the film, and the events that followed the sacking of the Japanese director. The interview was recorded exclusively for Criterion in July, 2011. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles. (13 min, 1080i).

• Joe Shishido - an outstanding, enormously funny interview with Joe Shishido (Hanada), who recalls his collaboration with Seijun Suzuki on Branded to Kill and Gates of Flesh. The actor also does a terrific improvisation. Don't miss it. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles. (11 min, 1080i).

• Seijun Suzuki - an archival interview with director Seijun Suzuki, which was recorded during a retrospective of his work by the Japan Foundation and Los Angeles Filmforum at the Nuart Theatre in Los Angeles in March 1997. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles. (15 min, 1080i).

• Booklet - an illustrated booklet featuring an essay by Asian cinema expert Tony Rayns, author of Branded to Thrill: The Delirious Cinema of Suzuki Seijun, and a statement by the film's art director, Sukezo Kawahara.

Branded to Kill Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Wildly entertaining and seriously atmospheric, Branded to Kill is director Seijun Suzuki's boldest, darkest, and most perverted film. It is rather easy to argue that it is one of the most stylish Japanese films from the 1960s as well. Its transition to Blu-ray is the revelation many film aficionados have been waiting for, and likely to remain its definitive presentation for years to come. The Blu-ray also features exclusive new supplemental features, including a hilarious new video interview with the star of the film, Joe Shishido. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.