Blackmail Is My Life review
Few directors boast a resume as varied and long as the late Kinji Fukusaku. Known primarily in the U.S. for one of his last films, Battle Royale (2000), Fukusaku helmed over sixty films during his 42-year career. Among them are a fair amount of yakuza films; Fukusaku is remembered primarily as a staunch anti-authoritarian, and many of his films display a man clearly at odds with society.
Released in 1968 (the same year that Fukusaku helmed both the sci-fi cult classic The Green Slime and the Yukio Mishima-penned Black Lizard), Blackmail Is My Life is a very idiosyncratic piece showing Fukusaku at his most energetic, and most creative. While Blackmail Is My Life starts off in a very light-hearted manner (it reminds one of such Mod classics as Alfie, with the protagonists’ running inner dialogue) it soon reveals itself to be a tense, gripping crime flick that quickly escalates to a violent, satisfying conclusion.
In a role specifically written for him, Hiroki Matsukata stars as Shun, a good-hearted but lazy smooth-operator whose entire goal in life seems to be trying to make as much money for as little effort as possible. Aided by a crew of like-minded nogoodniks (Seki, an ex-Yakuza tough guy, Zero, an ex-boxer, and Otoki, a tough-as-nails pseudo-love interest), Shun makes a living setting up one extortion scheme after another. He’s pretty good at it too…he’s even scored a movie star girlfriend who willingly puts up with his criminal activities. All good things come to an end, however; as Shun and company take on bigger and bigger targets, they begin to stir up a hornet’s nest of adversaries.
The fun of a film like Blackmail is My Life is watching the threads slowly unravel around the protagonists as their carefully laid plans begin to go awry. Not unlike Goodfellas, you just know that sooner or later the protagonists are going to bite off more than they can chew. Though it’s none too surprising when they do, you’re still biting your nails waiting to see how (or if) they pull themselves out before its too late.
Aiding the on-screen action is Fukusaku’s energetic direction. Taking a cue from any number of innovative 60’s mod flicks, Fukusaku incorporates rampant time-shifts, narrarated inner monologues, and lots of dramatic pauses and slideshow-style flashbacks. It’s probably a good thing, since the narrative can be a little fractured at times. You’ll never be bored, however, even when the plot leaves you a little confused.
The liner notes describe Blackmail Is My Life as a reactionary statement against endemic political corruption in Japan at the time. Fukusaku’s theme is clear from the outset, as Shun derides the 9-5 set while he playfully bilks them out of hard-earned cash. It would be easy to dismiss Shun and his cohorts as good-for-nothing losers (as many of the film’s baddies tend to do), but that would be missing the forest for the trees. Blackmail Is My Life is really about striking a blow against the system; Shun’s relative corruption really isn’t the issue, though Shun, Seki, Zero, and Otoki do sidestep a few ethical quandaries along the way.
One more aspect of the flick that I really enjoyed is the music. Though it’s certainly dated, this is an example of ‘everything old is new again’. I swear the opening track sounds like something you’d hear from one of those really wierd Japanese space-rock bands like Melt Banana or Buffalo Daughter. Perhaps as an homage, you’ll also hear the catchy theme from Tokyo Drifter (if you’ve seen the movie, you’ll know the one I’m talking about…yeah…that song) whistled quite often.
HVe’s new disc should amply suffice for anyone who’s a fan of the film, or of Fukusaku’s work. The transfer, though anamorphic, isn’t perfect. At one point it gets exceedingly grainy during a drug-deal gone awry, so grainy, in fact, that it becomes difficult to discern some of the characters. A/V nerds will probably have a fit, but considering the film’s 35-year vintage, I’d say the transfer is about as good as you’d expect. (Update: Michael Reiter, who produced this DVD for HVE, contacted us to explain the excessive graininess. “Thanks so much for the great review of our disc BLACKMAIL IS MY LIFE. I was the producer on the disc, and I’m glad you enjoyed our work. Just for the record, the exceedingly grainy scene you mentioned in your review was shot that way in the original film. It was a day-for-night scene, and the grain was something inherent to the film print used for the video transfer. There wasn’t anything we could do about it, and the transfer you see on the disc is the best possible. Thanks again for the review!”)
Probably the best thing about the disc (other than the feature itself, of course) is an interview with the man himself, director Kinji Fukusaku. Fukusaku discusses the influence his youth in post-war Japan and Western Film had on his career, and the making of Blackmail is My Life. Filmed entirely in black and white (not too long before his passing, one would assume, from his references to Battle Royale), it’s a nice piece, even at a mere 19+ minutes. It’s wonderful to hear the late director discuss his experiences; though not considered in the same class as Ozu or Kurosawa, Fukusawa is easily one of the greats of Japanese cinema.
HVe has also included a very inclusive filmography (even remembering such efforts as the PS2 game Clock Tower 3), and great liner notes by author Patrick Macias.
Though the film’s plot is at times obtuse, Blackmail Is My Life is a hell of a lot of fun. You could certainly do worse if you’re interested in Fukusaku’s pre-Battle Royale work.
Blackmail Is My Life
Director: Kinji Fukusaku
Starring: Hiroki Matsukata, Tomomi Sato, Yoko Mihara, Tetsuro Tambo
Related Links:
Blackmail Is My Life at the IMDB
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