Tattooed Life (1965)
"Irezumi ichidai" (original title)

Director:

Seijun Suzuki

Writers:

Kei Hattori, Ai Kennedy (translation),

Stars:

Hideki Takahashi, Akira Yamauchi, Hiroko Itô

Cast

Credited cast:
Hideki Takahashi	...	Murakami Tetsutaro
Akira Yamauchi	...	Kinoshita Yuzo
Hiroko Itô	...	Kinoshita Masayo
Masako Izumi	...	Kinoshita Midori
Kayo Matsuo	...	Oyuki
Hôsei Komatsu	...	Yamano Senkichi
Yuji Odaka	...	Ezaki Osamu
Michio Hino	...	Tokuhira
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hiroshi Chiyoda	...	Zensuke
Hiroshi Chô	...	Masayoshi
Kotobuki Hananomoto	...	Murakami Kenji
Akira Hisamatsu	...	Patrolman Oikawa (as Kosuke Hisamatsu)
Masaaki Honme	...	Tsurumatsu
Take Ikezawa	...	Head Longshoreman
Seizaburô Kawazu	...	Akamatsu Jugoro

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

ninkyo | gangster

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

7 October 1966 (USA)

Also Known As:

White Tiger Tattoo

Company Credits

Production Co:

Nikkatsu

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in 100 Years of Japanese Cinema (1995)

User Reviews

A neglected yakuza classic from Seijun Suzuki

Part of the cycle of genre and Yakuza movies that Suzuki directed for Nikkatsu in the early to mid sixties, this film is one of his most memorable. It may not be as well known here as other films in this cycle, probably due to the period setting (1925), and the fact that the middle section has no fighting or action, as it focuses on the fugitive yakuza hiding in the crew of a tunnel construction project.

Suzuki's design sense shines here, with bridges, trains, boats serving as a modern architectural counterpoint to the beautiful Japanese open vistas. It is interesting how similar the themes of this movie are to recent genre films such as Bangkok Dangerous, and how different the execution. The action scenes are short bursts of stylized fighting mixing gunplay with samurai action. The story is more engaging than Suzuki's other Yakusa films. I got the feeling that the director was trying his best to explode the strict confines of the genre, while delivering a commercial product. The buildup to the extraordinary final confrontation, a choreographed samurai style fight inside and outside a traditional Japanese house, is very satisfying. Also interesting are the weird touches like the red boots two of the movie's characters wear.

In my humble opinion, another classic from Mr Suzuki.