Pisutoru opera (2001)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Seijun Suzuki

Writers:

Kazunori Itô (writer)
Takeo Kimura (writer)

Release Date:

27 October 2001 (Japan)

Genre:

Crime | Action | Drama

Plot Keywords:

Sequel | Assassin | Surrealism | Psychedelic | Avant Garde

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Makiko Esumi	...	Miyuki Minazuki
Sayoko Yamaguchi	...	Sayoko Uekyo
Hanae Kan	...	Sayoko Uekyo
Masatoshi Nagase	...	Man dressed in black
Mikijiro Hira	...	Goro Hanada
Kirin Kiki	...	Rin
Kenji Sawada	...	Man at Tokyo Station
Haruko Kato	...	Shizuka Orikuchi
Tomio Aoki
Yoji Tanaka	...	Koroshi-ya No. 7
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Yoshiyuki Morishita	...	Killer no.9
Kensaku Watanabe		(as Sakutarô Inui)
Jan Woudstra	...	Painless Surgeon

Also Known As:

Pistol Opera (International: English title)

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

UK:15

Company:

DENTSU Music And Entertainment

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: As Uekyo speaks into the camera with a Union Jack draped over her, the boom mic drops into the picture for a second or two, then moves up and out of sight.

Quotes:

Miyuki Minazuki: I think it's okay to live my life as a pistol.

Movie Connections:

References Karumen kokyo ni kaeru (1951)

Beautiful but Incomprehensible

I was eager to see "Pistol Opera" for a variety of reasons. I had recently seen "Branded to Kill" and the idea of a follow-up/sequel/remake by the same director intrigued me. Furthermore, I am a fan of the lead actress, Makiko Esumi, from her work on Japanese TV.

Sadly, this film goes nowhere...slowly. The plot seemed simple enough but within minutes I was lost. These "professional killers" spend nearly the entire film killing each other which begs the question who is employing these people and what purpose they serve. Lots of these scenes look wonderful and have some fun ideas, but nothing makes any sense. Characters deliver long, meandering soliloquies into the camera, flip-flopping from Japanese to English and back again. Neither language adds any clarity to the circumstances. The whole thing feels like some kind of experimental stage play, especially the final showdown where characters enter and exit bizarre scenery accompanied by strange, nearly naked dancers.

What the hell?