Golgo 13 (1973) User Reviews

Unfairly obscure Japanese/Iranian action gem

[Red-Barracuda · 7/10 · 21 June 2016]

This is an early live-action adaption of a manga comic of the same name. I think the best way to think of it is as a Japanese version of James Bond. Except in this case the lead character is a hired professional killer (in fairness Bond was really more this than an actual spy) and, as could probably be expected given its Japanese origins, it's decidedly more violent. In actual fact, despite a few moments of memorable humour, this is hardly campy fare and is more an example of straight-ahead gritty 70's action. The lead character Golgo 13 is played brilliantly by Ken Takakura, who looks like a genuine bad ass throughout the picture. This is clearly a character that deserves to be better known. As does the film itself. It remains extremely obscure. Having seen it I find this a strange scenario as this is not a ropey z-grade film or avant-garde oddity but a pretty well made b-movie with lots of action and memorable scenes. Aside from its strengths as a solid action flick, one of its main interest factors nowadays is that fact that it is set in pre-Revolution Iran. Set in and around Tehran the action roves around the streets of the city, the ancient ruins and holy temples. There is even a nightclub with an erotic dancer. It's a time-capsule scenario where we see a far more liberal culture very different to the one we know today. It makes a really great backdrop for the events in the film – simply something we are not accustomed to seeing any more.

The story has Golgo 13 hired to take out a villain called Goa who has been killing secret agents as well as conducting a terror campaign in which many women have been abducted from the streets. Nothing much is known about Goa but it eventually becomes clear that he has a pet parrot, which results in a genuinely hilarious ending – you really have to see it to believe it. This is a film that it almost goes without saying deserves to be seen by a far wider audience. It remains so far off the radar that it barely even qualifies as a cult item! I say seek it out, it holds up very well compared to the best of the western urban action movies of its day. It's tough, cool, strange and unique – it is well worth your time checking this one out.

Looks like an amateur movie.

[d_d_v · 4/10 · 5 December 2019]

Ridiculous cheap japanese action movie. The action occurs in Iran, a surrealist Iran since everybody seems to speak japanese fluently, where is the logic ? The main character is not charismatic and hardly talks during the whole movie. Each detail seems ridiculous: the killed people close their eyes when they die, the burned cars are empty while there were full of gangsters during the car chase, etc.

A recently rediscovered gem

[DanTheMan2150AD · 8/10 · 24 July 2023]

Junya Sato's Golgo 13 is a much more human and melancholy adaptation of the source material, it loses the seemingly superhuman aspects of his anime counterpart. Making gorgeous use of a pre-revolution Iran, a decidedly off-the-wall idea even for the time and one that gives it a unique flavour, sees a perfectly cast Ken Takakura in the title role radiate with an ice-cold countenance matched only by his deadly skills and irresistibility to women. Oozing with menace and masculine suave, Golgo 13 trudges across desert landscapes, a man on a mission, decidedly anti-heroic but brilliantly realised encountering kaleidoscopic villains along the way. Excellently shot and choreographed action, striking editing and a classic slice of Toei-style orchestration for its soundtrack give Junya Sato's Golgo 13 a decidedly Spaghetti Western tinge. I can't thank Eureka Entertainment enough for finally giving this movie the attention it so justly deserves.