A Colt Is My Passport

Like most of the other reviewers, I was struck by the similarities between this Japanese crime thriller, clearly modeled after 1950's American film noir, and Sergio Leone's iconic 'spaghetti' westerns. Briefly, hitman Shuji Kamimura (Joe Shishido) and his assistant Shun Shiozaki (Jerry Fujio) are hired to assassinate a yakusa boss only to be betrayed by their employer. On the run, they hole up in a seedy hotel, where Kamimura attracts the eye of former mob moll Mina (Chitose Kobayashi) who agrees to use her connections in the local merchant fleet to help them escape. The mob closes in and Kamimura has to make some tough decisions. Joe Shishido is very good in an atypical way as the impassive contract killer, as is the rest of the cast (especially Kobayashi), and the story moves along at a brisk pace to a satisfyingly bloody conclusion. The black and white cinematography is striking and, while the look is pure noir, the score is an unusual (but effective) mix of discordant jazz (typical of period crime thrillers) and music that is clearly an imitation of (or homage to) Ennio Marricione's iconic spaghetti-western themes. The climactic shoot-out, despite being fought between dapper Japanese gangsters, could have come from a '60's anti-hero western, with a stark landfill site substituting for the desert and choreographed gunplay featuring a variety of weapons and a number of ways to die. This was my introduction to the Japanese crime film (having run out of kaiju and tokusatsu films) and I was equally entertained and impressed and look forward to watching other films in the canon (many of which, I have noticed, have equally evocative titles).

While watching a large variety and volume of titles allows one to better appreciate all that cinema has to offer, sometimes the other side of the coin is that a title can do everything right and still struggle to make a major impression out of everything one has seen. I feel that this counts among the latter.

The stunts and effects result contribute to sharp bursts of violence, and Nomura Takashi's direction is impeccably tight. Mine Shigeyoshi's cinematography is smartly dynamic, and crisp and vivid, making the viewing experience a real pleasure. The cast give strong performances. Ibe Harumi's score is a minor joy as it blends flavors of the spaghetti western with those more typical of contemporary crime flicks. With rich, terrific writing, even each scene in turn is a blast, so complete, vibrant, and fulfilling from one to the next that it's almost like we're getting a long series of short films. Characterizations are just as splendid, with the result that supporting character Mina, brought to life with welcome vitality by Kobayashi Chitose, threatens to upstage the hard-boiled, cool-headed yakuza protagonists. The story at large is firmly compelling and engrossing as hit men Kamimura and Shiozaki flee from their enemies following a successful assassination. Some bits and bobs throughout are rather brilliant, really, and the viewing experience is a great time all around.

From front to back 'A Colt is my passport' is an excellent picture. The thing is, even as I'm in the midst of watching, I'm fully aware that I'm unlikely to remember anything about it even two hours from now. Even the costume design, hair and makeup, production design and art direction, and filming locations are lovely, yes, and the climax and ending are exciting. I genuinely have no criticism to level. It's through no fault of anyone involved that the sum total doesn't specifically resonate with me; no doubt other viewers will find it altogether revelatory, and I'm glad for them. This is absolutely worth checking out if one has the opportunity, and anyway, there's nothing particularly wrong with a feature that comes and goes just as easily in our purview. It just means that the lasting value is up in the air. The long and short of it is that if you're in the mood for a fine crime movie regardless of whether or not it sticks in your memory, 'A Colt is my passport' earns a solid recommendation, and let's just leave it at that.

CHIPMUNK. The lead actor looks like a chipmunk. It needs too be said because that's all you see initially. Apparently it was a result of cheek surgery.

Once you get past that this movie is a little treat. A Noir/Yakuza/Spaghetti Western mash-up that actually works.

Like "The Killers" we are in the company of a two-man hit team. With a tricked-out car complete with a massive two-way radio they are much in demand from the Yakuza. Then the job goes wrong and it's time to get out of town. However there's a gal at the motel who complicates matters.

The music is a combination of cool jazz (which could be in a contemporary Caine movie ) and a touch of the Morricones for the cowboy-like action sequences. It shouldn't work but it is really effective.

Imagine, if you will, that instead of making westerns, Sergio Leone had decided to make crime thrillers on the model of RIFIFI, but set in Japan. That's something like what you get here. Jô Shishido is a hit man hired to kill a rival crime boss muscling in on other territory. While waiting for his flight out of town, the dead man's son shows up and offers to make a deal for the assassin's head. Jules Dassin might want us to think there is honor among thieves, but Leone never would, and neither does the director of this movie, Takashi Nomura.

It had a deliberately 1950s 'B' movie look, with its b&w photography and "stolen shot" camerawork, but the constantly moving camerawork and stunt gags are clear signs that this is serious film making.... and talented, too; Nomura is not that well known, but this is a good flick. Harumi Ibe's soundtrack starts out sounding like Morricone, but then switches to jazz arrangements for the crime story.

Rarely we see Japanese pictures have been swayed by Westerns cinema, due they would rather its own style, nonetheless sometimes someone dares broke such guideline as the filmmaker Takashi Nomura enforcing a spaghetti guidance regarding on farfetched narrative and soundtrack as well, it became a hybrid picture on Yakusa's mobster allied an Italian's accent, the final results is plenty enjoyable for Japanese taste and Western marketplace.

When a hitman (Joe Shishido) and his faithful sidekick (Jerry Fujio) were hired to kill a powerful and untouchable Yakusa's chief a hard task to be accomplished, although the smooth killer did it in plenty way, then came up an unflagging chase carried out by the own mastermind by a sudden new deal prearranged by the successors of the late boss, wherever Shishido goes there are their captors in advance, aid by a jinxed woman (Chitose Kobayashi) they envisage an escape by sea.

Meanwhile a truce is settle a so awaited showdown in a forsaken spot, then show up the spaghetti duel in whimsical Italian standard, to make it strong the own title has Western influence, worthwhile a look for every cinephile turned on Yakusa-crime genre, highly recommended!!

Thanks for reading.

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First watch: 2024 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 8.