(1975/JAPAN)
REVIEWED BY-STEVE GENIER DIRECTED BY-ROKURO MOCHIZUKI STARRING-RYO ISHIBASHI, KAZUHIKO KANAYAMA and ASAMI SAWADA. SOURCE-ARTSMAGIC NTSC 1 DVD
This is a pretty intense look into a Yakuza hit man who is released from prison after many years. His reactions to how things have changed in the world around him, as the Yakuza has become a body of units in a truce. How they have become a business in their eyes, but in his eyes they are still the Yakuza. He is a man bound but the old codes and has a hard time swallowing that fact that his gang is being run over without a fight. He is an old dog who won’t just lay down and play dead, and this is really making his superiors nervous. Director Rokuro Mochizuki gives us a very strong and unique character study into the mind of a man who has killed at the command of others and at the will of a drug , how he has paid his dues and wants to climb back into that seat. Driven but his passion and honor that he is bound by, only to have it thrown aside by those who have instilled it in the first place. Yet, things aren’t an all out assault as in most Yakuza films of this nature.
Mochizuki is subtle in his views as he analyzes how a person who is haunted by his actions can really try to change his ways without fully leaving the old habits behind. Or, never being able to in the first place. People often identify those who belong to a Yakuza outfit as a harden criminal or cold-blooded killer, and many films portray as such. In ANOTHER LONELY HITMAN, that is all thrown aside, as Mochizuki explores the Yakuza hit man in great detail, his wants, his needs as well as his desires. How he is affected by the forces of nature, as are all humans alike. This is best displayed when the female element is introduced into his life. Most man would thirst for sex after a long haul in a harden prison, but in this case his goal is to rid her of her demons. Those same demons that drove him into prison, drugs. This all drives him to reconsider his Yakuza vows and to retire into the life as a fisherman. Of course, the old saying "Once a Yakuza, always Yakuza" does also apply here.
ANOTHER LONELY HITMAN also displays a very intense performance from actor Ryo Ishibashi (AUDITION, JU-ON), one that has the viewer identifying Ishibashi as an anti-hero of sorts. You really start to route for him after being shocked at the start from his actions. His goal becomes your goal in a sense where you really become apart of the psyche Ishibashi’s character instills in you the viewer. That and the strong performances that all seem to thread together as one, driving the story to a eventual crashing halt. His character commands a certain respect in the Yakuza world, for his one action that landed him in prison. Killing the lead of a rival gang while under the influence of drugs. Yes, one would say that is an act of a coward, someone who can’t face their demons without the aid of mind altering substance. Hey, what others don’t know, won’t hurt right. Wrong, as Ishibashi’s character is tormented by one single action, shooting an innocent person, a non-Yakuza. A code that should not be broken in his books. Again, all of this is represented with precision on the part of Ishibashi.
In ending, ANOTHER LONELY HITMAN is a slick venture into a slimy business, but never really getting your hand dirty. Though you are on the outside looking in, you see first hand the dirt these guys have to endure, as their job isn’t easy and the effects it has on one’s psyche. Director Rokuro Mochizuki certainly has done this genre a great justice by doing so. Though the Yakuza is a ruthless area to explore, it is also a passion that drives them to be men of honor and of code. Something that is often forgot in the real world.
The Artsmagic soon to be released DVD is a clear indication that they are completely committed to providing top quality entertainment to those who enjoy this films. The only thing really lacking with the ANOTHER LONELY HITMAN disc though is the thin offering of extras. Both picture and sound quality of this DVD are quite good, the picture being an anamorphic wide-screen print. The sound is equally as good as well, providing us with a choice of Japanese audio in either 2.0 or 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround with English subtitles. Also, once again there is the additional commentary track featuring Tom Mes, sharing his expert knowledge of not just the films elements, but with the genre and backgrounds of several other elements linked to this release. The extras, like mentioned above are quite slim with only some brief bios and filmographies topped with a 26 minute interview with director Rokuro Mochizuki. Still though, this DVD is highly recommended as the film alone is quite entertaining as well as a fine example of a Yakuza film during the 1990's.
STORY- 3.5 BITCH SLAPS PICTURE- 3.5 BITCH SLAPS AUDIO- 3.5 BITCH SLAPS EXTRAS- 3 BITCH SLAPS OVERALL DVD- 3 BITCH SLAPS
