R.I.P. - Mitsuharu Misawa 1962 - 2009

R.I.P. - David Carradine 1936 - 2009

Suzuki and Go To Hell, Bastards!

Equal parts Rock ‘n’ Roll, Russ Meyer, Miles Davis and Comic Books Japanese filmmaker Seijun Suzuki has interested me greatly for years. I first became introduced to Suzuki in the late-90s via the Criterion DVD of Branded to Kill. I kept reading what a strange and wild film Branded to Kill was and decided I had to check it out. Upon first viewing of the film I was taken back. I figured the movie was going to be an above average 60s Yakuza B-Film with occasional moments of brilliant absurdity. Instead what I found was an all-out assault on both visual and aural levels. The movie was like Free Jazz. I sometimes felt Suzuki threw away the script and let the film venture where it needed without caring about logic or the rules of filmmaking. I came away wanting more. Through the years I’ve viewed more of his work and I always find something new to be excited about with his films.



Before Branded to Kill, Tokyo Drifter and Youth of the Beast Seijun Suzuki cut his offbeat teeth with Detective Bureau 2-3: Go to Hell, Bastards! an adaptation of a crime novel by Haruhiko Ooyabu. Having something to do with two rivals gangs wanting to kill a member of a third gang and a Private Detective working with the police to infiltrate the gangs, or something like that. The film’s plotline is sketchy and motives aren’t really revealed but that’s hardly the point. Instead Go to Hell, Bastards! exists solely for bright, vibrant colors, gunplay, cool men on both sides of the law and fast women. Frequent Suzuki leading man Jo Shishido (or as I like to call him the Man with the Big Cheeks) is charismatic and funny as Det. Tajima and the vast array of Japanese character actors who made a career out of playing Yakuza are wonderful in both performance and look.

As usual for Japanese Exploitation films, the score is a great highlight. Showcasing a fantastic jazzy score typical of Yakuza films of the period Go to Hell, Bastards! also features a cool Japanese Rock song by a band possibly call Jazz Man. Jo Shishido also gets in on the musical fun performing an impromptu duet with a showgirl. The real star of Go to Hell, Bastards! however is Suzuki’s eye. The film is full of amazing visual flourishes. Shots filled to the brim with bright color, close-ups of weapons and a Yakuza riot are favorites of mine. Suzuki is a filmmaker that understands the importance of and knows how to properly use a 2.35:1 aspect ratio.



Although not on the level of his later masterworks, Detective Bureau 2-3: Go to Hell, Bastards! is great fun. The film is a fast 90 minutes and it delivers action, laughs, women and excitement not seen in today’s cinema. While not essential Go to Hell, Bastards! is recommended for fans of the genre.