TATTOOED LIFE

The first in a line of films that would ultimately lead to his infamous 10-year blacklisting, TATTOOED LIFE is a characteristically stylish and idiosyncratic crime drama from Japanese visionary Seijun Suzuki (TOKYO DRIFTER, BRANDED TO KILL). Double-crossed and on the run, Tetsuo, a low-level yakuza hitman, meets up with Kenji, his aspiring artist brother, and flees to Manchuria to avoid capture. While trying to keep a low profile, the local gangs grow increasingly suspicious of the brothers, and Kenji’s blossoming relationship with a local woman only draws more attention. Tensions build to a fever pitch until the film’s jaw-dropping finale, a visual spectacle of camera and color that begs to be seen on the big screen. Gorgeous, thrilling, cool—cinema has never been the same since Suzuki graced the medium with visions like this one.