Yusaku Matsuda in Yomigaeru Kinrou

Yomigaeru Kinrou (Japan,1979)

Action scene analysis

Yusaku Matsuda stars as Tetsuya Asakura, a seemingly mild mannered clerk at a large oil company. However, by night he is a tough, proficient gunman out to get back at his employers. The viewer follows Asakura’s increasingly wild and violent plans- from stealing the company’s money (and turning it into heroin!) to dramatic encounters with the yakuza. In many ways, Yomigaeru Kinrou (The Resurrection of the Golden Wolf) is a typical 70s violent anti-hero movie with a slightly convoluted plot. However,  some particularly interestingly filmed scenes make it worth a look.

There is a dynamic scene midway through the film- in which Yusaku Matsuda’s character is sneaking through some ruins near the ocean in order to pick off some yakuza underlings before meeting the boss. It provides an excellent example of how a fusion of clever camera work, choreography and sound design can produce a gripping and gritty, yet slick and stylish action scene.

Read more about Yomigaeru Kinrou (Japan,1979)

The Man who Stole the Sun (Japan, 1979)

Flamboyant singer Kenji Sawada playing a reclusive atom bomb-building, junior high school teacher? Bunta Sugawara, famous for his tough Yakuza portrayals, playing a hardboiled cop? Kimiko Ikegami (the pretty one in cult horror classic Hausu (1977)) playing a vacuous radio DJ? A big budget Toho ‘action’ film with art-house elements directed by independent Kazuhiko Hasegawa? An original screenplay written by Leonard Schrader, the brother of Taxi Driver’s screenwriter? Just from its components, it is clear that you are in for no ordinary film with Taiyo wo nusunda otoko!

Main character Makoto Kido is a seemingly lazy, gum-chewing sleepy science teacher. Ridiculed by his students- he is somewhat socially awkward and lonely, living in a small apartment with only his ill-fated cat for company. The script and Sawada’s excellent portrayal gradually reveal snapshots of his true nature to the viewer.

Read more about The Man who Stole the Sun (Japan, 1979)