I was first introduced to Kinji Fukasaku through Battlel Royale and the Battles Without Honor and Humanity yakuza series. I have seen a couple of others and now want to see more after reading a retrospective about him in the last issue of Film Comment. First up is Blackmail Is My Life (1968). It is a story of how four friends got into the blackmail business to make money rather than be suckers who work hard for little pay and no respect. There is an inevitable fall from grace. But I think the value of this film lies in the new wave feel of the sets, props and effects, like freeze frames, flashbacks in black and white that draw to mind comparisons to early Seijun Suzuki.
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