There can be a curse for any film with a great title. For every Hobo with a Shotgun, there is a Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death – i.e. a film that wholly delivers on its title’s promise versus a film that falls completely short of it. That’s the challenge that many modern distributors face too. In restoring films of yesteryear, it’s tempting to reach for the titles that will grab people in today’s world, no matter the overall quality of the work itself. Radiance Films have scored a blinder with Black Tight Killers, the debut feature of Massacre Gun’s Yasuharu Hasebe that not only sports an enticing, dangerous, sexy title, but also the loony goods to back it up.
The action follows Japanese war photographer Daisuke Hondo (Akira Kobayashi), a charismatic lady’s man with more brawn than brains. Whilst flying back from an explosive stint in Vietnam, he impulsively asks out air stewardess Yoriko (Chieko Matsubara) and lands a date with her as soon as the plane hits the tarmac. Yet what should be a magical night is delayed by Hondo being framed with the murder of a Filipino hoodlum in the restaurant alleyway, perpetrated by three black tight-clad female ninjas, and when Yoriko is kidnapped moments later by another rival gang, Hondo’s head is sent spinning between trying to clear his name, getting his new girl back and generally fighting for his life in the middle of a mystery that seemingly has no beginning or end.
Despite its relatively sparse 86 minute runtime, trying to grasp head or tail of Black Tight Killers’ plot is often a futile task. Thank goodness that doesn’t really matter. A genuine relic of 1966 cinema, Black Tight Killers oozes chic from every pore, presenting a never-ending roster of sharply-dressed characters with significant swagger and attitude. From the immaculate beehive hairdos of the eponymous gang to the stylishly cut figure of Kobayashi’s Hondo, there’s often more thrills to be found in the gorgeous design being so lovingly restored by Radiance than in the machinations of (what appears to be) its thriller plot. Post-war Tokyo has rarely looked so vibrant, maybe only being surpassed by Seijun Suzuki’s über-hip Tokyo Drifter from the same year, and fans of that crime classic will no doubt find plenty to drink in with Black Tight Killers.
Black Tight Killers is a non-stop series of pop iconography and pulpy pleasures that will scratch the itch of any fans of stylish Asian cinema. Playing as a funky, frothy B-side to Suzuki’s more influential, existential Tokyo Drifter
It’s often a delirious experience, leaping between fistfights and betrayals at a rate of knots and only slowing down when a fellow hero bites the dust. In these moments, Black Tight Killers shows its most obvious flaws, with woman after woman being cradled in her dying moments by Hondo, martyring herself to save him or to redeem her in his eyes. For all its exotic location-hopping and explosive action sequences, having each one end with the same faux-emotional fashion leads to some seriously diminishing returns.
Yet, for good or ill, the expendable women of Black Tight Killers might be the most telling touchstone for Hasebe’s greatest inspiration: James Bond. Coming just a few years into the initial boom of the suave chauvinist’s adventures, it’s tough to imagine any of the gadgets or evil lairs in Hasebe’s film operating with the same colourful glee, and as far as an audition for a Japanese James Bond goes, Kobayashi fits the bill, even if his Hondo isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed.
While it might not be the easiest to grapple with on the page, on the screen itself, Black Tight Killers is a non-stop series of pop iconography and pulpy pleasures that will scratch the itch of any fans of stylish Asian cinema. Playing as a funky, frothy B-side to Suzuki’s more influential, existential Tokyo Drifter, it shows yet another string added to Radiance’s impressive and expanding bow.
The Black Tight Killers is out now on Radiance Films Blu-Ray
Simon’s Archive – The Black Tight Killers
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