Touches You

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Pretty typical Japan crime film of the middle 1970s - fast, cynical, unbelievable, flashy, empty. There are a couple of twists that raise it above the level of mere curiosity. first, Chiba's performance is fine. Second, the film is Japanese, but filmed in Hong Kong, on of the first efforts to cross the great divide between China and Japan that had been rendered and filled with blood during WWII. Interestingly, unlike similar Chinese efforts - e.g., A Man Called Tiger, The Angry Guest/Kung Fu Killers - there's no effort to explore differences between the two cultures: Hong Kong is just another thriving Asian metropolis, much like Tokyo. Perhaps this lack of notice of any difference is the crucial difference - come to think of it, Japanese action films of the 1970s don't have much to say about China in general, or Hong Kong - except to hint that the crime rate is unacceptably high there - which seems a bit churlish since all the professional killers in these films are Japanese. Oh, well.One last historical note - this film clearly had as much impact on John Woo's "The Killer" as Melville's "Le Samourai" - more, I think, since the cop/killer relationship, given crude but important presentation here, is closer to the center of the Woo film than the implicit romance borrowed from the Melville film.Nothing special, but worth a look.

The charismatic Sonny Chiba is most impressive in this kick ass action movie that flits from Hong Kong to Miami and from Tokyo to Kyoto.We flit from enemy to enemy as well in a slightly confusing tale of drug dealers, hit men and the Hong Kong police, not forgetting the Peruvian ambassador and his daughter! How much we follow the slender plot matters not, as long as we miss none of the mister super cool Sony Chiba action. All fast moving and spirited stuff with martial arts, shoot outs and assassinations. Spirited.

The almighty Sonny Chiba rules the day as Duke Togo (a.k.a. Golgo 13), a tough, ruthless and formidable consummate professional international assassin who's been hired to rub out a powerful Hong Kong drug lord. Of course, said assignment proves to be easier said than done, as Togo must contend with the drug lord's seemingly limitless legion of flunkies and one Detective Smith (firmly played by Callan Leung), a relentless cop with a personal score to settle with Togo who's bound and determined to arrest him. Director Yukio Noda doesn't miss a trick with this bang-up exciting and absorbing action crime thriller flick: the nonstop lightning fast pace never lets up for a minute, the copious stirring action scenes are staged with considerable rip-snorting brio and finesse (said action includes lots of wild, rousing shoot-outs and the expected brutal, blood-spilling, bone-breaking martial arts mayhem), there's a nice smattering of gratuitous sex and nudity, the exotic globe-trotting locations are colorful and eye-catching, the plot boasts plenty of nifty twists and turns, the tone is appropriately gritty and serious, and both Harumi Ibe's lively, groovy, funky-bumpin' soulful score and Shigeru Akatsuka's agile, dynamic, sumptuously expansive cinematography are on the money slick and effective. A terrifically hard-boiled and ferocious little item that's essential viewing for Sonny Chiba fans.

Being a fan of Sonny Chiba and the Golgo 13 comics, I found this at the video store I work at, and rented it one saturday night. I laughed, I cried, I made fun of the atrocious dubbing. This "film" is absolutely ridiculous, but shouldn't be taken seriously anyway. If you are looking for a really goofy martial arts/ assassin flick, this is for you. I suggest inventing a drinking game for this movie, because being plastered is a must for this one.