Search - Blackmail Is My Life on DVD

A brilliant early piece from Battle Royale's Kinji Fukasaku!

03/05/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Blackmail Is My Life is a great example of Fukasaku's trademark Yakuza films. It's visuals are stunning; the performances find a perfect balance between realistic and stylized; the script and structure of the film are quite ingenius. There really isn't an area where this film will leave you wanting. It's chock-full of snap zooms, freeze frames, and voice over, but all of it is handled so well that there is no real element of ceese to speak of.

Blackmail is my life is one of those classic pieces whose brilliance must be seen to be understood. Any fans of old school Japanese yakuza films or film noir in general is likely to be blown away, and only the small-minded, generic-hollywood-style addicted moviegoer will feel anything but unadulterated glee at Fukasaku's yakuza world.

This is a HomeVision dvd, so the quality is great, especially for a film of this age. The colors are vibrant and the transfer is sharper than many of recent Japanese productions. If you've never seen the film, this dvd is more likely the best version available anywhere right now to introduce yourself."