Japanese Crime Noir Classics ( Tokyo Drifter / A Tattooed Life / Branded to Kill / Youth of the Beast )

A collection of four Japanese crime noir classics from maverick director Seijun Suzuki. "Tokyo Drifter" (1966) - Warned by studio bosses to play it safe, director Suzuki crafted one of the most bizarre and influential gangster films of all time. Explosive violence, tripped out colours, saucy jazz and ultra cool Yakuza. Former killer Tetsu has a plan to go straight and leave his violent life behind. When his past won't leave him alone, Tetsu answers the only way he knows how - in decisive and deadly fashion. "A Tattooed Life" (1965) - Hired killer Tetsu wants to retire from life as a hitman but the partners of his last kill have other ideas. Tetsu's brother Kenji tries to help, but when a yakuza is killed both brothers flee to China and hide as workers on a construction site. The yakuza will not rest until the brothers are found and bloody vengeance follows. With one of the screen's best final showdowns, director Suzuki takes on a yakuza underworld adventure. "Branded to Kill" (1967) - Hanada is the 'Number 3' killer in the Japanese underworld. Hired by a mysterious woman, the scheduled hit goes very wrong and Hanada is launched into a deadly cat and mouse game with the sexually perverse rice-sniffing 'Number 1' killer. Filled with bizarre imagery, eroticism and brutal violence in a world where everyone seems insane - it's not hard to see why this has been heralded by many as a masterpiece of film noir and surreal cinema. "Youth of the Beast" (1963) - Director Suzuki takes us on a wild ride into the world of 1960's Japanese Yakuza. A mysterious stranger arrives in town, muscling in on two rival Yakuza gangs. These results spark off a powderkeg that leads to an explosive war between the clans. With striking colours, hallucinatory images and unforgettable characters - it's easy to see why Suzuki has been heralded as a genius by generations of filmmakers and audiences alike.