recommended

There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.

There is definitely an excellent idea hidden in the background of the film. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find it.

Blistering performances.

I just don't get the positive comments this film gets. I've seen about a dozen Fukasaku Kinji movies, and this by far is the worst in the bunch. I was really looking forward to watching this, as I really enjoyed other films from this director, but this one sadly is a big disappointment.The plot is so incredibly predictable it's almost laughable, and I have no sympathy whatsoever for the main characters, especially the "black lizard" which is one of the worst villains I've seen in a film so far. She's such a cliché she could easily star in an Austin Powers film! Also, the dialogs between the main detective and the "evil-rich-megalomaniac" Black Lizard, which some people seem to appreciate (judging from other reviews on this site), to me sounds empty and lifeless. To sum up: no action, incredibly predictable story, boring dialog, and not enough 60s kitsch to make us forget how bad the whole thing is...If you want to see great Fukasaku films, watch the Yakuza Papers instead!

This movie from the king of yakuza (gang) films is a big departure from his other films. This movie is the penultimate camp/action film. Anyone who has been taken in with the martial arts films (esp. from Hong Kong) of late, should check this out. It's less focused on the action sequences than it is in developing a verbal tit-for-tat sparring between the villain & the policeman who is pursuing her (w/ whom she is also secretly in love). Having a villain who is a lovelorn but vengeful drama queen is a refreshing break from the usual Asian action fare (1970's - present) & demonstrates that despite better technical skill & more special effects, the art of cinema hasn't necessarily improved because of mastering new technology. I can't remember the last time I've laughed so hard in a movie. Seek this one out.

Kenji Fukasaku's BLACK LIZARD (1958) was released in the US by CINEVISTA in the early 90's. The movie received a focused and limited release in the US, but its existence in video has developed a cult following that has gained momentum as the years has passed. With the totally bizarre appearances of then-Japan's most famous Kabuki theater transvestite Akihiro Murayama as the title role Black Lizard, Yukio Mishima's cameo as a "statue" or maybe even as an eerie stuffed human figure; a screen play by Mishima based on a story of one of Japan's most famous horror writers, Rampo Edogawa, and even music by electronic "planet music" guru Isao Tomita, this movie reads as a who's who in the arts and literature in Japan in the 60's. But many movies in the past created by geniuses have failed in delivering an intellectual as well as a cinematic punch. This is NOT the case with "Black Lizard". From the psychedelic settings, the poetic dialogue and tragicomic developments, the movie succeeds both as high-art "manga" as well as a well-thought piece of "agit-prop". Few movies deliver so much substance hidden under so much flash; it is one experience that has to be felt viscerally as well as intellectually. Unfortunately, the VHS version is out of print, and I do not know of any plans for a DVD release as of this writing. We wait anxiously until someone revives this totally bizarre and wonderful piece of art and it is released in DVD format for a new generation of anime-educated viewers.

The most purely entertaining and amusing film I have seen in a long time. The dialogue between the two antithetically engaged principal characters reflects their exactly opposite ethics, and at the same time, their clearest view of each others thinking. Their well matched genius creates plot, foil, and counter-foil, throughout the film. I almost never watch a film twice. This one, I can't wait to see again.