Branded to kill.
Nikkatsu gangster flick from 1967. All the tropes of the western gangster film are present including double crossing dames, gunfights, betrayal and whiskey but with an eastern edge. Branded to kills influence on later pictures both eastern and western (including early Jim Jarmusch) is evident in this grittly tale of Japans #3 contract killer on the run after a job goes south. Plenty of violence, some fantastic camera work and editing, graphic sex and a smooth jazzy score make this worth seeing out.
Tapped in lust.
Later, full colour re-working of Branded to kill that while not as good is still worth checking out, the hitman is somewhat more worn out and seedy, but its still an entertaining slice of exploitation.
Blind Woman's Curse.
Meiko Kaji is the girl boss of a Yakuza family attempting to go straight, however a rival gangs ambitions threaten her family's existence and a bloody showdown ensues. So far so traditional Yakuza flick, except this one throws in supernatural curses, cannibalistic hunchbacks and sequences not out of place in films like horrors of malformed men. (Based on the same source material) Blind woman's curse is a gorgeous looking, slightly mental Nikkatsu exploitation pic that's well worth watching.
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