What might have been truly weird in 1966 survives five decades today as grand style. The bold colors of this Japanese gangster film jump off the screen and every killing is a pretty picture fit to be framed. The story is simple, though the film tries to complicate it, and the suspense is all but nonexistent. Its tale of a former Yakuza boss gone straight with a loyal henchman (lead actor Tetsuya Watari) eventually cast adrift and how all of that goes wrong is a mere vehicle for director Seijun Suzuki to be a right madcap, obsessed with possibilities of the widescreen frame and color contrasts. It’s not so much pulp fiction as it is pulp fiction novel cover art in motion picture form, never very penetrating, just aiming for the immediate wow. At his best, Suzuki dazzles our eye, but he never comes close to our heart. That seems to be exactly his intention though, so we forgive that while we never quite love this film. Instead, we admire it. And then we move on.