Tattooed Life, originally known as Irezumi Ichidai, is a historical gangster drama directed by renowned genre specialist Suzuki Seijun and stars Takahashi Hideki and Hananomoto Kotobuki as lead actors portraying two brothers going into hiding in a mining town.
The story revolves around yakuza hitman Tetsuo who gets set up by his own family who attempts to murder him. He is saved by his artistic brother Kenji who struggles much with his crime. The two brothers are forced to flee to a coastal town and plan on setting sail to Manchuria. However, they are double-crossed by a charismatic gangster and end up penniless. They decide to earn the respect of the local miners to join their ranks. Kenji falls in love with his boss's wife while Tetsuo can't escape the charm of the boss's sister-in-law. Things however take a sour turn when an ambitious detective attempts to track them down and a jealous accountant tries to backstab them.
This gangster drama convinces on several levels. First and foremost, the acting performances from the lead actors, lead actresses and even side characters are absolutely outstanding throughout. Up next, the script includes a few dynamic twists and turns to keep viewers interested until the very end. The film's settings are absolutely stunning and vary from desolate wastelands over port installations to mining locations in the mountains. The movie also uses costumes and make-up particularly well which helps distinguishing the different characters and their specific backgrounds. The quality of the light and sound techniques is excellent for its time and separates this movie from many other contemporary genre flicks. The camera work is calm and focused and the renowned director has done an excellent job while also offering some experimental segments in the movie's gripping resolution. Studio executives didn't appreciate said creativity back in the days but this imagination has aged particularly well and shows that the director was at least a decade ahead of his time in terms of style and wit.
Few things deserve to be criticized regarding this very good genre film. The general story line doesn't offer anything new in terms of backstabbing among gangsters, the protagonists going into hiding and the survivors being on a brutal quest for revenge. Some of the characters' decisions seem completely unrealistic and pulled out of thin air as they will ask viewers for a suspension of disbelief. Those flaws are however so minor that they won't ruin this wonderful gangster drama for you.
At the end of the day, Tattooed Life, originally entitled Irezumi Ichidai, is an entertaining gangster drama that entertains with great acting performances, clever scriptwriting, captivating settings, a wonderful use of costumes and make-up, stunning light and sound techniques, focused camera work and an experimental directing approach. The only noteworthy downsides are an overall stereotypical plot and several decisions made by the lead characters that ask for a generous suspension of disbelief. Since the movie itself portrays an era of the past, it has surprisingly stood the test of time and serves as a gripping portrayal of Japan's Taisho era of the mid-twenties of the twentieth century. Cineasts interested in intense personal dramas, gripping gangster movies and Japanese culture and history should definitely give this overlooked gem a fair chance.
