Branded to Kill

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Branded to Kill

1967

1h 31m

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

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Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

100%

Tomatometer

25 Reviews

84%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

After botching his latest assignment, a third-ranked Japanese hit man becomes the target of another assassin.

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Tara Brady

Irish Times

Oct 9, 2017

5/5

Cult classic? Try one of the greatest films ever made.

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Mark Kermode

Observer (UK)

Jul 26, 2014

4/5

An arresting cocktail of sex, violence and surrealism, shot in monochrome hues which accentuate the perversity of the entire twisted venture.

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

Jul 24, 2014

4/5

Genuinely fascinating and bizarre.

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Fedor Tot

Vague Visages

Nov 7, 2023

Discordant, broken, berserk: Branded to Kill refuses all direct relations with geography in its depiction of a career hitman on the verge of losing control.

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Jun 11, 2023

Suzuki’s pop-art sensibilities were just a bit ahead of their time and it took more than twenty years for audiences to catch up to the director’s audacious genre-bending and narrative-busting ways.

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Douglas Davidson

Elements of Madness

May 12, 2023

In terms of yakuza pictures, "Branded" is a bit of a wild one, infusing each gunfight or assassination with flair and intelligence that’s in-line with modern action flicks.

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Pete B

@RT24524490 Sep 1, 2025

Definitely a product of its time. Great interesting eccentric characters through out. I think the scene with the has been parodied and used by Hollywood a lot. Well worth seeing if your a fan of strange crime thrillers.

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Insomniac X

@RT03001349 Feb 4, 2025

Chaotic and fascinating arthouse action film that inspired a generation of filmmakers in Japan and abroad. A fever dream of disconcerting shots and bizarre images -- as well as moments of startling vision -- where logic and coherence come second to raw feeling.

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acsdoug D

@acsdoug Aug 27, 2024

Well, that was a bit weird. Kind of interesting though. In my opinion it could have been shorter. Or they could have added more naked girls.

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May 25, 2021

Suzuki creates a visually sexy and dreamy film which hypnotises its audience

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Feb 3, 2020

Exceptional. Never seen anything like this before

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Apr 14, 2019

Would have given it zero if able. This movie is objectively awful. It's a mess and meets its billing as a B level 1960s Japanese crime film.

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Seijun Suzuki

Director

Jo Shishido

Hanada Goro

Mariko Ogawa

Mami Hanada

Mari Annu

Misako Nakajo

Kôji Nanbara

Susumu Orui

Isao Tamagawa

Michihiko Yabuhara

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Synopsis

After botching his latest assignment, a third-ranked Japanese hit man becomes the target of another assassin.

Director: Seijun Suzuki
Producer: Kaneo Iwai, Takiko Mizunoe
Screenwriter: Hachiro Guryu, Takeo Kimura, Chusei Sone, Atsushi Yamatoya
Production Co: Nikkatsu
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 21, 2009
Runtime: 1h 31m
Sound Mix: Mono

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