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      Blackmail Is My Life

      1968 1h 30m Crime Drama List
      Reviews 65% Audience Score 50+ Ratings A freewheeling swinger's (Hiroki Matsukata) blackmail career unravels when he runs afoul of a Japanese gangster. Read More Read Less

      Critics Reviews

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      Jake Euker Filmcritic.com Fukasaku wields his camera with such abandon that you worry for the equipment's physical safety, the psychic welfare of the editor coming next to mind Rated: 3.5/5 Jun 29, 2004 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

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      Audience Member Made in 1968, Blackmail Is My Life doesn't quite have the gritty social realism of the exploration of the Japanese underworld that would evolve in Kinji Fukasaku's crime dramas of the 70's, but what the film lacks in realism, it makes up for in the director's stylish approach. Kinji Fukasaku takes a routine crime melodrama and gives it an art house sophistication that helps further the script's flat exposition. <a href="http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/?action=view&current=Blackmail-Is-My-Life-film-still.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/Blackmail-Is-My-Life-film-still.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Audience Member a real goofy movie, with a classic ending (even though most may find it disappointing) it has amazing camera angles and classic dialogue; my favorite line being: "We're not killers, we're strictly blackmailers" Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Based off of Shinji Fujiwara's book, <i>Blackmail Is My Life</i> comes to life at the hands of Kinji Fukasaku.<p>The first half of this 90 minute crime adventure is a little weak on the plot, but that isn't to say that it isn't entertaining. This film is all about blackmailing, and in the early going it employs multiple small blackmails, while the the second half is one big one.</p><p>The pacing is pretty fast and there are a lot of still shots with narration to help explain things that have already taken place. The blackmails themselves aren't all that elaborate and this isn't surprising. This film is from 1968 after all. Speaking of 1968, the film quality isn't that bad, however there are a few sequences in the middle that are a bit dark.</p><p>The characters are the highlight of the film, although some of the supporting cast does lack some background, unlike the main character of Shun. Hiroki Matsukata, Tomomi Sato, Akira Jo, and Hideo Murota round out the blackmailing team of 4 with good performances.</p><p>The story for <i>Blackmail Is My Life</i> does take a while to get going, but Fukasaku's directing is enough to make up for this. A good watch. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Audience Member I love the old 60's genre Yakuza (Japanese Gangster) movies. They're always filled with a lot of fake looking violence, but at heart, a really good story. This one is no exception.. It was directed by the same guy who did Battle Royale, which is always a good starting point. In a nutshell it's about fourth people in their mid-to-late twenties who make their living by blackmailing buisnessmen in different ways (think Matchstick Men with Blackmail, instead of conning). Until the end, when they finally decide to take on a big time gangster/buisnessman type who may, or may not be way over the blackmailer's heads. It was a damned good movie.. I recommend it to anyone who likes the genre. Now I have to decide which of my Borders sale movies I'll watch tonight... Onibaba, Pale Flower, Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart to Hades, or King of Masks Last Movie Watched: Blackmail is my Life Book Currently Reading: Hideyoshi by Mary Elizabeth Berry Currently Listening to: TV.. Background noise pretty much. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member What can I say? It was a beautiful day. This is a really jazzy, well made movie. I loved it! I recommend that anyone who likes Resevoir Dogs or GoodFellas to pick this up, it's worth it! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

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      Movie Info

      Synopsis A freewheeling swinger's (Hiroki Matsukata) blackmail career unravels when he runs afoul of a Japanese gangster.
      Director
      Kinji Fukasaku
      Screenwriter
      Shinji Fujiwara
      Production Co
      Shochiku Films
      Genre
      Crime, Drama
      Original Language
      Japanese
      Runtime
      1h 30m
      Sound Mix
      Mono