Branded to Kill

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Branded to Kill

1967

1h 31m

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

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Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

100%

Tomatometer

26 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

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

Rated: 5/5

Oct 9, 2017

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Mark Kermode

Observer (UK)

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

Rated: 4/5

Jul 26, 2014

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

Genuinely fascinating and bizarre.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 24, 2014

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Fedor Tot

Vague Visages

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.

Nov 7, 2023

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

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.

Jun 11, 2023

Full Review

Douglas Davidson

Elements of Madness

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.

May 12, 2023

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Pete B

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.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

09/01/25

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Insomniac X

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.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/04/25

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acsdoug D

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.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/27/24

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Shannon E

Absolutely love this— the film to me gives off strange neo noir vibes but stylistically; defines the Japanese new wave world of wonder (a bit slow at first), envelopes you through it's shotwork in combination with Joe Shishido (and cast playing equally well) entertaining and best (imo) towards the end.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/10/23

Full Review

Audience Member

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

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

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Audience Member

Exceptional. Never seen anything like this before

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

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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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