Branded to Kill

Play trailer

Branded to Kill

1967

1h 31m

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

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.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Tara Brady

Irish Times

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

Rated: 5/5

Oct 9, 2017

Full Review

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

Full Review

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

Genuinely fascinating and bizarre.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 24, 2014

Full Review

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

Full Review

Read all reviews

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

Audience Member

Exceptional. Never seen anything like this before

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

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.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Seijun Suzuki

Director

Jo Shishido

Hanada Goro

Mariko Ogawa

Mami Hanada

Mari Annu

Misako Nakajo

Kôji Nanbara

Susumu Orui

Isao Tamagawa

Michihiko Yabuhara

View more photos

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

Most Popular at Home Now