Released: 1967

Dir. Takashi Nomura

First-time Viewing Reaction

      Once upon a time, action/thriller movies would develop their story to a stunning climax and give you an exciting tension building ride to get there. The kind of thing you can’t wait to talk about with your friends the next morning. The problem, of course, is one or more of your friends hasn’t seen the movie, and you don’t want to give away the ending. How do you discuss this journey you have taken, in hopes they might want to take this journey as well? This is especially true of Takashi Nomura’s A Colt is My Passport, a Japanese Yakuza film from 1967. And I will state, here and now, that Japanese yakuza movies of the 1960s are not for everyone, but I am compelled to talk about this film, and yet at the same time not betray its ending.

     For the last 25 years or so, I’ve had issues with action films that fail to deliver a satisfying conclusion, because the filmmakers are working so hard to cram their movie with so much action that the most exciting parts of the film occur in the first two thirds of the film. There is no build up, raising of tension or anticipation and the story telling structure collapses under the weight of adrenaline and CGI, to the point that I just don’t care anymore. There are exceptions, from time to time.

     At a tight 84 minutes, A Colt is My Passport has vibes of film noir, French new wave, and spaghetti westerns all rolled into one. The film is about a hitman Shuji Kamimura(Joe Shishido) and his partner Shun Shiozaki(Jerry Fujio), who have been hired to eliminate a rival yakuza boss. Upon completion of their contract, the pair must flee the country, but things quickly go wrong. It’s the classic tale of the hunters becoming the hunted, as the hit team are the victims of yakuza politics and are double crossed. The body of the film has Shuji and Shun trying to stay one step ahead of the hired gunmen trying to kill them as they move around like pieces on a chess board. A compromise, of sorts, is arrived at where Shun is permitted to escape, and Shuji must surrender himself for execution. Here of course is where the conundrum arises, how do I discuss this amazing showdown without giving anything away to those who haven’t seen it?  

     Well, here’s what I’m going to do. From a photographer’s perspective, the climax of A Colt is My Passport is a stunning masterclass of cinematography, as well as editing. Up until this point, the film has been confined to tight spaces, of environments filled with obstacles. Small hotel rooms, a harbour crammed with barges, automobiles, or a parking lot filled with trucks. Now we are in a location that is only described as a landfill, and there isn’t any real physical evidence of this, other than this is a vast wide-open space, dust blowing and seemingly endless row of hydro polls. The sky is washed out, leaving this place quite literally an island in the middle of nowhere. All filmed in beautiful black and white. All of the above-mentioned elements are on display, film noir, French new wave, and especially the spaghetti western, right down to the music.

     Shuji is alone and appears to be digging the grave of the condemned man, every shot and edit conveying a small bit of information, and detail. The entire finale lasts about 7 minutes, and there are maybe two lines of dialogue spoken, none is necessary as Shuji considers a fly that has landed near him. The camera moves only when it is required. My favourite image from the scene, and the entire film for that matter, is of Shuji standing alone and insignificant, and the camera zooms out and he is now framed by the underside of a car, from where the camera appears to be positioned, between its wheels. Shuji trapped by his executioners. It’s a classic image, the kind of thing you rarely see now a days, as cameras seem to be in a constant state of hyperactive motion, that only seems to be covering up bad, or lazy film making. Having said that, the climax of A Colt is My Passport is tense, frantic, poetic and above all, exciting and original. A minimalist action scene that delivers a wallop, to close out a tense, eccentric game of cat and mouse.

              So, if you are up for introducing yourself to the world of Japanese cinema of the 1960s, that doesn’t feature Godzilla, and is wholly different from Hollywood action films, give A Colt is My Passport a try.

A Colt is My Passport can be seen on the Criterion Channel.