Crime

  • Kôji Wakamatsu – Gendai sei hanzai zekkyô hen: riyû naki bôkô AKA Violence Without a Cause (1969)

    1961-1970ArthouseCrimeJapanKoji Wakamatsu

    Quote: Part of Wakamatsu’s ongoing fascination with sexual predators. It’s an incel film avant la lettre, executed in true Wakamatsu style. Certainly not his most prominent or polished work, though fans of Wakamatsu won’t be disappointed. Others should probably seek out his more famed work first. The film follows a frustrated young man. He yearns to be in the company of a woman, but seems unable to make any kind of meaningful connection with them. When a friend of his offers to share his girlfriend, he accepts reluctantly, but his first sexual experience awakens dark feelings that will drive him to commit violent crimes. Wakamatsu offers another glimpse into the mind of a very troubled soul. It’s certainly not a pleasant film, let alone a titillating one, so if that’s what you’re after you can better skip this one altogether. If on the other hand you like a stylized and frank descent into the rotten mind of a violent pervert, Wakamatsu has you covered.Read More »

  • Reginald Le Borg – The Mummy’s Ghost (1944)

    1941-1950CrimeHorrorReginald Le BorgUSA

    An Egyptian high priest travels to America to reclaim the bodies of ancient Egyptian princess Ananka and her living guardian mummy Kharis. Learning that Ananka’s spirit has been reincarnated into another body, he kidnaps a young woman of Egyptian descent with a mysterious resemblance to the princess. However, the high priest’s greedy desires cause him to loose control of the mummy.Read More »

  • Johnnie To – Yesterday Once More (2004)

    2001-2010ComedyCrimeHong KongJohnnie To

    Romance blossoms again for a divorced jewel-thief couple as they try to rekindle the love they once had for each.Read More »

  • Sidney Hayers – Revenge (1971)

    1971-1980CrimeSidney HayersThrillerUnited Kingdom

    A family plots to take its revenge on the man who raped and murdered their daughter.Read More »

  • William Martin – The Naked Road (1959)

    1951-1960CrimeUSAWilliam Martin

    Synopsis:
    After giving up his girlfriend to a rural sheriff as collateral for a speeding ticket, a sleazy modeling agent drives to the big city to get the cash. Unfortunately, the sheriff had other plans, and sold her off to an even sleazier guy who will turn her into a sex slave.Read More »

  • Kiyoshi Kurosawa – Katte ni shiyagare!! Narikin keikaku AKA Suit Yourself or Shoot Yourself: The Nouveau Riche (1996)

    1991-2000ComedyCrimeJapanKiyoshi Kurosawa

    Quote:
    Although it contains few directorial flourishes (apparently Kurosawa was saving those for the last movie), The Nouveau Riche has the best story of the series, a twisty plot that manages to be both surprising and hilarious. Much more than a flimsy vehicle for the two leads, the story is a cleverly constructed farce with enough substance to stand on its own. The fact that it features the Yuji and Kosaku characters makes it even better.Read More »

  • Luigi Zampa – Processo alla città aka The City Stands Trial (1952)

    1951-1960CrimeDramaItalyLuigi Zampa

    IMDB PLOT
    Turn-of-the-century Naples. Salvatore Ruotolo and his wife are murdered and their bodies are found in different locations. Since the evidence points to a crime by the Neapolitan crime organization, the Camorra, fear and corruption cause serious hindrances to the investigation by police authorities. In charge is a young and courageous judge who, using evidence discovered by chance, tries to reconstruct the story of the double murder. The plot that the judge must unravel is very complicated. Many people are questioned, even those apparently above suspicion. Deciding to get to the bottom of the matter, the judge keeps all the suspects under arrest, causing a backlash of public opinion.Read More »

  • Anatole Litvak – The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse (1938)

    1931-1940Anatole LitvakCrimeDramaUSA

    Plot:
    A wealthy society doctor decides to research the medical aspects of criminal behaviour by becoming one himself. He joins a gang of thieves and proceeds to wrest leadership of the gang away from it’s extremely resentful leader.Read More »

  • Toshiaki Toyoda – Poruno sutâ AKA Pornostar (1998)

    1991-2000CrimeCultJapanToshiaki Toyoda

    Quote:
    A young and almost autistic-acting man arrives in Tokyo and wanders the streets, running afoul of some Yakuza and proving to be more than he appears to be. The young man speaks very little and his favorite phrase seems to be “not needed” and that’s generally in reference to Yakuza. He is taken into this gang and proves that he’s not well balanced by shooting a couple of drug dealers and then makes a pin cushion out of a rival gang leader, so he’s revered by those that he seems to hate, although they’re quite wary of him with good reason. The young man also hooks up with one of the Yakuza babes, maybe she’s a hooker, maybe she’s just a hanger-on, I couldn’t really tell, but somehow they get their mitts on some acid that was taken from the drug dealers that they young man shot and are going to flee to Fiji, but not before they get into skate-boarding some and wander the streets. This has lots of seemingly disparate parts that all come together in the end, and for a film that’s fairly low key it’s also quite bloody and violent. I guess it’s maybe some kind of commentary on disaffected youth in Japan but it also kicks butt and is well worth seeing for fans of crazed Japanese movies.Read More »

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