Borrowing elements from films like Luc Besson's The Professional, Takeshi Kitano's Brother and Kinji Fukasaku's classic 1970s Yakuza films, Rokuro Mochizuki's Another Lonely Hitman is an interesting film primarily because it breaks away from the traditional ideology of gangster/yakuza cinema. Instead of a Takeshi Kitano-esque performance (wherein everything revolves around a stylistic presentation with testosterone to spare), Another Lonely Hitman spends far more time playing as a character study than your standard Yakuza action flick. It's because of this that the film ultimately succeeds.

Ryo Ishibashi plays Tachibana—the lonely hitman of the title. As the film opens, we watch Tachibana shoot up then march into a local restaurant. Here, he puts a well-placed slug into the head of a rival Yakuza boss—and shoots a young woman in the leg, crippling her for life. As punishment, the assassin spends ten years in prison—only to re-emerge to a world that is completely unlike the one he left. In this new world, his gang has been partnered with their old rivals—meaning Tachibana essentially murdered one of his own. If this weren't bad enough, the Yakuza traditions of old have been replaced by a new corporate-styled mentality. Yakuza aren't really Yakuza anymore—witnessed by one high-ranking boss' big plan to build a golf course and country club.

Even on a personal level, Tachibana is a fish out of water. He falls in love with a prostitute, but can't actually be intimate with her. He beats her pimp and takes her for himself. No longer a junkie (spending a decade in the joint can sober you up, apparently), Tachibana takes it upon himself to free his newfound girlfriend from the perils of addiction. Meanwhile his actions within his gang are causing his superiors grief. Can Tachibana escape the Yakuza and find love and redemption or will he finally offend the wrong person and pay for the transgression with his life?

While Another Lonely Hitman borrows quite liberally from other films, its combination of Mochizuki's direction and Ishibashi's acting that make it stand out as a unique entry in the "conflicted badguy looking for redemption" subgenre. Mochizuki's direction is understated and assured—it's technically sound, but it's never so flashy as to call attention to itself. The same cannot be said for Ryo Ishibashi's performance. The actor's commanding screen presence demands constant acknowledgement even in the most quiet of scenes. Ishibashi brings a definite sense of pathos to his character and because of this, he's someone that any audience can easily identify with, even if they've never been a member of organized crime. Yet for all the bombast, Ishibashi shines in the quiet moments too. Sequences between him and Yuki (his girlfriend) are often poignant and touching—the same as a short scene near the end of the film between Tachibana and his estranged daughter. Ishibashi is rapidly becoming one of my favorite Japanese actors, and this performance is a fine example of why.

Artsmagic DVD has released Another Lonely Hitman for US audiences. Like all Artsmagic product, it's clear that this was a labor of love and that they have a genuine affection for the films they choose to release. The film is presented in an Anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen format. Color saturation is good and black levels remain consistent. About the only issues with the visual presentation are some minor edge enhancement and the fact that the picture is a little soft in spots. These really are minor quibbles, though.

Audio is represented by two solid tracks. The first, a 5.1 track, is the better of the two. This isn't to say that the Dlby Digital Stereo track is lacking, however—just that the 5.1 track has more oomph to it, which is to be expected. The mix on both tracks is solid—dialogue is clear and easy to hear, there's no hiss or distortion to be found, and the subtitles that complement the Japanese dialogue are bright, easy to read, and free of grammatical errors.

Like most Artsmagic discs, this one doesn't skimp on the extras. Another Lonely Hitman features bios and filmographies as well as a 25-minute interview with director Mochizuki wherein he discusses his career in the Japanese film industry. The highlight of the extras, as usual, is the informative Tom Mes commentary track. If one were to listen to all of Mr. Mes' commentary tracks on various Artsmagic releases, they'd come away with an understanding of Japanese cinema that not even a university course could duplicate. Getting Tom Mes to do the commentary tracks on these films was a brilliant decision on the part of Artsmagic.

Another Lonely Hitman may not tread new ground in terms of narrative, but that doesn't diminish the overall impact of the film in the slightest. Rokuro Mochizuki and Ryo Ishibashi have combined forces to create one of the more engaging neo-noir Yakuza films to come along in recent memory. While it's never quite as bombastic as one might expect, it still manages to strike a chord with viewers through its excellent direction and the tortured performance of Ishibashi. I've no doubt that this film will win over viewers and get them interested in Yakuza cinema—and that's never a bad thing in my book.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening