Pistol Opera
Encyclopedia
is a 2001 Japanese film directed by Seijun Suzuki
and starring Makiko Esumi
. As one of Seijun's last fims, it is related to Suzuki's 1967 Branded to Kill
, either as a remake or sequel. The plots of both films involve a third-ranked hitman
deposing the top-ranked hitman to claim the top rank.
, Miyuki Minazuki, ranked number three in The Assassins Guild, known as the "Stray Cat". A stoic and deadly woman, she is forced to deal with the crumbling Guild, and crazy state of affairs
, seeking out the cause of all this, "Hundred Eyes". She lives in a Japanese home with her Grandmother, and her weapon is a pistol.
Former number one, now crippled and retired to an honorary ranking of number zero "The Champ" Goro Hanada is an acquaintance of Stray Cat's, offering news and unsolicited advice. Stray Cat regards The Champ as a pitiful shadow of a man, and teases him about his failures. For the most part the other members of the guild treat him as such also. The Champ himself remains deluded about his usefulness, and ignores others opinions.
Stray Cat receives her assignments from the assassins guild from an enigmatic woman in a white dress named Sayoko Uekyo. As the movie opens they are in the midst of a conversation where Uekyo asks her if she has a man, suggesting some lesbian undertones. The relationship between Stray Cat and Uekyo is open to interpretation, at times the two are friendly, and other times they share mutual disregard.
Uekyo gives Stray Cat the news that the number one ranked killer, the mysterious "Hundred Eyes" is now a target, and Stray Cat is offered the job.
Through the course of film Stray Cat finds herself entangled with many characters, particularly a young girl named Sayoko who wishes to become an assassin herself.
Painless Surgeon rank #5 - A bearded possibly middle-aged
foreigner with a liking for Japanese women and Japanese theatre
, who feels no pain. In the style of a true surgeon, he favors knives and blades over firearms. Painless Surgeon thinks he is in claims to be league with Hundred Eyes, but that is never cleared up.
Dark Horse - A man in a blond wig and black cloak, who claims to be Hundred Eyes. As an assassin, he favors killing people by shooting them in the back of the medulla oblongata
, therefore affecting the dying victim's brain nerves, causing them to be dead with the facial expression
of a smile. He uses a firearm, with infra-red
scope.
Hundred Eyes rank #1 - A mysterious assassin, no one really knows who he or she is until the climax of the film.
this time, but by Mikijiro Hira; Suzuki has said that the original intent was for Shishido to play the character again, but that the film's producer, Satoru Ogura, wanted Hira to play the character instead. The reasons for this are still unclear.
Seijun Suzuki
, born Seitaro Suzuki on May 24, 1923, is a Japanese filmmaker, actor, and screenwriter. His films are renowned by film enthusiasts worldwide for their jarring visual style, irreverent humour, nihilistic cool and entertainment-over-logic sensibility...
and starring Makiko Esumi
Makiko Esumi
, née Makiko Hirano is a Japanese model, actress, writer, essayist, and lyricist...
. As one of Seijun's last fims, it is related to Suzuki's 1967 Branded to Kill
Branded to Kill
is a 1967 Japanese yakuza film directed by Seijun Suzuki and starring Joe Shishido, Koji Nanbara, Annu Mari and Mariko Ogawa. It was a low budget, production line number for the Nikkatsu Company, originally released in a double bill with Shōgorō Nishimura's Burning Nature. The story follows Goro...
, either as a remake or sequel. The plots of both films involve a third-ranked hitman
Contract killing
Contract killing is a form of murder, in which one party hires another party to kill a target individual or group of people. It involves an illegal agreement between two parties in which one party agrees to kill the target in exchange for consideration, monetary, or otherwise. The hiring party may...
deposing the top-ranked hitman to claim the top rank.
Storyline
The film's main characterProtagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
, Miyuki Minazuki, ranked number three in The Assassins Guild, known as the "Stray Cat". A stoic and deadly woman, she is forced to deal with the crumbling Guild, and crazy state of affairs
State of affairs
The state of affairs is that combination of circumstances applying within a society or group at a particular time. The current state of affairs may be considered acceptable by many observers, but not necessarily by all. The state of affairs may present a challenge, or be complicated, or contain a...
, seeking out the cause of all this, "Hundred Eyes". She lives in a Japanese home with her Grandmother, and her weapon is a pistol.
Former number one, now crippled and retired to an honorary ranking of number zero "The Champ" Goro Hanada is an acquaintance of Stray Cat's, offering news and unsolicited advice. Stray Cat regards The Champ as a pitiful shadow of a man, and teases him about his failures. For the most part the other members of the guild treat him as such also. The Champ himself remains deluded about his usefulness, and ignores others opinions.
Stray Cat receives her assignments from the assassins guild from an enigmatic woman in a white dress named Sayoko Uekyo. As the movie opens they are in the midst of a conversation where Uekyo asks her if she has a man, suggesting some lesbian undertones. The relationship between Stray Cat and Uekyo is open to interpretation, at times the two are friendly, and other times they share mutual disregard.
Uekyo gives Stray Cat the news that the number one ranked killer, the mysterious "Hundred Eyes" is now a target, and Stray Cat is offered the job.
Through the course of film Stray Cat finds herself entangled with many characters, particularly a young girl named Sayoko who wishes to become an assassin herself.
Rival assassins
The Teacher - A wheelchair-using, tracksuit-wearing killer who failed at assassinating a well known-target, due to Stray Cat's involvement.Painless Surgeon rank #5 - A bearded possibly middle-aged
Middle age
Middle age is the period of age beyond young adulthood but before the onset of old age. Various attempts have been made to define this age, which is around the third quarter of the average life span of human beings....
foreigner with a liking for Japanese women and Japanese theatre
Theatre of Japan
Traditional Japanese theatre includes kabuki, noh and bunraku.-Traditional form of theater:There are four major forms of traditional Japanese theater that are famous around the world. These are Noh, Kyogen, Kabuki, and Bunraku, or puppet theater....
, who feels no pain. In the style of a true surgeon, he favors knives and blades over firearms. Painless Surgeon thinks he is in claims to be league with Hundred Eyes, but that is never cleared up.
Dark Horse - A man in a blond wig and black cloak, who claims to be Hundred Eyes. As an assassin, he favors killing people by shooting them in the back of the medulla oblongata
Medulla oblongata
The medulla oblongata is the lower half of the brainstem. In discussions of neurology and similar contexts where no ambiguity will result, it is often referred to as simply the medulla...
, therefore affecting the dying victim's brain nerves, causing them to be dead with the facial expression
Facial expression
A facial expression one or more motions or positions of the muscles in the skin. These movements convey the emotional state of the individual to observers. Facial expressions are a form of nonverbal communication. They are a primary means of conveying social information among humans, but also occur...
of a smile. He uses a firearm, with infra-red
Infrared
Infrared light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measured from the nominal edge of visible red light at 0.74 micrometres , and extending conventionally to 300 µm...
scope.
Hundred Eyes rank #1 - A mysterious assassin, no one really knows who he or she is until the climax of the film.
Cast
- Makiko EsumiMakiko Esumi, née Makiko Hirano is a Japanese model, actress, writer, essayist, and lyricist...
as Miyuki Minazuki, aka Stray Cat, aka Killer No. 3 - Sayoko YamaguchiSayoko YamaguchiSayoko Yamaguchi was a Japanese model and actress.Yamaguchi broke into the international modeling industry in 1970s. She was one of the first Asians to be featured in the world's top fashion shows and magazines. Yamaguchi made her debut in Paris in 1972. She went on to work in New York and other...
as Sayoko Uekyo - Kirin Kiki as Minazuki's grandmother
- Mikijiro Hira as Goro Hanada, aka The Champ, aka the former Killer No. 1
- Hanae Kan as Sayoko, the young girl
- Jan Woudstra as Painless Surgeon, aka No. 5
- Masatoshi NagaseMasatoshi NagaseMasatoshi Nagase is a Japanese actor. He is best known in the West for his roles in Friðrik Þór Friðriksson's Cold Fever and Jim Jarmusch's Mystery Train, in Japan for his role as TV's Mike Hama .He has won two Japanese Academy Awards, for Best Supporting Actor and Best Newcomer in 1992...
as the Man in Black, aka Dark Horse - Haruko Kato as Shizuka Orikuchi
Production
Hanada is not played by Joe ShishidoJoe Shishido
is a Japanese actor most recognizable for his intense, eccentric yakuza film roles and his artificially enlarged cheekbones. He has appeared in some 300 films but is best known in the West for his performance in the cult film Branded to Kill...
this time, but by Mikijiro Hira; Suzuki has said that the original intent was for Shishido to play the character again, but that the film's producer, Satoru Ogura, wanted Hira to play the character instead. The reasons for this are still unclear.
External links
- Pistol Opera at the Japanese Movie DatabaseJapanese Movie DatabaseThe , commonly referred to as JMDB, is an online database of information about Japanese movies, actors, and production crew personnel. It is similar to the Internet Movie Database, but lists only those films originally released in Japan. The site was started in 1997, and contains movies from Meiji...