Black Lizard

Kinji Fukasaku's 1968 Japanese film comes from Edogawa Ranpo's novel by way of Yukio Mishima's stage adaptation. The thief known as Black Lizard kidnaps a jeweller's daughter to reach a diamond; the famous detective Akechi pursues her, and an admiration forms between them. At the centre is Akihiro Miwa, the best-known drag performer of the period, and the role defined his identity in cinema. Fukasaku cuts the story loose from realism entirely: bright colour, theatrical sets and strange images such as a collection of human statues. Mishima himself appears in a brief role. The narrative is irregular and the pace uneven. Who it's for: viewers who like Japanese cult cinema and formal excess. Who it's not for: anyone wanting a coherent detective story, or who will find the heightened style wearing.