Cruel Gun Story

Takumi Furukawa's 1964 Japanese film follows Togawa, released early from prison. The businessmen who arranged it want him to rob an armoured truck carrying a hundred and twenty million yen, using the money for his sister's surgery as leverage. The film gives long stretches to planning the robbery and assembling the crew. Why each man is there is shown one by one, which marks in advance which bond will break when things come apart. The section after the robbery unravels quickly, against the composure of the opening. Joe Shishido leads and carries the typical performance style of Nikkatsu crime films of the period. The black and white photography, the tight spaces and the night shooting build the bleak tone. Who it's for: those who like sixties Japanese crime cinema and heist films. Who it's not for: viewers looking for character depth; the film focuses on the mechanism and defines people by their function.