BLACK TIGHT KILLERS (1966)
Label: Radiance Films
Region Code: A,B
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 86 Minutes 38 Minutes
Audio: Japanese DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.39:1)
Director: Yasuharu Hasebe
Cast: Akemi Kita, Akira Koabayashi, Arisa Takami, Bin Moritsuka, Bokuzen Hidari, Chieko Matsubara, Chikako Shin, Eiji Go, Hiroshi Nihon'yanagi, Jinko Saito, Kaku Takashina, Kaoru Hama, Kozue Kamo, Kozuko Kanô, Megumi Wakaba, Mieko Nishio
Effervescent spy-goof Black Tight Killers (1966) is the feature length debut of director Yasuharu Hasebe, a student of Suzuki Seijun (A Tale of Sorrow and Sadness), who I most know from the outlaw biker Alleycat Rock series of flicks. In it Vietnam war photographer Hondo (Akira Kobayashi, Battles Without Honor and Humanity) meets curte airline stewardess Yoriko (Chieko Matsubara, Tokyo Drifter) while travelling back to Japan. He invites her out for drinks but while on their date a trio of knife-wielding, leather-clad female assassins interrupts their evening, kidnapping Yuriko and murdering a foreign man who was attempting to sway her away from Hondo. After initially being accused of murdering the foreign man he is released, and sets about investigating the kidnapping himself, in the process uncovering conspiracy to steal a buried stash of WWII-era gold, and apparently Yuriko and her family are the key to accessing the gold stash.
This comes off as very comic booky, we get wild action, colorful pop-art sensibilities, with a groovy jazzy score, and of course a bevy of beautiful female assassins, the titular "black tight killers", led mostly by Akiko (Akemi Kita), who not only have a penchant for go-go dancing, but who utilize an unorthodox array of ninja-style weaponry, like throwing sharp-edged vinyl records as deadly weapons, and chewing-gum bullets to blind their enemies!
The analog that popped into my mind watching this was Mario Bava's Danger: Diabolik!, it has that same sexy, pop-arty style, with a playful delivery, bathed in vibrant color-lighting and groovy late-60s set pieces that pop off the screen with stylized electricity. To be honest, the plot kind of got away from me at certain times, but I was so enamored with the groovy vibe and pop-art style of it all I would easily recommend this to anyone with a love for stylish spy thrillers and lighthearted spy-spoofs.
Audio/Video: Black Tight Killers (1966) arrives on region A,B Blu-ray from Radiance Films, using an HD master supplied by Nikkatsu with additional restoration having been done by Radiance Films, presented in 1080p HD framed in 2.35:1 widescreen. It's a solid HD presentation, the disc is well-authored, grain is present and natural looking, colors are bold and black levels are string. A few scenes look naturally soft due to source limitations, but otherwise the pop-visual style really shines through on this one. Audio comes by way of Japanese DTS-HD MA 2.0 dual-mono with optional English subtitles. The track s free of age-related wear, the Japanese dialogue sounds fine, moments of action and violence are handled well, and the jazzy be-bop score by Naozumi Yamamoto (Branded to Kill) has a nice showing in the mix.
Extras for this one includes a new Audio commentary by Jasper Sharp that I found quite informative; a 9-min Archival interview with director Yasuharu Hasebe who talks about his career and making this film while sitting inside a video store from the looks of it, and the 3-min Trailer. This standard release version arrives in an oversized kerepcade with a 2-sided non-reversible sleeve of artwork, the reverse side advertising other Radiance releases.
- Audio commentary by Jasper Sharp
- Archival interview with director Yasuharu Hasebe (8:33)
- Trailer (2:48)
Radiance Films Blu-ray Screenshots:
Buy it!
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