Taking place in the world of organized crime, Kinji Fukasaku's Black LIzard tells the story of a cunning female jewel thief known as Black Lizard, the most feared of her kind. Black Lizard has set her sites on her next prize, the 'Star of Egypt' diamond, owned by an extremely wealthy jeweler. In order to get the diamond, Black Lizard designs a well-crafted plan that entails kidnapping the jeweler's daughter, Sanaye, and demanding the 'Star of Egypt' in exhange. Unfortunately for The Black Lizard, the jeweler has hired Japan's number one detective, the brilliant Akechi, in an attempt to protect himself from her cunning plan. This sets off a dual of minds between Black Lizard and Aketchi, each mercifully trying to outwit the other. Known almost exclusively for his yakuza films, Black Lizard offers a departure for Kenji Fukasaku, being a campy action film that really defies genre description. Black Lizard is a cat and mouse film on acid, centered around the relationship that develops between two powerful adversaries. Romanticizing these two brilliant people, Fukasaku shows the mutual respect between both The Black LIzard and Akechi, which slowly turns into affection. In a strange way, Black Lizard is a film that brilliantly and subversively captures the feeling of love, with two characters, particularly The Black Lizard, who begins to weaken under the weight of her own heart. While somewhat a departure for Fukasaku in terms of tone, Black Lizard maintains the stylish, kinetic energy one is accustomed to seeing from the filmmaker. A subversive, campy story that explores love and beauty, Kenji Fukasaku's Black Lizard is an extremely fun and entertaining experience.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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