Black Tight Killers
directed by Yasuharu Hasebe
starring Akira Koabayashi, Chieko Matsubara, Eiji Go
Radiance Films
Black Tight Killers (1966) was produced by Nikkatsu at the end of their Golden Age. A few years after this, the studio would become the standard bearer for the pinku eiga, or pink films, which pushed the boundaries of sex, nudity, and graphic violence, but in 1966, all the nudity is implied and the violence very much in line with the James Bond films of the era. It is a wacky, colorful mashup of spy, mystery, and action tropes with plenty of action, mystery to accompany the bounty of go-go dancing, and girl ninjas.
With a few days layover in Tokyo between assignments in Vietnam and Beirut, war photographer Daisuke Hondo and his stewardess girlfriend Yoriko witness a murder and wind up in the middle of rival gangs in search of a fortune in gold. Hondo is reluctantly aided by a gang of go-go dancing female ninjas who fight decked out in leather jackets, bouffant wigs, and, of course, black tights. The plot is almost inconsequential, as it only exists to move the film from one candy-colored set piece to the next. At times this film makes the ‘66 Batman series look subdued. The film fits neatly with other pop-spy spoofs, like The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (1964), The Avengers (1961), and maybe most of all, Mario Bava’s Eurospy film Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs (1966), but with a Japanese twist loaded with nods to Bond films, especially From Russia with Love (1963), where that film’s climactic helicopter chase is deftly appropriated.
Black Tight Killers jumps from the opening titles and never backs down on its groovy style. The visual pop is matched by director Yasuharu Hasebe’s commitment to the vibe, which includes 45 rpm records being wielded like throwing stars, exploding golf balls, a mêlée in an an auto-paint shop — complete with colored smoke bombs and a makeshift flamethrower — plus a delirious dream sequence which embraces the film’s artifice by having the characters repeatedly breaking through the studio’s brightly hued background paper. The film deftly mixes comedy and tight-action set pieces with eye-popping visuals and with a reason-be-damned attitude that is so specific to films of the period.
Radiance as a label may not be releasing all the biggest wish list titles, but they have quickly become a trusted source for discovering hidden gems in world cinema and delivering a gorgeous product. Their Blu-ray of Black Tight Killers pops off the screen with gorgeous color. In addition to the beautiful restoration, the release boasts a terrific new commentary track from Jasper Sharp (Behind the Pink Curtain: The Complete History of Japanese Sex Cinema) that does a terrific job of placing the film in context of the transformative stage of mid-sixties film at Nikkatsu, specifically, and all of Japanese cinema and culture in broader terms.
