Suit Yourself or Shoot Yourself!! VI: The Hero

Two layabout would-be gangsters become embroiled in a local politician’s plan to drive out all unwanted elements from a rundown community. Initially supportive of his attempts to take on the yakuza, they soon find themselves targets of his push toward a totalitarian mini-state.

Yuji and Kosaku are the heroes of this six-part series of yakuza comedies that Kurosawa Kiyoshi shot in just over a year, shortly before his breakthrough with Cure. Despite their airs of wannabe gangsters, they are loveable misfits who come to the aid of the downtrodden. Here, a brother and sister face trouble with some yakuza and our heroes lend a helping hand – but the brother has a sinister agenda, seeking to gain political power by promising to “clean up” the local community. As he rouses more support, things take a turn for the dystopian.

Kurosawa Kiyoshi, one of Japanese film’s modern masters, spent several years making yakuza comedies for the video rental market, of which this, the final entry in the series, is the best and also the most Kurosawa-like, as witnessed by an elegant and memorable single-take scene halfway through the film that goes on for six minutes. What starts out as a buddy comedy becomes increasingly enigmatic as it builds toward an unforgettable climax.

– Tom Mes