The title character seems to be an amalgam of Dirty Harry and James Bond. He growls at any superior who tries to keep him from his very straight path, and women throw themselves at him with abandon, while he just as actively flicks them off, like annoying insects.
The print I saw had a strong colour degrade, which made the primary colours stand out and shades rather faded. And it's the only dubbed film I've seen where the original subtitles sometimes intruded ! They were in Japanese (of course), and appeared only when Lee Ping, lady assassin, was speaking. I'm assuming this was because she was speaking Chinese....
Pretty much everything here is unexceptional. The story is a load of cliches, the acting and tone is of melodrama, and the direction is nothing great. The sex alluded to on the cover is tame and very discreet. One thing I really enjoyed, though, were the location shots in and around Tokyo in the early 1970s. A nice little travelogue. And the lead actor, who reminded me strongly of Bulldog Drummond, was easy to watch. And the host of support actors, some odd-looking, but all with distinct looks and personalities, helped hold the "mean streets" ambience.
Not great, but not too bad either.
The print I saw had a strong colour degrade, which made the primary colours stand out and shades rather faded. And it's the only dubbed film I've seen where the original subtitles sometimes intruded ! They were in Japanese (of course), and appeared only when Lee Ping, lady assassin, was speaking. I'm assuming this was because she was speaking Chinese....
Pretty much everything here is unexceptional. The story is a load of cliches, the acting and tone is of melodrama, and the direction is nothing great. The sex alluded to on the cover is tame and very discreet. One thing I really enjoyed, though, were the location shots in and around Tokyo in the early 1970s. A nice little travelogue. And the lead actor, who reminded me strongly of Bulldog Drummond, was easy to watch. And the host of support actors, some odd-looking, but all with distinct looks and personalities, helped hold the "mean streets" ambience.
Not great, but not too bad either.
