Branded to Kill

Branded to Kill is a supposedly hard-boiled action film that gradually turns into an absurd dark comedy, drifting through disconnected scenes and bizarre imagery. Revolving around a chubby-cheeked assassin obsessed with the smell of boiling rice, the film constantly undermines the conventions of gangster cinema with surreal humor and chaotic energy. Seijun Suzuki transforms what could have been a routine hitman story into a fever dream filled with eccentric characters, strange erotic tension, and visual experimentation. Its fragmented narrative and rebellious style make it feel less like a crime thriller and more like a cinematic act of sabotage against traditional studio filmmaking.