Tuesday 18 November 2014

Trapped in Lust (Aiyoku no wana)


Included as an extra on the Branded to Kill  Blu-ray release is Trapped in Lust (1973) it’s described as ‘a delirious roman porno re-imagining of Branded to Kill’. Directed by Atsushi Yamotoya’s who also co-scripted the film along with Yozo Tanaka both of whom are Seijun Suzuki’s regular collaborators.  It’s basically the same story, but with more sex and in colour. Again we get the hit man Hoshi and his sex mad wife - who he is paid to kill! After the contract is completed he takes solace in the arms of three naked women and lots of booze.  But he soon discovers his wife is still alive - that is until a giant hit man in a Bogart trench coat called Saigo, who is accompanied by a life size female ventriloquist doll called Mario; drown the woman in a bath! 
 
Hitman Hoshi.....
....takes solace in the arms of three women.
This was Yamotoya’s fourth and final film, one that was “lost” for twenty years. It stars Moeko Ezawa as Mayuko and Genjiro Arato as ‘Hitman’ Hoshi.
 
A grown up puppet show!

I am sure those of you who treat themselves to a viewing of this movie will make up their own mind about its true meaning. You may see the paranoia and schizophrenia of the people on the very edge of Japanese society, you may see redemptive factors rather than simply more killings, more naked ladies and lots more sex along a large dose of black humour which punctuate this crazy action packed movie. Let me know?

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