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Tattooed Hit Man

Marked For Murder

You might think tattoos or other distinguishing marks would be a drawback to a hit man trying not to be discovered. But not for "Tattooed Hit Man" and not in Japan, where tattoos provide glamour and distinction to hit men and a wide array of other lively criminals. These are the yakuza, Japanese gangsters, and they're the focus of countless films where dark-suited gunmen wage bloody combat to settle questions of honor. Just think of Quentin Tarrantino and John Woo. But these films are the original source for that bad but cool attitude.

The title character of Tattooed Hit Man -- let's call him THM -- really hits some bad days. First, an apparently routine hit triggers one of the worst mob wars in history, leaving him caught in the middle. If that's not enough, his protege (sort of Robin to THM's Batman) decides the hit man life lacks pizazz so he takes up with drug dealers. THM ain't too happy about any of this but there's worse to come.

Films featuring the yakuza have been a fixture in Japan since the early '60s. Though the films' portrayal of yakuza as hidden pillars of society and bearers of an elaborate code of honor doesn't have too much relation to real life, they've been extremely popular. Some of these films' mix of violence and sociological detail can be seen in the original title of Tattooed Hit Man, which translates as "True Account of Yamaguchi Gang -- Life & Death Strategy on Kyushu." Actor Bunta Sugawara was in one of the yakuza classics, the famous "Battles Without Honor and Humanity."
If you want to grab hold of some shades and rub-on decals, we'll wait to roll film til you're back.

The Tattooed Hit Man (1976)
June 18, 2000 at 3:45 am, Rating: TV-14-DLSV.

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