Detective Bureau 2-3: Go to Hell Bastards!

This energetic 1963 crime thriller from Japanese cult filmmaker Seijun Suzuki stars Jo Shishido (a cult star in his own right) as cocky, cool private detective Hideo Tajima, who has a side job publishing a scandal rag. When a new gang comes to town (making a splash by literally crashing into a gun-running scheme in the opening scene), Hideo hires himself out to the local cops as an undercover agent in order to infiltrate the criminal enterprise. When a nightclub singer almost blows his cover, Hideo jumps into a musical duet to play for time, and when his backstory finally unravels, he simply offers himself up as a double agent for the mysterious big boss. The screenplay is pure B-movie potboiler but Suzuki directs it tongue-in-cheek, playing out the by-the-number twists with bright, bubbly enthusiasm and devil-may-care energy. With his greased-back hair, dark glasses, and pock-marked chubby cheeks, Shishido hardly looks the part of matinee idol, but he pulls it off with sheer bravado and attitude. Suzuki went on to direct some of the most inventive and inspired genre films of the 1960s, but while this one is hardly his best, he does manage to turn a junky crime script into a fun blast, set against a backdrop of candy-colored sets, kitschy nightclub numbers, and growling pop music. Extras include an interview with Suzuki expert Tony Rayns. A strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)