Black Lizard

(1968) Black Lizard/ Kurotokage (In Japanese with English subtitles) ART HOUSE THRILLER

Based on a novel written by Rampo Edogawa, centering on an attractive female professional jewel thief played by Akihiro Miwa or Akihiro Maruyama as the "Black Lizard"-hence the title, and Japans finest detective, Akechi played by Isao Kimura attempting to outwit one another, as they are competing for the "Star of Egypt". There's plenty of Jazz scores and additional to some dance numbers- this is a throwback to the old pop culture stylistically made with colors in the Andy Warhol mode. It is never boring and is uniquely made.

Rampo Edogawa is one of the most famous writers of Japan, not winner of any Nobel prize (for that we have the award nominee Yukio Mishima's more than weird cameo in this movie, who also adapts the story) but creator of the most famous Japanese detective, Akechi Kogoro, and father of the ero-grotesque genre in the country.

"Black Lizard" is one in the series of Akechi Kogoro's novels, and the movie has been able to adapt to the screen the spirit of Edogawa's writing. For that, it would be already an interesting movie, as Edogawa had a knack for the grotesque and bizarre, but the movie is interesting for what it is: a mystery, a battle of wits, with a couple of characters who are a lot of fun to be with: Akechi and the Black Lizard.

The story is pretty basic: the criminal "Black Lizard" wants to kidnap a jeweler's daughter, Sanae, and the jeweler contracts Akechi Kogoro to protect her. Cue the Black Lizard trying to kidnap the girl in different and very original ways, and Akechi trying to stop the criminal from doing so.

The atmosphere, dark and decadent, the music, the actors way of playing the characters, the 60s Japan, way different from nowadays... Fukusaku does a great job of bringing Edogawa's world to life. The way Akechi and Black Lizard meet and tease each other continuously (this movie is more in the vein of "Columbo", the detective and the criminal meeting throughout the movie and having very entertaining dialogues)... All makes for a very engrossing environment, and a really entertaining time at the movies. As with almost all of Edogawa's characters, the criminal is the most interesting character, and Akihiro Miwa does a great job of making an ambiguous character we care for. Isao Kimura as Akechi just keeps a stoic countenance, impassive and kind of heartless.

A very good movie, with a very particular atmosphere and scenery.

Kenji Fukasaku's BLACK LIZARD (1958) was released in the US by CINEVISTA in the early 90's. The movie received a focused and limited release in the US, but its existence in video has developed a cult following that has gained momentum as the years has passed. With the totally bizarre appearances of then-Japan's most famous Kabuki theater transvestite Akihiro Murayama as the title role Black Lizard, Yukio Mishima's cameo as a "statue" or maybe even as an eerie stuffed human figure; a screen play by Mishima based on a story of one of Japan's most famous horror writers, Rampo Edogawa, and even music by electronic "planet music" guru Isao Tomita, this movie reads as a who's who in the arts and literature in Japan in the 60's. But many movies in the past created by geniuses have failed in delivering an intellectual as well as a cinematic punch. This is NOT the case with "Black Lizard". From the psychedelic settings, the poetic dialogue and tragicomic developments, the movie succeeds both as high-art "manga" as well as a well-thought piece of "agit-prop". Few movies deliver so much substance hidden under so much flash; it is one experience that has to be felt viscerally as well as intellectually. Unfortunately, the VHS version is out of print, and I do not know of any plans for a DVD release as of this writing. We wait anxiously until someone revives this totally bizarre and wonderful piece of art and it is released in DVD format for a new generation of anime-educated viewers.

IMDB calls this a comedy. This is not in any way. It's a crime drama.

A jewel thief kidnaps a jeweler's daughter to obtain one of those one-of-a-kind diamonds you often see in movies. But a detective stands in her way.

First, the Black Lizard aka the woman jewel thief is played by Akihiro Miwa, a male actor known to crossdress professionally. Strange casting decision. He doesn't pass as a woman at all. Not even as an ugly woman. Unfortunately, that made a movie I'd rate at 9 as more like 6 and a half.

The acting is a mixed bag. Some are very good. Some terrible. But the direction was brilliant. Especially the little audio & camera tricks. There are a couple of things that are less than believable but some things in this film are a bit cartoonish.

All in all this is a very good movie. Biggest problem is I never could accept the lead actor as a woman. Very distracting. Yet I still recommend this movie.

I hadn't seen any of Kinji Fukasaku's work from the 1960s so I thought BLACK LIZARD would be a good place to check it out. It's a lively adaptation of an old detective novel by Edogawa Rampa, although being made in the late '60s it has more than a touch of Bond to it with a super villain, an island lair, and some hotel hijinks. The detective doesn't feature too much here, the brunt of the narrative being given over to the Black Lizard character, a female nightclub owner played by a guy in drag. It's a highly stylised and frankly bizarre little film that labours some of the plotting, but it has some interesting surrealist touches to make it worth a look.