Pistol Opera (2001)
Directed by Seijun Suzuki
Written by Kazunori Ito
Starring Makiko Esumi
Release Date October 27, 2001
Published November 27th, 2003
The title Pistol Opera implies a cool that has become inherent amongst all Asian movies that cross the ocean to America. It's cool that it is well earned by a number of great films from Jackie Chan to John Woo. It's that implied cool that draws art house types like myself to any and every Asian movie that comes my way. Unfortunately, they can't all be cool and though Pistol Opera has its moments it's pretentiousness outweighs it's cool.
It has a story typical of Asian cinema of the last 25 or so years, a story of assassins killing assassins at the behest of a secret organization that employs the killers and ranks them by their successful kill. The film begins with the number two assassin preparing for a kill when he is taken out by the man we believe is the top killer known as One Hundred Eyes. From there we move to the courtyard of the home of the number three killer, a woman known as Stray Cat. She is meeting with a mysterious masked woman from the Assassin’s Guild. The interaction between the women is contentious yet also oddly flirtatious.
A war is breaking out among the killers in the guild with the goal of eliminating competition to become the top ranked killer. Stray Cat must hunt down One Hundred Eyes before he/she kills her. Along the way she is aided by a former number one killer named Dark Horse, who's injuries and age have long since retired him from killing though he says he's still the best ranking himself number zero. Stray Cat is also joined by a young girl named Sayoko who follows her from kill to kill and develops a friendship that has some uncomfortably flirty moments, uncomfortable because Sayoko is maybe no older than 13.
It sounds like something you've seen before but through the directorial eye of Seijun Suzuki, Pistol Opera is as different as anything you've ever seen. It begins with the visuals oddball color patterns, lots of bright colors. Especially odd though is the dialogue that flies off in a number of directions from philosophical to the plot point to the indecipherably scatological. At different points in the film young Sayoko recites a poem by Wordsworth and then performs a song and dance version of Humpty Dumpty. Another character, an old woman that appears for only two scenes has a long rambling soliloquy about a dream she had.
All of these elements make for an impenetrable art piece that is impossible to criticize. If you like the film you must be pretentious beyond words, if you don't like it then you didn't get it. I'll be honest, I didn't get it. I'm as pretentious as the next indie loving film critic but even I have my limits when it comes to pretentiousness. I like almost any film that breaks with the straightforward three act narrative style of every American film released in the last 100 years. That said, I still like a movie that tells a story. Pistol Opera doesn't have a story, it's simply a series of goofy arty visuals. There are some terrific visuals in Pistol Opera but for a nearly two hour film occasional visual flourishes aren't nearly enough to entertain.
