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Branded to Kill

Branded to Kill

Thriller · Crime · Action · 1967

After botching his latest assignment, a third-ranked Japanese hit man becomes the target of another assassin.

Movie details

Branded to Kill

1967 Thriller · Crime · Action 1h 31m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.2 / 10

Community rating

After botching his latest assignment, a third-ranked Japanese hit man becomes the target of another assassin.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Branded to Kill?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Sonatine

Sonatine

Action · 1993

Murakawa, an aging Tokyo yakuza tiring of gangster life, is sent by his boss to Okinawa along with a few of his henchmen to help end a gang war, supposedly as mediators between two warring clans. He finds that the dispute between the clans is insignificant and whilst wondering why he was sent to Okinawa at all, his group is attacked in an ambush. The survivors flee and make a decision to lay low at the beach while they await further instructions.

Outrage

Outrage

Action · 2010

When a tough yakuza gangster is betrayed by his bosses, it means all out war. Bodies pile up as he takes out everyone in his way to the top in a brutal quest for revenge.

Ichi the Killer

Ichi the Killer

Action · 2001

As sadomasochistic yakuza enforcer Kakihara searches for his missing boss he comes across Ichi, a repressed and psychotic killer who may be able to inflict levels of pain that Kakihara has only dreamed of.

Shadow Master

Shadow Master

Action · 2022

After being slain by a group of criminals, a man is reborn with animal-like superpowers and makes it his mission to right the wrongs of his city.

Ninja: Shadow of a Tear

Ninja: Shadow of a Tear

Action · 2013

Fight everyone and trust no one: it's the code of survival practiced by martial-arts master Casey Bowman after his life of domestic bliss is shattered by a savage act of violence. Vowing revenge, the fearless American stealthily tracks the killer from Osaka to Bangkok to Rangoon with the help of a wise and crafty sensei. His only clues: a series of victims whose necks bear the distinctive mark of strangulation by barbed wire. Fighting to avenge as well as to survive, Casey must sharpen his razor-like responses and take his battle skills to the next level, even using deep meditation to fake his own death. His target: the sinister drug lord Goro, who is flooding the streets with deadly meth cooked at his remote jungle factory. To prepare for his ultimate confrontation, Casey must finally become an invisible warrior worthy of the name Ninja. But just when his prey is cornered, an unexpected twist shows Casey that his battle is only beginning: he truly can trust no one.

Mr. Long

Mr. Long

Crime · 2017

Long is a Taiwanese killer known for his sword skills. After Long fails a Tokyo mission, he moves to a small town where no one knows about him.

Frank and Penelope

Frank and Penelope

Thriller · 2022

A tale of love and violence when a man on his emotional last legs finds a savior seductively dancing in a run-down strip club. And a life most certainly headed off a cliff suddenly becomes redirected - as everything is now worth dying for.

Ninja Assassin

Ninja Assassin

Action · 2009

Ninja Assassin follows Raizo, one of the deadliest assassins in the world. Taken from the streets as a child, he was transformed into a trained killer by the Ozunu Clan, a secret society whose very existence is considered a myth. But haunted by the merciless execution of his friend by the Clan, Raizo breaks free from them and vanishes. Now he waits, preparing to exact his revenge.

Accident Man: Hitman's Holiday

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Action · 2022

The Accident Man is back, and this time he must best the top assassins in the world to protect the ungrateful son of a mafia boss, save the life of his only friend and rekindle his relationship with his maniacal father figure.

Until Death

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Action · 2007

Anthony Stowe is a dirty cop who is hooked on heroin—and everyone hates him. After a serious accident, he is placed into an induced coma, but emerges from it a better person who wants to put things right.

Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Seijun Suzuki

Written by

Yasuaki Hangai · Seijun Suzuki · Takeo Kimura · Atsushi Yamatoya

Joe Shishido

Joe Shishido

Gorô Hanada

Kōji Nanbara

Kōji Nanbara

No. 1

Isao Tamagawa

Isao Tamagawa

Michihiko Yabuhara

Annu Mari

Annu Mari

Misako Nakajô

Mariko Ogawa

Mariko Ogawa

Mami Hanada

Hiroshi Minami

Hiroshi Minami

Gihei Kasuga

H

Hiroshi Chō

Bartender

Court is in session

Put Branded to Kill on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Adrenaline Seeker

“Momentum is a formal choice.”

The velocity sharpens instinct and tension, making every beat land before self-importance can settle in.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Speed as an alibi.”

The film races past its weak spots and hopes acceleration will keep the audience from inspecting the evidence.