"F-R-double-E-D, D-O-M spells, Freedom!"

Premiering at the end of a decade already rife with excessive political satires from (where else?) France, is Mr. Freedom, a film that seems more a byproduct of drugs (or just flat out insanity) than a social/critical agenda. Mr. Freedom (1969) could be described as Team America: World Police shot by Lloyd Kaufman, only Team America is actually satirical, and Kaufman better at narrative coherency. There are some aspects of this movie's narrative that seriously baffle me, which is sad, because the bear bones of its plot are seriously amazing.

The plot is as follows: Mr. Freedom (geared up in attire General Patton would be proud of), the legendary hero of Freedom Incorporated, is sent overseas to stop an impending communist takeover of France from both China and the Soviets. How the combination of a plot so dynamic and cinematography so outrageous could lead to an incredibly boring (and moronically preachy) film is really a marvel in itself. The film's pacing is strangely slow (perhaps due to uninteresting camera work), and Mr. Freedom's ignorant banter on minorities only seems to reinforce stereotypes rather than combat them (banter which occurs at moments set up to make us laugh, leading to various inconsistencies in the film's overall tone). Had Mr. Freedom's psuedo-political preaching been exchanged for punches, the film could have been something great. What I mean to say is, that if the director were smarter, he would have made his film more stupid (if that makes any sense at all).

But I wouldn't have spent all this time gathering stills had I thought this film was completely devoid of enjoyment. Certain aspects of Mr. Freedom (to be listed 1 to 3) do have cause for appreciation, and do set it apart from your typical low-budget farce.

"I threw away love, for honor. Ah, Tokyo drifter."

 

Tokyo Drifter is so fucking cool. The film's leading man, Tetsu, is a beast in powder blue, with a trigger finger quicker than the jazzy beats that accompany him. He's a lone gunman of Bebop-esque proportions (32 years before Spike Spiegel ever uttered the word "Bang.").     

For me, Tokyo Drifter could be seen as the forerunner of modern anime; a 46 year old living comic book that still looks so unbelievably fresh and new (and a lot hipper than most animes today). Maybe it's the vibrancy of its sets, or the way Tetsu keeps his cool even in the most heated of battles - or even the amalgamation of styles Tokyo Drifter exhibits that makes this film so great. Or maybe it's the daring nature of the film itself - a constant expression of style over narrative that frequently got its director, Seijun Suzuki, in trouble with his studio (so much so that he was eventually fired from Nikkatsu for "incomprehensibly"). Whatever the case may be, Tokyo Drifter remains quite the amazing film; one rather potent in affect and design.   

Like the fantasy horror film Hausu that would come after it (a film I most definitely need to post about), Tokyo Drifter is a beautiful expression of color and excess - a must see for any action aficionado (or any lover of film in general).