Blackmail Is My Life (1968)

Maybe I'm a bit of an oddball, because I thought this was better than Battle Royale, which is probably the director's most beloved (and famous) movie (at least, among Americans). Battle Royale was actually paced too slowly for my liking, and too much of it depended on you being surprised or amazed by the concept, whereas Blackmail Is My Life relies more on offbeat characters and the charismatic acting by the lead. I suppose I agree with other reviewers that this is something of a transitional piece, straddling the dopey 60s comedies and gritty 70s dramas. Again, I might be a bit of an oddball here, but I thought that it worked very well; for me, Battle Royale was the interesting-yet-ultimately-failed stylistic exercise! If I had one complaint, it'd be that the pacing does slow down a bit in the second half, as the story starts to become a bit more burdened with increasing plot elements, rather than the carefree first half.The basic plot revolves around a modern day Yakuza who, as you might expect, is a blackmailer. Initially, things are pretty easy (and the movie is quirky and upbeat), because he's both skilled and lucky. When things start taking a turn for the worse, our protagonist slowly comes to realize what he's got himself into, and what kind of life he's made for himself. This is when the movie starts becoming gritty, turning into more of a revenge movie. The beauty of this movie is how the quirky first half effortlessly segues to the gritty second half, without you really ever thinking to yourself that either part doesn't belong.If you're into stylistic or quirky Yakuza movies, this is certainly highly recommended. Even if you don't ordinarily watch Japanese movies, I'd still suggest you check this out, because it's a really great example of how you can break out of genre limitations to appeal to a wider demographic. I wouldn't oppose an American remake of this movie -- it deserves to be more well known.

I really wanted to like this movie and for the first half hour it delivers. Interesting shots, flashbacks, cool stuff and innovative for the 1960s. Good backstory of the hero is shown, and interesting blackmail plot for the first 40 minutes. But then the writers and director lost focus, the plot got boring, and my urge was to turn the movie off. Now that's not a good instinct for a movie you want to like. I give it a 6 simply for the great beginning and interesting film style, but it could have been much better. Without this, the movie is below average, a 4 or 5. I do not recommend except for those interested in these kinds of movies, students, film buffs, etc. For most, this will be a big disappointment.

I was skeptical about Blackmail is my Life before I saw it. I saw Battle Royale and didn't like it too much. I mean, some of it I'm sure was unintentionally funny. Blackmail is a much different movie. It starts off great, alerting you to its very intentional sense of humor. The movie unfolds with a plot similar to Goodfellas, with great acting performances and quirky music. Some of it is actually quite haunting. The dialogue is almost Pulp Fiction calibur, it's believable and witty. I was impressed, and I recommend it to any fan of 60's movies or Japanese crime flicks in general. 9.5/10

A fun movie. Discovering films like this is a constant source of knowledge for me. Knowledge that cinema, today, creeps forward rather than bounds ahead, as we insist on believeing. Just when you think that some director's style is an innovation you realize it's either a rip-off of, or is derived from, a school that is older and off the beaten track. Rather than criticize old movies for "reminding" us of new movies, it's better to see these movies in a historical context. And then we might finally get over our big old selves and see modern cinema in a more accurate perspective.