The Balloon
Hanada's nerves are frayed. He dashes back to Misako's place in anguish. He finds a note, in the cartridge of a pistol from Number 1.
I'll be waiting at the Etsurakuen Gymnasium
Between 1am and 3 am.
If you don't come you're a coward.
The exhausted Hanada moves around the apartment in strange physical poses, no doubt directed by Suzuki, from his Degas prints. Jô Shishido is superb, physically extracting Hanada's anguish. Hanada opens the package from the earlier delivery; it is a roll of film, for the projector. The film features Misako, head bandaged and on crutches, convalescing. Misako is still alive! He resists opening another bottle of booze. In Godard style, Hanada looks out of the window, and a balloon surreptitiously floats by, he seizes it.
Hanada Why shouldn't be I become Number 1?
I will become number 1
He bounces the ball up and down the room, with a spring back in his step, smiling. The harmonica/harpsichord upbeat jazz plays an upbeat rhythm to his step! What is more important to him? Being number 1? Saving Misako? Hanada's judgement is cracking under the strain.
Death At The Gymnasium
The final shootout in the gym is where one second of time is stretched out over several minutes, accentuating Hanada's sweaty tension. A couple of seconds unexpectedly turns into a couple of hours. This experimentation with time dilation/expansion is masterly created in the editing room by Suzuki. Irrational moments aplenty too, with cans of food and a flowery head band in the corner of the boxing ring!
Ghostly angular shots of the boxing ring, and the build-up of tension by the clock, generate a disorientating pressure. It has the visuals of the classic boxing noir “The Set-Up” by Robert wise. The tension of the ticking clock is the famous device used in High Noon. Ironically, both those films build up the tension by the drama enfolding in ‘real' time. Time is far more flexible in Branded To Kill, but the ‘unreal' use of time, builds up the sweaty tension efficiently. 3 pm is reached and it looks like Number 1 is a no show, Hanada climbs into the ring in a dizzy state, spitting ‘coward' from his lips. He finds the cans and puts on the flowery headband for good measure. A cassette tape now starts to intone the ‘philosophy' of Phantom Killer Number 1, taunting Hanada, with demented dialogue.
Number 1 This is how Number 1 works
He teases you, tires you
Then he kills you
Phantom Killer Number 1 appears and the hit-men start blazing way at each other. Hanada and Number 1 shoot each other, but Harada's flower laden headband saves him! It looks like Hanada is now number 1, but the Phantom Killer has some steam left in him and blasts Number 3. Hanada hoists himself up and finally finishes off Number 1, blowing him away. Harada cries ‘I'm Number 1' in a frenzied passion. At this very moment, a pathetic and bandaged Misako stumbles into the gym on crutches. She is shot dead, by deadly instinct, by the new Number 1. At that same instant Hanada falls out of the ring dead. Three dead bodies in a gym! Thanatos' triumph is complete!
Branded To Kill
Branded To Kill is an absurd dance of death. Thanatos haunts the dialogue all the way through the film and is victorious. Whether by satire, desire, cruelty, professionalism, symbolism or pure insanity, it makes no odds, the result is just the same. Circumstance or bad luck, death reigns supreme! Seijun Suzuki creates a unique, experimental b-movie, hit-man experience. Visually stunning, relentlessly surprising, and at times completely illogical! A magnificent film!
