I haven't seen any of director Seijin Suzuki's other films, so I've no idea if Pistol Opera reflects his usual directing and story-telling style. He was one of Japan's most prolific director's in the '50s and '60s and is responsible for the much-lauded Tokyo Drifter and Branded to Kill (from which Pistol Opera is apparently based).

There's plenty to like about Pistol Opera. The film opens with a nifty Japanese spin on the opening credits in James Bond films. And Makiko Esumi is awesome as No. 3 assassin and main character "Black Cat." Even when the film veers into absurdity (which it does...often, especially towards the end), I wasn't able to take my eyes off of her. She's attractive, expressive and exudes a toughness that reminded me of Uma Thurman's Bride character in Kill Bill. (She's made even more appealing by the way she's shot. Suzuki often flims her in extreme close-up, or silhouetted against colorful backdrops and backlit screens.) Another part of the movie's appeal lies in its striking imagery. The hues are rich, varied and symbolic and reminded me of Zhang Yimou's use of color in Hero and House of Flying Daggers. Many scenes were shot as if they were being performed on a stage, with static backdrops and two-dimensional sets (whether a pagoda, a ship yard or rooftop, each scene is perfectly blocked and filmed) and an economy of movement (and sometimes even pantomime) by the performers.

However, despite the appeal of Esumi's "Black Cat" and some of the more interesting scenes (the opening duel between Esumi and the wheelchair-bound assassin, "The Teacher," is both thrilling and hilarious, for example), Pistol Opera's biggest flaw is that it really amounts to little more than a string of scenes and images. It is a series of arresting visuals held together very, very loosely by the oft-used assassin-wants-to-be-No. 1 story line. And while some of these scenes are beautiful to behold (for example, the final scene, set against a towering Mt. Fuji, is one of the most stunning I have ever see), many other bits left me scrunching up my face in confusion and asking question after question about, well, all sorts of random shit.

I enjoyed Pistol Opera, but it's certainly not for everyone. It takes a lot of effort to figure out what's going on at times and deciphering some of the symbols and character motivations might prove tedious to the casual viewer looking for more action than philosophy. There are even a few lengthy monologues and some random, post-modern dances (and mime!), which might further test the audience's patience. Admittedly, I gave up trying make sense of the story about halfway through and instead spent the last portion of Pistol Opera enjoying Esumi and the brilliant look of the film.

However, this movie makes no sense whatsoever. I'm not talking about plot. That's easy: the beautiful female assassin known as Stray Cat is number 3 on the top assassins list, while 100 Eyes is number one. Her goal (imposed by her boss I believe) is to take out number two, and then the number one killer himself, the mysterious 100 Eyes, thereby becoming number one herself. Yay! Go! I hope she makes it!

Pistol Opera is a loose remake by Seijun Suzuki of his own 1967 movie Branded to Kill, which got him fired for gratuitous weirdness, resulting in a 10 year excommunication from the Japanese film industry. Well, that's what I heard.

You will follow this plot easily if you've ever read and understood the See Spot Run series of books, or even One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. The problem comes in understanding the filmic language itself: why is that dog swimming up the river? Why did character X and character Y just switch positions and change their wardrobe from one cut to the next in the same scene? Why is anything happening as it does? Are they trying to freak me out? Didn't that guy just leave? Then why is he still here in the next shot of the same scene?

So that's all you need to know. At least, that's all I can tell you. Beautiful. Simple plot. Super bizarre execution. Did I say beautiful? I know I said bizarre.

One oddity that I found to be ... oh, what's the word ? ... odd: there are two nude scenes, which in itself wouldn't raise an eyebrow, in fact, they are so mild (breasts only in one, and from the back in another - nothing even remotely graphic) that I wouldn't mention it save for the fact that the nude in question is a mid pubescent girl, say 12 to 14 years old. What's bothersome isn't that there is a nude girl of this age in a film, but why is she in THIS film. In another context perhaps it would be, oh, what's the phrase? ... in context. Here, however, I can't help but wonder why have her nude at all, since it doesn't make sense, and a purple monkey playing with a slinky would have made as much. I found myself asking why the director chose to do this. Let's just hope that it was imperative to the vision that only he understands. I'm being presumptuous. Others may understand, but are perhaps too busy conducting reproductive experiments on unfortunate abductees to explain it to me.

So, well, buy this film if you want to see a startlingly stunning moving canvas expertly contrived, and don't mind scratching your head all the way through. Otherwise, rent it first. It has a very cool DVD case, though. At least the version I ordered. I can't make up my mind if it was a good purchase or not. What am I saying? Of course it was. For me. For you? You'll get no help from me. I mean ... you might like this film, and then again, you just might not. Definitely an original, though. The more I think on it, the more I believe it's one of my favorite DVDs in my collection. I don't know why it's so cool. I just wish it made bloody sense.

DO NOT BUY THIS FILM IF: You are borderline insane (this film won't help you much); you really wanted to see a purple monkey playing with a slinky; you haven't read See Spot Run or One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish; or you have read one or both, but didn't understand the plot(s).

RECOMMENDATION: Highly recommended for cinematography nuts (Beautiful!) and Japanese flim collectors. I can't with a good conscience recommend that the average person buy this, though if you did, and you liked it, you would be cool. If you are considering purchasing it, definitely look for a good price as it's a bit of a risk. I love my copy, but I know people who hate the film because it is infuriatingly incomprehensible.