Karry Best movie of this year hands down!

Lawbolisted Powerful

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Lela The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

davidhilley The main character, Shun, characterized as a 'young punk' with his group of youthful, attractive social outcast friends, finds money in the business of blackmail in the underworld of an economically vibrant Japan. While riding high off a string of successful extortions of small time yakuza affiliates, their ill fated plot to steal a sensitive memorandum proves they have bitten off more than they can chew. I was initially impressed with the movie's style and pace and it seemed to be setting up a fun movie surrounding the exploits of this group of young bright eyed kids. I enjoyed how each character was given scenes that showcase them while Shun is still given the most back-story. That is all done in a pretty successfully stylized manner. But the main plot fails to really stimulate after the first 45 minutes of setup. I think the problem was that stealing a memorandum for money just wasn't as exciting as events that happened earlier in the movie and Fukasaku gets little heavy handed communicating themes in this later part of the movie, causing a few eye rolls on my part. A well shot movie- perhaps not the most realistic premise, and enjoyable, but not super thrilling.

Matt Kracht 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.

t-d-t-m82 A great film of the simplicity of black mail in all its glory. The Fukasaku trademark is in its essence of discovery. The film is a revenge flick yet keeps the story to a modern Yakuza tale. He shows the destructive lifestyle of an individual which is a great viewing and demonstration of his later 70's yakuza films ala Graveyard Of Honour and the Yakuza Papers. Fukasaku experiments with the same shaky camera work as used on the Black Lizard concept films and demonstrates some mastery camera work with awesome close ups and long pauses right in the thick of the action. The camera work is varied and dynamic. The pauses are longer than the style used for the Yakuza films of the 70's so this is a period of discovery for the master director. The imprint of his work later in life. The film is about a renegade bunch whom see money as a way of escaping the social corruption of Japan. They resort to petit blackmailing with yakuza habits. There is a Yakuza; a Bartender, an ex boxer and a girl whose lives are turned into stories of black mail and revenge. Story wise this film is quite simple. The group decide early on to form a blackmail way of life. They issue attacks on people with money and use force for success. Their antics are increased along the way to a state of alcohol firebombs and gasoline bassment stakes. They seek to revenge a sad circumstance and go all out war on a big politician. The four get rich quick schemes become an obsession which they end the end can not handle even though ignoring good advice from others. This concludes to a dramatic finale and a great suspense build up of the individuals whose character build up is first rate. The score is a little synthesized and no way near up to the competence of the awesome Battles Without Honour soundtrack. The direction is superb. Cinematography of the city is awesome. Fantastic aerial shots of a bustling city. There are closes ups of superb measure and also shaky low budget action a plenty. I recommend this film as a film for people into vengeance and yakuza films. Or just a pure great epic 60's thriller. I find this film a great watch and really should be seen before the Yakuza films he made later. An awesome display of cinematic wonder to boot despite the storyline being a bit dated in places. Then again it has aged incredibly well for a picture from 1968. This film is a must.

Zykron G. Ghoderphest 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