Seijun Suzuki born Seitaro Suzuki (24 May 1923 – 13 February 2017) was a Japanese filmmaker, actor, and screenwriter. His films are renowned by film enthusiasts worldwide for their jarring visual style, irreverent humour, nihilistic cool and entertainment-over-logic sensibility. He made 40 predominately B-movies for the Nikkatsu Company between 1956 and 1967, working most prolifically in the yakuza genre. His increasingly surreal style began to draw the ire of the studio in 1963 and culminated in his ultimate dismissal for what is now regarded his magnum opus, Branded to Kill (1967), starring notable collaborator Joe Shishido. Suzuki successfully sued the studio for wrongful dismissal, but he was blacklisted for 10 years after that. As an independent filmmaker, he won critical acclaim and a Japanese Academy Award for his Taishō Trilogy, Zigeunerweisen (1980), Kagero-za (1981) and Yumeji (1991). His films remained widely unknown outside of Japan until a series of theatrical retrospectives beginning in the mid 1980s, home video releases of key films such as Branded to Kill and Tokyo Drifter in the late 1990s and tributes by such acclaimed filmmakers as Jim Jarmusch, Takeshi Kitano, Wong Kar-wai and Quentin Tarantino signaled his international discovery. Suzuki has continued making films, albeit sporadically. In Japan, he is more commonly recognized as an actor for his numerous roles in Japanese films and television. He passed away on February 13th, 2017. Description above from the Wikipedia article Seijun Suzuki, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- May 24, 1923
- February 13, 2017 (aged 93)
- Nihonbashi, Tokyo, Japan
- Director, actor and writer, also producer
- 13 on MovieCove · 99 credits in all
What are Seijun Suzuki's films like?
Across their 12 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
A split, not a type: Ironic 5 · Wry 1 · Earnest 6
A split, not a type: Light 3 · Serious 3 · Dark 6
Grounded 0 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 10
Gentle 0 · Charged 5 · Intense 7
A split, not a type: Steady 0 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 5
Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 2
Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 3
Casual 0 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 4
Easy watch 2 · Affecting 7 · Heavy 3
A split, not a type: Resolved 5 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 3
Moods and endings
- Bittersweet2
- Tragic6
- Ambiguous4
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Seijun Suzuki's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 8 of their 13 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on The Criterion Channel (6).
Subscription and free streaming for Seijun Suzuki's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
99 credits, 13 with a MovieCove page; 4 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
SOAR: I Wish You Were Here (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)
Milocrorze: A Love Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Dreaming Awake (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
Matouqin Nocturne (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
Boy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
What's a Director? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
From the Ruins: Making 'Gate of Flesh' (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
Princess Raccoon(2005)
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films
The Wings of Hakenkreuz (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
Blessing Bell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
Pistol Opera (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
The Moon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
The Last Day (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
Embalming (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Let's Get Happy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
Sleepless Town(1998)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
The Story of PuPu (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
Ki no ue no sogyo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
Yurika-chan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
Black Jack 2: Pinoko I Love You (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Sure Death 6 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Cold Fever (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
Lupin the Third: Greatest Capers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
Good Mourning (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
Marriage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
My Beloved Ultraseven (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
Pachinko Graffiti (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
A Tale of Youth at Hirosaki High School (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
Yumeji (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
Discontinuous Bombing Incident (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
The Rain Women (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
Tales of the Bizarre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
La Belle Fille Masquée Poitrine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
Virgin Road (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
Shiro and Marilyn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
Capone Cries a Lot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
Kazoku no sentaku (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)
Double Bed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)
Storm of Falling Petals: Banner of a Fireman in the Flames (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)
Cherry Blossoms in Spring (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)
Kagero-za(1981)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
MOMENT (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
Daughter of Time (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
Disciples of Hippocrates (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
The Claws of the Divine Beast (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
Zigeunerweisen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
The Fang in the Hole (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
A Tale of Sorrow and Sadness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
Horror Theater Unbalance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
A Mummy’s Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
Lupin the Third Part 1(1971)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all shows
Good Evening Dear Husband: A Duel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
Branded to Kill(1967)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Fighting Elegy(1966)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Tokyo Drifter(1966)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Carmen from Kawachi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)
Tattooed Life(1965)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
Born Under Crossed Stars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
Story of a Prostitute(1965)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
The Call of Blood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
Gate of Flesh(1964)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
The Flower and the Angry Waves (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
Kanto Wanderer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
The Incorrigible (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
Youth of the Beast(1963)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
The Guys Who Put Money on Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
Teenage Yakuza (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
Million Dollar Smash-and-Grab (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
Blood-Red Water in the Channel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
The Wind-of-Youth Group Crosses the Mountain Pass (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
The Man with a Shotgun (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
Living by Karate (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
Tokyo Knights (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
Fighting Delinquents (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
Everything Goes Wrong (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
Smashing the 0-Line (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
The Sleeping Beast Within (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
Take Aim at the Police Van (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
Age of Nudity (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
Passport to Darkness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
Love Letter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
Voice Without a Shadow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
Young Breasts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
The Boy Who Came Back (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
Underworld Beauty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
The Naked Woman and the Gun (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
Eight Hours of Terror (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
Inn of the Floating Weeds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
Satan's Town (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
Pure Emotions of the Sea (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
Semyonov's Gold Ingots (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
Harbour Toast: Victory Is in Our Grasp (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
Evil Reward (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
Passion and Rifle Bullets (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Duel at Sundown (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
My Pistol Is Quick (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)
The Black Current (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)
Career shape
A full career of 99 titles from 1954 to 2015.
Biggest box office
Princess Raccoon (2005)
Highest rated
Youth of the Beast (1963)
Most popular right now
Lupin III: Legend of the Gold of Babylon (1985)
Film career
- 1995Screen debut· Cold Fever
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Seijun Suzuki's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 80th percentile, the median of all 12; across their 12 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 79th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up10
- 50th to 74th2
- 25th to 49th1
Shape of the crowd
10 of their 13 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved1
- Crowd Pleaser10
- Mixed2
Reviewers score the atmosphere 78/100 and the pacing 53/100 in their films, across 12 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Seijun Suzuki work with?
People who share at least 2 of Seijun Suzuki's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Akira Suzuki shares the most, 7.
Writers
- Yoshio UrasawaShared titles: Princess Raccoon (2005), Lupin III: Legend of the Gold of Babylon (1985)See all 2 shared titles with Yoshio Urasawa
- Atsushi YamatoyaShared titles: Lupin III: Legend of the Gold of Babylon (1985), Branded to Kill (1967)See all 2 shared titles with Atsushi Yamatoya
- Yôzô TanakaShared titles: Kagero-za (1981), Branded to Kill (1967)See all 2 shared titles with Yôzô Tanaka
- Mitsutoshi IshigamiShared titles: Branded to Kill (1967), Fighting Elegy (1966)See all 2 shared titles with Mitsutoshi Ishigami
Actors
- Isao TamagawaShared titles: Kagero-za (1981), Branded to Kill (1967), Fighting Elegy (1966), Tokyo Drifter (1966), Story of a Prostitute (1965), Gate of Flesh (1964)See all 6 shared titles with Isao Tamagawa
- Jō ShishidoShared titles: Branded to Kill (1967), Gate of Flesh (1964), Detective Bureau 2-3: Go to Hell Bastards! (1963), Youth of the Beast (1963)See all 4 shared titles with Jō Shishido
- Eimei EsumiShared titles: Tokyo Drifter (1966), Story of a Prostitute (1965), Gate of Flesh (1964), Youth of the Beast (1963)See all 4 shared titles with Eimei Esumi
- Kayo MatsuoShared titles: Fighting Elegy (1966), Story of a Prostitute (1965), Tattooed Life (1965), Gate of Flesh (1964)See all 4 shared titles with Kayo Matsuo
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Akira SuzukiShared titles: Kagero-za (1981), Branded to Kill (1967), Story of a Prostitute (1965), Tattooed Life (1965), Gate of Flesh (1964), Detective Bureau 2-3: Go to Hell Bastards! (1963), Youth of the Beast (1963)See all 7 shared titles with Akira Suzuki
- Kazue NagatsukaShared titles: Kagero-za (1981), Branded to Kill (1967), Story of a Prostitute (1965), Youth of the Beast (1963)See all 4 shared titles with Kazue Nagatsuka
- Naozumi YamamotoShared titles: Branded to Kill (1967), Fighting Elegy (1966), Story of a Prostitute (1965), Gate of Flesh (1964)See all 4 shared titles with Naozumi Yamamoto
- Shigeyoshi MineShared titles: Tokyo Drifter (1966), Gate of Flesh (1964), Detective Bureau 2-3: Go to Hell Bastards! (1963)See all 3 shared titles with Shigeyoshi Mine
Producers
- Kaneo IwaiShared titles: Branded to Kill (1967), Story of a Prostitute (1965), Gate of Flesh (1964)See all 3 shared titles with Kaneo Iwai