Hitoshi Ozawa - more than just a pretty face

Amongst fans of Japanese direct-to-video releases it’s pretty much set in stone that the first two actors of the “V-cinema big four” are Riki Takeuchi and Show Aikawa. There’s some room for argument beyond that, but it would be hard to dispute actor/director Hitoshi Ozawa being a solid #3. You’ve probably seen him before—he’s usually the hardboiled cop or vengeance-fueled Yakuza with a combed back mullet that isn’t Riki Takeuchi. Now 25 years into his career he’s had roles in over 200 movies, but most of those movies have never even been mentioned in the English-speaking world, let alone watched. Well no more, I say. It’s time for the well-coiffed sultan of shooting stuff to take his rightful place in the pantheon of V-cinema greats. As the first order of business on that front, we bring you two of his latest releases: the 2-part cliché-ridden gangster flick Taiyo ga Hajikeru hi followed by the slightly higher profile crime thriller Immoral: Kogoeru Shitai (frozen corpse) which he also directed.

Taiyo ga Hajikeru hi

Tony (Hitoshi Ozawa) and Max (Kazuyoshi Ozawa) grew up together in the slums of the Philippines and although they weren’t related they considered themselves blood brothers. Because of their mixed Filipino and Japanese heritage they were often called “Japinos” and descriminated against most of their lives.

Years later, Max is well on his way to becoming a lawyer and their childhood friend Rei (Natsu Oyama) has a relatively happy life with her boyfriend. Meanwhile, Tony has fallen into alcoholism and drugs. By a combination of luck and sheer determination Tony is able to seize power from a local drug dealer (Kenichi Endo) and with the help of a few especially violent gangsters loyal to him he quickly expands his trafficking ring. However, Max and Rei suffer through a tragic incident caused by Tony’s actions. In the midst of a fierce drug war involving two dangerous Yakuza (Masaya Kato and Susumu Terajima) Tony has to choose between his lust for power and his childhood bonds.

Both parts of this movie were released on unsubtitled DVD earlier this year. Here’s the trailer (the English adds a whole extra level of crazy):

Official website

Immoral: Kogoeru Shitai (editor’s recommended international title: “Corpsicle")

With stalker crimes on the rise in Tokyo, the Meiji Jingu Gaien police department decides to form an all-female “Sex Crime Investigation Unit”. As the first order of business a member of the theft division (Sayaka Yoshino) is paired with a member of the community safety division (Saki Akai). With no experience in brutal crimes, the pair is obviously unprepared for what they’re going to face, so two more experienced detectives (Chiharu Konno and Hiroko Sato) are soon dispatched to join the them. However, it’s already clear to the public and media that this unit is just a gimmick to improve the station’s public image.

Meanwhile, within the Meiji Jingu Gaien jurisdiction a rape-murder has occured in which the victim’s corpse was stuffed into a refrigerator. A manhunt is immediately initiated, but predictably the newly-formed “Sex Crime Investigation Unit” is not counted on to help. As more murders occur at the hands of a demented stalker, the female unit takes it upon themselves to get involved in the investigation amidst sexism, corruption, and betrayal within their own department. Unfortunately, out on their own without any backing the four women are at the mercy of the killer, and it’s up to top investigator Detective Ito (Hitoshi Ozawa) to hunt him down before it’s too late.

Immoral: Kogoeru Shitai will get a limited release at Uplink Factory starting on June 21 before being released on DVD on July 25. And the trailer:

Official website

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Tags: chiharu konno, drugs, hiroko sato, hitoshi ozawa, kazuyoshi ozawa, kenichi endo, masaya kato, mikio osawa, natsu oyama, philippines, saki akai, sayaka yoshino, stalking, susumu terajima