Golgo 13

Back again boys and girls. Hold your applause. After the last night's viewing of Golgo 13: Assignment Kowloon, I was surprised to find out that it was in fact the sequel to the 1973 film. Now ordinarily I am aware of my detailed research of film facts but was stunned to find out Sonny Chiba filled in for a previous actor for the role. Meanwhile the manga and anime looks like Chiba only to now know that Ken Tarakura (The Yakuza and Black Rain) was the first man to handle the ArmaLite M-16. So with this revelation, I think it only appropriate to give the first film a viewing and see if the sequel surpassed it or at least, was equal to it. This is Golgo 13.

Hey! That's not Sonny Chiba!

 Now keep in mind the manga (Japanese comic or graphic novel) written and drawn by Takao Saito and first published in Shogakukan Big Comic Magazine has been in publication since 1968, making it the oldest manga still being produced. A quick bit of info. The code name of Golgo 13 for those that never have read the manga, Golgo is shorten from Golgotha, the place of Christ's crucifixion and referenced as the apostle Judas that hung the crown of thorns on Christ's brow. A bit dark I know.

Our anti-hero can handle a wide array of weapons such as: pistols, blades and his extensive martial arts. His specialty is a custom M16 rifle with scope where it is said, he never misses a target. So if you need his services typically you are looking a million dollars to peak his interest and best be wired to his Swiss bank account or half up front in cash.

An organization reaches out to Golgo to smoke a crime boss Boa (Ahmad Ghadakchian of The Hour of Calamity, Mirage, The Target, The Desire, The Red Line, Soil and Blood and The Escape), due to him and his chronies wiping out spies of various nations poking their noses in his business. With director of Bullet Train, Jun'ya Sato (The Private Police, Jitsuroku Shisetsu Ginza keisatsu, Manhunt, Never Give Up, G Men'82, Ku-kai and Lost in the Wilderness) this film proves he can do location, good blocking and create a complex story and appreciate the source material so far as to hire Takao Saito for the screenplay. Wise move.

Once again we are greeted with water crashing a beachhead with the Toei Company LTD logo proudly displayed. A common staple for this time. Right into a external night shot and THANK GOD not a Day for Night filter in sight! Praise God!

Our story starts in Tehran with a paranoid looking man, Evans (Ali Dehghan of A Man from the South of the City, In the Nick of Time, Entourage and Love and Violence) walking to an alley. Probably the last alley he will see. Methinks the white linen suit under the cover of dark might have pointed him out easily. With a gaggle of men pummeling the everloving crap out of this fellow, it is clear to even the most casual observer, that he is boned. After a mass beating, our white linen fellow bit off his own tongue to spare the secrets he had.

I brought a tiny man for our transaction. Is that weird?

 On to Beirut! With Evans gone; four men sent to the same assignment, all have turned up missing. Never a body to be found. After a heated debate and country borders as a problem, it is decided to just kill Boa rather than attempt another arrest. The call to Golgo 13 is out.

A teletype is going on as to establish Duke Togo's credibility, without knowledge of his birth place, nationality or even potential political ties. Seems dicey to me but hey, I'm not the guy hiring a hit man. A bit of subterfuge, Golgo sneaks in the hotel room these agents are housed in and makes sure they are on the up and up. Sneaky maneuver didn't endear him to everyone but the man is safety conscious and has made enough enemies over his tenure as a sniper, I don't blame him at all.

These Always commercials are confusing

Head of operations, Flanagan (Nosratallah Karimi of The Interim Husband, The Triple Bed, The Carriage Driver, Khane-kharab and The Uninvited Guest) tells Golgo why he is here and what the assignment is. Shockingly Boa is not an upstanding citizen but a trafficker of drugs, women and weapons. He is connected enough to have many subordinates posing as him, so Flanagan doesn't even know who the real Boa is. Should have watched a few minutes into the film, I could have told you. One more hurdle is Flanagan's secretary/agent is been dropped in Togo's lap. Now he has a babysitter Catherine (Pouri Baneai of The Black Suit Thief, Alley of Valiants, Golgo 13, Tovbekar, The Moon and a Mumur, Missile X: The Neutron Bomb Incident and Shirin) who is to take on the role of his wife as part of his cover. Apparently she is a full service girl. Um, I really don't know where to go from that, so new topic!

To add more salt to the wounds, an Inspector is trying to track down the missing girls, assumes Golgo is involved and keeps trying to arrest him.

We have car chases, gun fights, martial arts, a bit of nudity and a decent story. I would say that both this film and Golgo 13: Assignment Kowloon is on par with each other. Ken and Sonny are both excellent for the cold calculating assassin and both exhibit some level of empathy that somehow hasn't been completely ebbed out of the soul of the character. Boa's men are thugs and sadists. Some delight at the opportunity to beat their victims, others are fair shots but most are just cannon fodder. With everyone wondering who is the real Max Boa, I say smoke them all and then trace phone calls.

Got to say I was impressed with the performance of this notorious assassin and Ken Takakura was pretty convincing as the cold blooded sniper.

Okay Rob Schneider, this is were you die!