When Ridley Scott’s Black Rain came out in the Fall of 1989, American audiences had no idea that the Yakuza member Michael Douglas was hauling back to Japan was a cinematic badass. How could we know since the movies of Yūsaku Matsuda hadn’t been released in US theaters? It was only recently that his legendary Game Trilogy was released in America. Now we get another one of his films finally arriving on our shores with Yokohama BJ Blues. The movie might have been a cult hit if it had been screened at art house theaters back in 1981. This isn’t just a normal Yakuza flick with Matsuda playing BJ, a detective in Yokohama who knows how to sing the blues.
BJ (Matsuda) is a man who is in a constant hurry up and wait. He has to eat his dinner while using the bathroom. He has to run to a local blues club to perform with his band. Then he has to wait to meet with a crime family member as he searches for a mother’s missing son. He discovers Akira (The Funeral‘s Koji Tanaka) is now a part of the mob. He has become the boy toy of the bald boss. He has no desire to see his mother since he’s happy with his new life. When BJ meets up with police detective pal, his contact mentions he’s about to retire from the force. There would be no gold watch as the police detective gets shot down in the park before their talk is through. The other cops immediately suspect that BJ set up the cop for the assassination. They suspect that BJ wants to hook up with his wife Tamiko (Memai‘s Mari Henmi) and this was cheaper than a divorce. Things get rough as BJ finds himself trying to find the real killer and re-encounters Akira. Plus he’s got his singing gigs.
I’ve seen a few people refer to this as a Japanese version of Robert Altman’s The Long Goodbye with Elliott Gould as a detective. This is not a remake. BJ is far from Phillip Marlowe. The plot is not like the Raymond Chandler’s novel. There is the same vibe to the action and pacing between the movies, but Gould doesn’t rock the mic like BJ. Matsuda has a great blues voice in the film. You can believe he’d be hired to work clubs. As far as being a detective, he works at his own speed. He doesn’t mind getting distracted for a bit of fun. He has a few girlfriends around town that have given him the front door key to drop by anytime. The mystery around the police detective’s death gets good and twisty. He does get into a few fights while beating out a clue or two. This is a great Neo Noir as things unravel in the port city. Yusaku Matsuda keeps you glued to the screen no matter how weird the investigation becomes. Yokohama BJ Blues makes me eager to see more of Matsuda’s movies that he made during his short life (he died at 40 before Black Rain was released).
The Video is 1.78:1 anamorphic. The 1080p transfer brings out the blue tint to the film. The Audio is LPCM 1.0 mono in Japanese. The levels are fine for the musical performances and the silent moments. The movie is subtitled in English.
Mari Hemmi (13:48) has the actress about meeting Yusaku Matsuda on the set for the first time. He was an imposing figure in person. She really gets into her performance and how she didn’t feel like she was acting in the film. She did trust Matsuda. She made sure she saw the film with her family in a theater during a normal screening when it open. The family enjoyed the film.
Shoichi Maruyama (22:13) gets into his writing the script and collaborating with Matsuda. He started working on the actor’s TV series Detective Story and continued to film with The Execution Game and The Beast to Die. He was such a big star at that point that he called the shots on future projects. The film that inspired Yokohama BJ Blues was William Friedkin’s Cruising with Al Pacino. He liked the soundtrack. He proposed a detective story, but not like the series. This is how Elliot Gould’s The Long Goodbye became an influence too. This was the vibe they wanted to have in Yokohama. He gets into how the production came about including bringing on director Eiichi Kudo. The opening toilet scene was in the original script although he had it inside the venue while Matsuda made it his apartment so he’d have to run to the club afterward. He goes into the relationship between BJ and Akira along with BJ’s numerous girlfriends. This film is his favorite project they did together.
Toru Sano (18:04) has the film critic give us a tour around the locations in Yokohama from the film. He wrote a book about the cinematic spots in the harbor city so he knows the place. The building with the bar where BJ sings still stands. The hotel is still around with a new name. There are a lot of other places still around. Things don’t look quite as blue.
Trailer (2:09) recaps Matsuda’s film career to get you excited for the new film. I want to see the others too.
Limited Edition Booklet has an essay on the producer behind the film and a vintage review.
Radiance Films present Yokohama BJ Blues: Limited Edition. Directed by Eiichi Kudo. Screenplay by Shoichi Maruyama. Starring Yusaku Matsuda, Hyôe Enoki, Mari Henmi, Rebun Hori, Toby Kadoguchi and Koji Tanaka. Running Time: 112 minutes. Rating: Not Rated. Release Date: December 17, 2024.
