"Outlaw Masters of Japanese Film" offers an extraordinary close-up of
the hitherto overlooked golden age of Japanese cult, action and
exploitation cinema from the early 1950s through to the late 1970s, and
up to the present day. Having unique access to the top maverick
filmmakers and Japanese genre film icons, Chris D. brings together
interviews with, and original writings on, the lives and films of such
transgressive directors as Kinji Fukasaku ("Battles Without Honour and
Humanity"), Seijun Suzuki ("Branded to Kill") and Koji Wakamatsu
("Ecstasy of the Angels") as well as performers like Shinichi 'Sonny'
Chiba ("The Streetfighter", "Kill Bill Vol. 1") and glamorous actress
Meiko Kaji ("Lady Snowblood"). Bringing the story up-to-date with an
overview of such Japanese 'enfants terrible' as Takashi Miike
("Audition") and Kiyoshi Kurasawa ("Cure"), this book also provides a
compendium of facts and extras including filmographies, related
bibliographies on genre fiction including Manga, and a section on female
yakuzas. Illustrated with fantastic stills and posters from some of
Japan's finest cult and action films, this is a veritable bible for fans
and newcomers alike.