BlazeLime Strong and Moving!

Dotsthavesp I wanted to but couldn't!

Bergorks If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

AshUnow This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

tenshi_ippikiookami Rampo Edogawa is one of the most famous writers of Japan, not winner of any Nobel prize (for that we have the award nominee Yukio Mishima's more than weird cameo in this movie, who also adapts the story) but creator of the most famous Japanese detective, Akechi Kogoro, and father of the ero-grotesque genre in the country."Black Lizard" is one in the series of Akechi Kogoro's novels, and the movie has been able to adapt to the screen the spirit of Edogawa's writing. For that, it would be already an interesting movie, as Edogawa had a knack for the grotesque and bizarre, but the movie is interesting for what it is: a mystery, a battle of wits, with a couple of characters who are a lot of fun to be with: Akechi and the Black Lizard.The story is pretty basic: the criminal "Black Lizard" wants to kidnap a jeweler's daughter, Sanae, and the jeweler contracts Akechi Kogoro to protect her. Cue the Black Lizard trying to kidnap the girl in different and very original ways, and Akechi trying to stop the criminal from doing so.The atmosphere, dark and decadent, the music, the actors way of playing the characters, the 60s Japan, way different from nowadays... Fukusaku does a great job of bringing Edogawa's world to life. The way Akechi and Black Lizard meet and tease each other continuously (this movie is more in the vein of "Columbo", the detective and the criminal meeting throughout the movie and having very entertaining dialogues)... All makes for a very engrossing environment, and a really entertaining time at the movies. As with almost all of Edogawa's characters, the criminal is the most interesting character, and Akihiro Miwa does a great job of making an ambiguous character we care for. Isao Kimura as Akechi just keeps a stoic countenance, impassive and kind of heartless.A very good movie, with a very particular atmosphere and scenery.

amnesie I just don't get the positive comments this film gets. I've seen about a dozen Fukasaku Kinji movies, and this by far is the worst in the bunch. I was really looking forward to watching this, as I really enjoyed other films from this director, but this one sadly is a big disappointment.The plot is so incredibly predictable it's almost laughable, and I have no sympathy whatsoever for the main characters, especially the "black lizard" which is one of the worst villains I've seen in a film so far. She's such a cliché she could easily star in an Austin Powers film! Also, the dialogs between the main detective and the "evil-rich-megalomaniac" Black Lizard, which some people seem to appreciate (judging from other reviews on this site), to me sounds empty and lifeless. To sum up: no action, incredibly predictable story, boring dialog, and not enough 60s kitsch to make us forget how bad the whole thing is...If you want to see great Fukasaku films, watch the Yakuza Papers instead!

nowshowingtv I was fortunate enough to see "Black Lizard" at our local art cinema upon its very special U.S. release way back when and have searched high and low for the film on VHS, laserdisc and DVD ever since. The film is amazing, and I'm surprised it hasn't received that much attention amongst film buffs. Those of us who have seen it know what a wonderful film this is and I suggest that anyone who wants to see it again, at least on home video, should go to the logical source for a film like this - The Criterion Collection. Send them messages through their site telling them how special and important this film is and maybe, just maybe, they'll do something about it! I've already sent my request, so give it a shot. The more people request it, the better chance we have of seeing it get a DVD release! Long live "Black Lizard"!

carrienations Black Lizard entertained me, but I can't help but feel that there could have been more. The opening scene in the go-go club had me hooked right away, but as the film progressed, it seemed to lose its edge. The subtle humor was still there, but it became too straight-laced for its own good. The plot is tedious past the halfway point, and the wildness subsides, save for the 'human statues' that Black Lizard reveals at the end. For a film that was _screaming_ for beautiful women to be on display, I think it was a misstep to cast a transvestite in the lead role. Funny for a few minutes, but I tired of the novelty after a while and wished that a femme fatale had been cast in the part. I found a similar film from the same time period, Black Tight Killers, to be more entertaining and more fulfilling.