A Colt Is My Passport

The same year as actor Jô Shishido made the groundbreaking Branded to Kill for Suzuki, he played an impressive role in another of Nikkatsu’s chief achievements – A Colt Is My Passport. The similarities are many: the ultra-efficient assassin who himself is hunted, the paranoia, the exceptionally delightful images in black and white, and a focus on composition rather than content. But where the former was inspired by French New Wave, A Colt Is My Passport has a greater affinity with the Italian western. The combination of Japanese noir and spaghetti western gives the film a distinctive atmosphere, and an intensity that captivates even the most demanding audience.krj

Suitable for persons 15 years and older.

Takashi Nomura is one of the lesser-known names in the Nikkatsu story, but he will be remembered as the director who got to make the final Nikkatsu-noir with the unforgettable A Colt Is My Passport (1967). Some years later he switched to television and has, among other things, made quite a few episodes in the long running crime series Kyôtarô Nishimura's Travel Mystery.