Basically it throws all the best parts of a variety of genres - yakuza, melodrama, porn - into a blender with a lurid colour schema, highly theatrical sets, and super-stylized acting, and what results is a kind of perverse, sordid masterpiece.

As with all of Suzuki's films, there's definitely a raw, sensual appeal in the naked bodies and fetishistic torture, but he doesn't shy away from digging deeper. There's a lot of biting social commentary about the war and American occupation, even going so far as to suggest that the U.S. is to blame for the corruption that pervades the story and the characters in the film, as well as post-war Japan in general.

It's also highly reflexive, harking back to Hollywood melodramas and the French New Wave through its visuals and images. Gone With the Wind, especially, is memorably evoked during a single shot.

Though I've only seen four films of his, I think Suzuki is now one of my favourite directors. Remarkable.