Special Series

Pistol Opera

ピストルオペラ

Directed by: Seijun Suzuki
2001 / 112 minutes / Unclassified 15+ (under 15s must be accompanied by an adult; contains violence and sexual references)

“Dogs follow masters, but I’m a stray cat.”

The beautiful and deadly Stray Cat is ranked number three in The Guild, an underground organisation of assassins. Though she doesn’t know who the leaders and members are or even if the organisation actually exists, she is issued assignments by a mysterious woman named Sayoko Uekyō who functions as the intermediary between The Guild and Stray Cat.

When Sayoko assigns her a new target, The Guild’s number one assassin, Hundred Eyes, Stray Cat’s hunger for power and status wins out and she embarks on a hunt to claw her way to the top, stylishly defeating every assassin in her way.

Thirty years after his controversial Branded to Kill, master filmmaker Seijun Suzuki returns with the stylish and stunning sequel-yet-not-quite-a-sequel Pistol Opera—a celebration of Suzuki’s signature style, complete with outlandish yet tight storylines, offbeat editing, lavish colour and over-the-top action.