Thought to be the first depiction of the post-WWII yakuza, Drunken Angel is Akira Kurosawa’s first critical success and first directorial collaboration with Kurosawa regulars Toshirō Mifune and Takashi Shimura. Set in a snapshot of poverty-stricken post-war Tokyo, an uneasy bond is forged when alcoholic doctor Sanada (Shimura) diagnoses low-level yakuza Matsunaga (Mifune) with tuberculosis, nursing his health whilst reflecting on his own internal demons. Their relationship is thrown into turmoil when Matsunaga’s oath-sworn brother returns from prison, turning both men down a path of self-destruction and adversity. 

Drunken Angel is featured as part of Gangsters Have Feelings Too, a season exploring the sensitive gangster film. The season is presented with the National Film and Television School’s Film Studies, Programming and Curation MA.

In Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s French New Wave inspired directorial debut, he stars as Franz, a small-time pimp who finds himself in an offbeat love triangle between prostitute Joanna and handsome gangster Bruno, played by frequent Fassbinder collaborators Hanna Schygulle and Ulli Lommel. When Bruno fails to recruit Franz into his crime syndicate, the three strike up an unlikely allegiance, muddying romantic boundaries as they drift through the streets of Munich, plotting varying degrees of criminal activities. Detached, cool, and branded dilettantism at its Berlinale premiere, Love is Colder Than Death is a nihilistic and impulsive portrait of the relationship between three unanchored criminals. 

Love is Colder Than Death is featured as part of Gangsters Have Feelings Too, a season exploring the sensitive gangster film. The season is presented with the National Film and Television School’s Film Studies, Programming and Curation MA.

With an introduction by Christina Newland

Elaine May crafted a gangster film like no other in the nocturnal odyssey Mikey and Nicky, capitalising on the chemistry between frequent collaborators John Cassavetes and Peter Falk by casting them together as small-time mobsters whose lifelong relationship has turned sour. Set over the course of one night, this restless drama finds Nicky (Cassavetes) holed up in a hotel after the boss he stole money from puts a hit out on him. Terrified, he calls on Mikey (Falk), the one person he thinks can save him. Scripted to match the live-wire energy of its stars—alongside supporting players Ned Beatty, Joyce Van Patten, and Carol Grace—and inspired by real-life characters from May’s own childhood, this unbridled portrait of male friendship turned tragic is an unsung masterpiece of American cinema.

Featured as part of Gangsters Have Feelings Too, a season exploring the sensitive gangster film. The season is presented with the National Film and Television School’s Film Studies, Programming and Curation MA.

Legendary comedian and TV host turned director Takeshi Kitano writes, directs, and stars in his first and only American co-production. Disgraced yakuza Yamamoto (Kitano) seeks refuge in Los Angeles, reconnecting with his younger half-brother Ken (Claude Maki) after his clan suffered defeat at the hands of a rival gang back in Tokyo. Cool and detached, Brother marries Japanese and American disillusionment in Kitano’s signature violent minimalist style through the growing bonds between Yamamoto and the multinational gang that he cultivates in L.A. 

Brother is featured as part of Gangsters Have Feelings Too, a season exploring the sensitive gangster film. The season is presented with the National Film and Television School’s Film Studies, Programming and Curation MA.