The Melbourne Cinémathèque & ACMI present
Smashing the O-Line
When
Wed 23 Jul 2025
See below for additional related events
Hiroyuki Nagata plays the reporter from hell, an amoral journalist who’ll stop at nothing to get a scoop on the drug-smuggling and human-trafficking activities taking place on the docks on the East China Sea. Suzuki sets a frenetic pace, using a familiar B-noir template as a jumping off point for a propulsive dance of cinematic style. Its dynamic camera movement, rich, velvety shadows, jolting jump cuts and complex jazz riffs underscore the air of unpredictability and spontaneity of a film which reputedly went from script first draft to final cut in just 16 days.
35mm print courtesy of the Japan Foundation
About Melbourne Cinémathèque
Australia's longest-running film society, Melbourne Cinémathèque screens significant works of international cinema in the medium they were created, the way they would have originally screened.
Melbourne Cinémathèque is self-administered, volunteer-run, not-for-profit and membership-driven.
