The lengthy legal battle with Nikkatsu occupied much of the next decade for Suzuki and nearly put him in the poorhouse.
The news broke last night that Suzuki died on February 13 at a Tokyo hospital following a protracted battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
But to ascribe Suzuki’s importance to his effect on others would be an insult; his films map an entire engrossing world unto themselves.
These films had a massive impact on pop culture; their influence would later trickle down to the cinema of Quentin Tarantino and Jim Jarmusch.