DeepDiscount.com is having a big sale on Kino DVDs through April 8th. Movie fans will recognize Kino as the distributor of many classics from cinema history, like Metropolis, Nosferatu, and Tarkovky's Mirror. Well, it turns out Kino has even more to offer for Spy Vibers- a spy/crime gem from 1960s Japan called 3 Seconds Before Explosion. This is a cool movie I recently discovered that's worth checking out for its stylish action and photography.
3 Seconds Before Explosion: A renegade superspy infiltrates a violent gang of international jewel thieves in this fast-paced crime thriller from Nikkatsu Studios. His killer instincts honed to deadly perfection by a shadowy espionage bureau, Yabuki (Akira Kobayashi) abandons the organization that rained him and joins forces with fearless mercenary Yamawaki (Hideki Takahashi) to follow a trail of jewels stolen during the last days of World War II. When that trail leads Yabuki and Yamawaki to the highest levels of government and corporate malfeasance, the conspiracy is blown sky high and the bullets start to fly. -Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
The sale also includes Seijin Suzuki's stylish Detective Bureau 2-3: Go to Hell Bastards! Japanese director Seijun Suzuki solidified his growing cult following with this offbeat adaptation of Haruhiko Ooyabu's crime novel. Jo Shishido stars as Det. Tajima, a smug investigator who nabs a pair of criminal gangs with flamboyant aplomb while the police remain baffled. Suzuki treats the rather hoary plotline as an excuse for dark-humored camp, and young audiences were delighted with his irreverent approach, which made him one of the few distinctive names in the '60s assembly-line of Nikkatsu Studios. -Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide