Kamikaze

Luc Besson co-wrote and produced Kamikaze right after finishing Subway, and he also co-wrote the screenplay alongside director Didier Grousset and Michèle Pétin.

The film's title refers to Albert's desperate, suicidal fight against society, echoing Japanese kamikaze pilots of World War II; in tribute, Albert paints his face white like a Noh theatre actor and wears a Hachimaki headband in the colors of the Japanese flag (Hinomaru), white with a red circle.

The score was composed by Éric Serra, and two pieces from it were released on a single in 1986.

On its release day, Kamikaze topped new releases in France with 10,373 admissions, outperforming Serge Gainsbourg's controversial film Charlotte for Ever, which only drew 5,715 admissions that day despite being shown in 40 Paris-area theaters.

In its first week, Kamikaze reached fifth place at the French box office with 190,000 admissions nationwide, including 72,648 in Paris where it ranked third.

Kamikaze went on to total 490,145 admissions by the end of its theatrical run, released during a period of crisis for French cinema.

In 2013, a digitally re-mastered HD French-language version of the film with Japanese subtitles was released on region 2 NTSC home video, having originally only been available on VHS.