That this is not a yakuza film makes it an unlikely part of the Suzuki canon. This being Suzuki, A Story of Sorrow and Sadness hadly fits into that normally unwatchable genre of golf movies. Even a comedy like Happy Gilmore has more respect for the game. Instead, Suzuki goofs with the audience with scenes of gratuitous sex and nudity (not that there's anything wrong with that), and shots of the reflection of a neighbor that indicate she may be otherworldly. This strange neighbor ingratiates herself and eventually blackmails Reiko to glom onto Reiko's celebrity status. For Suzuki, being a celebrity is a worthless goal. Reiko signs up with a promoter who informs her that she will earn thirty million yen in exchange for losing her freedom. When trying to research this film, there were no Suzuki comments on this film, and no commentary by Suzuki scholars.

I may be misreading this film, but compared to his other works, there seems to be a sense of detachment in the making of A Story of Sorrow and Sadness. Lacking the cheerful anarchy of Tokyo Drifter or Branded to Kill, or the more serious Elegy to Violence, there is no consistent attitude holding the film together. Maybe it took Suzuki a while to get his groove back as he clearly did with Pistol Opera. Only the violent finish recalls classic Suzuki. There are some brief moments of inspiration, but clearly Suzuki is more comfortable with a nine mm than a nine-iron.