Sympathy for the Underdog backdrop
Sympathy for the Underdog logo
1971·Drama·1h 33m
7.1
A yakuza gang gets driven out of Yokohama by a big gang from Tokyo. They relocate to Okinawa to violently start over.
Directed by Kinji Fukasaku
yakuza
okinawa

Cast

Koji Tsuruta
Koji Tsuruta
Masuo Gunji
Tomisaburō Wakayama
Tomisaburō Wakayama
Yonabaru
Noboru Andō
Noboru Andō
Noburo Kudo
Asao Koike
Asao Koike
Ozaki
Tsunehiko Watase
Tsunehiko Watase
Shin Seki
Akiko Kudō
Akiko Kudō
Terumi Higa
Kenji Imai
Kenji Imai
Mad Dog Jiro
Harumi Sone
Harumi Sone
One Shot
Tōru Yuri
Tōru Yuri
Old Man
Asao Uchida
Asao Uchida
Eisaku Oba
Hideo Murota
Hideo Murota
'Shark' Samejima
Keijirō Morozumi
Keijirō Morozumi
Gushken

Crew

Kinji Fukasaku
Kinji Fukasaku
Director
Hirō Matsuda
Hirō Matsuda
Screenplay
Kinji Fukasaku
Kinji Fukasaku
Screenplay
Kōji Shundō
Kōji Shundō
Producer

Popular Reviews

18 reviews
steez
steezPRO
Sympathy for the Underdog
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vConqueror
vConquerorPRO
Sympathy for the Underdog
That scorched earth ending was awesome
Can’t lie the credit for my rating mostly goes to the soundtrack, it really gave this film a lot of character 
Main character was super cutthroat but knowing he did it all for his homies makes it worth it 😁
That scorched earth ending was awesome
Can’t lie the credit for my rating mostly goes to the soundtrack, it really gave this film a lot of character 
Main character was super cutthroat but knowing he did it all for his homies makes it worth it 😁
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David lynch
David lynch
Sympathy for the Underdog
an absolutely unbeaten underdog energy. a triumphant death. the only way to go out of style. the wettest bloodbath-booted bazooka. rigorous camerawork, courages comrades, and about the coolest guns. the tough-in-nails yakuza.
an absolutely unbeaten underdog energy. a triumphant death. the only way to go out of style. the wettest bloodbath-booted bazooka. rigorous camerawork, courages comrades, and about the coolest guns. the tough-in-nails yakuza.
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Medhansh
Sympathy for the Underdog
Director- Fukusaku Kinji.This is the fifth film I have seen of his, and till now I have liked four of them. Battle Royale 2 wasn't good.The film follows the protagonist who is trying to get revenge for being caught for a crime by committing more crimes.The film was made in the former part of Fukusaku's career and is the twenty-fourth film he has made out of sixty-three. It was made before he made his career-defining film series, Yakuza Papers, which spanned eight films. Fukusaku has the air of a veteran in this film, with its polished look and feel, like a film made in the twilight of one's career. Its material is filled with repetition of the typical tropes, but it is saved by the actors and the fight scenes.The film follows the typical structure of a man leaving jail, uniting his old gang and then prepping for revenge. It also uses the initial foe turning friend due to a common enemy trope. The fight scenes are quite grounded and realistic in this and reminded me of works of Suzuki Seijun. The chapter-divided structure made less sense in this film, as the film is only an hour and thirty minutes, approximately. It is better suited for longer films.The ending is predictable and is shot predictably too, with the protagonist taking the I am gravely hurt and dying, so I will take the antagonist with me route. Such endings are quite predictable in Yakuza films as they are vengeance-driven, and they have no life left to live beyond the vengeance.Over all, the film is a good watch but nothing out of the ordinary and thus has less rewatchability.
Director- Fukusaku Kinji.This is the fifth film I have seen of his, and till now I have liked four of them. Battle Royale 2 wasn't good.The film follows the protagonist who is trying to get revenge for being caught for a crime by committing more crimes.The film was made in the former part of Fukusaku's career and is the twenty-fourth film he has made out of sixty-three. It was made before he made his career-defining film series, Yakuza Papers, which spanned eight films. Fukusaku has the air of a veteran in this film, with its polished look and feel, like a film made in the twilight of one's career. Its material is filled with repetition of the typical tropes, but it is saved by the actors and the fight scenes.The film follows the typical structure of a man leaving jail, uniting his old gang and then prepping for revenge. It also uses the initial foe turning friend due to a common enemy trope. The fight scenes are quite grounded and realistic in this and reminded me of works of Suzuki Seijun. The chapter-divided structure made less sense in this film, as the film is only an hour and thirty minutes, approximately. It is better suited for longer films.The ending is predictable and is shot predictably too, with the protagonist taking the I am gravely hurt and dying, so I will take the antagonist with me route. Such endings are quite predictable in Yakuza films as they are vengeance-driven, and they have no life left to live beyond the vengeance.Over all, the film is a good watch but nothing out of the ordinary and thus has less rewatchability.
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Alex Teichman
Alex Teichman
Sympathy for the Underdog
Second Fukasaku yakuza Radiance release I’ve watched in the past month or so. This guy rocks
Second Fukasaku yakuza Radiance release I’ve watched in the past month or so. This guy rocks
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