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.
