Taking up Lewis Rice O’Donnell’s strong recommendation, I was looking forward to experiencing the Yakuza Papers series of films. Directed by Kinji Fukasaku (of Battle Royale and Doberman Cop), Battles Without Honor And Humanity (1973; Jingi Naki Tatakai) is the first film, which follows the journey of ex-soldier Shozo Hirono (played by Bunta Sugawara) and his rise in the ranks of the Yakuza. Based on the newspaper articles by Koichi Iiboshi and the real life stories of jailed yakuza Kozo Mino, there is a documentary element to the film’s style: when characters are introduced as struggling thugs, an on-screen credit appears listing their future career as a Yakuza lieutenant or captain. When a character is killed, their obit appears as a credit, all of which strikes me as an influence on the style of Martin Scorsese’s mafia dramas. Fukasaku’s direction, along with cinematography by Sadaji Yoshida, really pushes the camera into the fray, moving quickly and capturing the frenetic action in dutch angles. It’s also very violent, lots of blood and every death scored by the blare of horns on the soundtrack. The film is striking in the way it shows those who hold onto the notions of honour and brotherhood being displaced by a majority that shirk these values to earn more money and make inroads into political and corporate power. Moving from the post-war era and across the decades, there is an epic quality to the film’s focus, as a motley crew of ex soldiers and hustlers become an emerging Yakuza clan. Bunta Sugawara is an impressive lead, surly yet principled, and it all thematically begins to turn around the way he serves and is used by his boss, the fearful yet shrewd Yamamori (Nobuo Kaneko). The inevitable showdown wasn’t what I expected, but works as a memorably symbolic denouement. I’m looking forward to exploring the further chapters in the Yakuza Papers series. Recommended. Streaming for free on Tubi.
VHS Tracking 