The art of film welcomes its viewers into worlds unknown filled with interesting characters and settings unfamiliar to the everyday person. Some of these worlds may be completely imagined, full of monsters and witchcraft, while others set in the real world but with people and places with whom we may never meet in our lifetime. Sometimes, after watching these films, we are left with such a profound imprint that we cannot help but empathize with the world which we have just witnessed. All of the above represent the feelings one is able to experience after watching the five episodes known in America as "The Yakuza Papers." The first of the series is story of the beginnings of a post World War II yakuza empire centering around a main character Shozo Hirono, played by Bunta Sugawara, and his devotion to a disjointed backstabbing mobster family. A former soldier without a plan, Shozo easily slips into the yakuza plan as he volunteers to enact revenge on a friend until his fate is sealed when he is forced to chop off his finger for insulting another family member. The film has a lively pace, to say the least, as there are a huge cast which are killed off as soon as they are introduced, and they don't necessarily die boring deaths. This humble critic suggests using a Polaroid camera or a pen and paper while watching this movie as it can get extremely confusing at times. It took this humble critic three views to realize that the character of Toru Ueda was the one who had his arm chopped off in the beginning and throughout the rest of the movie walked around without a left hand in his sleeve.
This film and its sequels released between 1973 and 1974 was a gigantic hit in Japan. One can recognize the theme song arise in daily Japan in various places like the occasional comedy skit or variety show. Incidentally, the piece composed by Toshiaki Tsushima and said to be based on Ennio Morricone's titlepiece for the 1969 movie The Sicilian Clan, resurfaced in a remix of sorts by guitar legend Tomoyasu Hotei for the the movie Kill Bill Vol.1. It also became Hideki Matsui's new theme song and played at Yankees Stadium on his turns at bat. Not only is the music memorable but this movie set a huge precedence for being one of the first yakuza movies to depict the yakuza life as one of tragic animals rather than glorifying it. This plays very well into its setting of postwar pessimism and adds to the movie's credibility. Technical tricks such as hand-held camera and fast cut editing lets the viewers feel right there in the middle of the fight and adds a huge documentary feel. Director William Friedkin professed to lifting this style when he made his own "French Connection." Similarly, if you liked the recent 2002 film "City of God," refer to this film as the classic blueprint.
Already well known by this time, Kinji Fukusaku had his name drawn in the Japanese film-making books forever after this series was released and then again for a younger generation when his teenage bloodpic "Battle Royale" was released in 2000. Kinji Fukusaku died in 2003 while filming "Battle Royale 2."
This film and its sequels released between 1973 and 1974 was a gigantic hit in Japan. One can recognize the theme song arise in daily Japan in various places like the occasional comedy skit or variety show. Incidentally, the piece composed by Toshiaki Tsushima and said to be based on Ennio Morricone's titlepiece for the 1969 movie The Sicilian Clan, resurfaced in a remix of sorts by guitar legend Tomoyasu Hotei for the the movie Kill Bill Vol.1. It also became Hideki Matsui's new theme song and played at Yankees Stadium on his turns at bat. Not only is the music memorable but this movie set a huge precedence for being one of the first yakuza movies to depict the yakuza life as one of tragic animals rather than glorifying it. This plays very well into its setting of postwar pessimism and adds to the movie's credibility. Technical tricks such as hand-held camera and fast cut editing lets the viewers feel right there in the middle of the fight and adds a huge documentary feel. Director William Friedkin professed to lifting this style when he made his own "French Connection." Similarly, if you liked the recent 2002 film "City of God," refer to this film as the classic blueprint.
Already well known by this time, Kinji Fukusaku had his name drawn in the Japanese film-making books forever after this series was released and then again for a younger generation when his teenage bloodpic "Battle Royale" was released in 2000. Kinji Fukusaku died in 2003 while filming "Battle Royale 2."