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The real-life character of Ishikuro “The Looter” Hikoichi has been a source of inspiration for many, starting with the great novelist Shiro Ozaki, who based a central character in his opus “Theatre of Life” on the notorious gambler/looter. The book has since been adapted various times in print and media. Shinji Murayama, however, does not look at Ozaki’s work for his 1974 feature “True Account of Hikashaku: A Wolf’s Honor and Humanity”. Instead, he bases his Ishikuro Hikoichi on the character from the homonymous work by writer/journalist Koichi Iiboshi, who is also responsible for the writings that inspired Kinji Fukasaku’s “Battles Without Honor and Humanity” series, a connection also reflected in the project’s title.

This retelling starts in the 1920 and journeys to the 1940s, from when Hikoichi came into the contact with the Yakuza through to his death in 1942. We see how, after striking and...