Korô no chi

Korô no chi, internationally known as The Blood of Wolves, is a brutal gangster movie reminding of the Japanese V-Cinema era in the mid-nineties. This type of movie could have been made by prolific directors such as Mochizuki Rokuro, Miike Takashi or Kitano Takeshi.

The story revolves around brutal, non-conformist, lone wolf police officer Ogami Shogo and his conformist, intellectual and naive partner Hioka Shuichi. They investigate the disapperance of an accountant in the late eighties. It soon turns out that the accountant was involved in a yakuza clan and tried to steal money. Ogami Shogo uses violence, menaces and connections to investigate while his partner Hioka Shuichi is shocked by such procedures and rather tries to make sure his partner will get suspended. However, the unusual team soon needs to cooperate in order to prevent a war between two yakuza clans and find out what really happened to the mob accountant.

The greatest thing about the movie are the two conflicting lead characters and their fascinating relationship that evolves throughout the entertaining movie. The film convinces with grisly fights, dirty locations and cool one-liners. The plot comes around with a few surprises towards the end which explain how the different characters have become who they are.

If you like brutal yakuza flicks of the eighties and nineties, you will certainly appreciate this nostalgic but entertaining movie. The Blood of Wolves takes its inspiration from movies such as Another Lonely Hitman, Shinjuku Triad Society and Hana-Bi. Genre fans will certainly find this movie thoroughly entertaining.

Kazuya Shiraishi pays homage to classic yakuza cinema is a film that promises much but fails to be any more than formulaic. Newbie cop Hoika (Tori Matsuzaka) is partnered with veteran-cum-legend Ogami (Koji Yakusho). Idealistic newcomer bumps up against pragmatic, corner-cutting realist - a combo we have seen in countless iterations. Both Matsuzaka and Yakusho inhabit the archetypes fully, and Yakusho is especially engaging. The challenge for this film is to revive the genre in a way that provides the comfort of the familiar, while surprising with new elements and directions. Unfortunately, the film only delivers on the former. The gang feuds, schlock violence, gaudy neon and chintzy interiors will tick many boxes. Some elements that could do with updating are left unreformed, most notably the lack of complexity in female characters. The talents of Yoko Maki are woefully under-utilized here. It's not a horrible film, but you might find yourself wishing you had spent your time re-visiting the classics rather than watch them re-hashed.

Characters are exquisite, first-class performances, and each actor is very competent.

I think the acting carried it. If you're not used to Japanese films it might seem a bit over the top, but that's a characteristic of the culture reflected in the film style. Overall this is a well-produced story with good characters. Side note: I didn't think the action was unrealistic-- as one reviewer commented -- but it puzzled me that so many cops and criminals were paralyzed with fear when confronted with a threat. That was the main flaw I noticed.

Superb performances, a rare film like they don't make anymore.

Has all the hallmarks of a classic.

Shot superbly also.

Pure enjoyment from beginning to end.

I have not read the novel but now I would like to.