Hibotan bakuto: Tekkaba retsuden

Finally we see what this franchise is about, meaning a lovely female gambler (Junko Fuji is at her best in terms of looks and acting here) making her way/firmly setting herself into the yazuka world while kicking some major ass around her. I still don't understand what was the deal with the fourth movie and its insistance on Oryu being a businesswoman, it had no reason to be there in the first place IMHO. Good stuff, again no unforgettable masterpiece due mainly to the mumbo-jumbo about Oryu being forced to act not as the Yakuza leader she now canonically is at the start of the movie (mumbo-jumbo that is promptly forgotten with no one having a problem with it, sorry this is not a magical girl show and in this case I don't care) and the guy who wants to have a duel with her for Yakuza reasons turning out to be her ally because Yakuza (whatever) but again, good, fun and on-the-point stuff. I can't wait to see the two remaining movies in this fun saga at this point!

This film begins with an attractive woman named "Ryuko Yano" (Sumiko Fuji)-also known by her Yakuza title as "Oryu-The Red Peony"-traveling to Osaka to retrieve a follower who is about to be released from having served a long term in prison. However, upon her arrival she discovers that he is extremely ill and, instead of allowing him to be hospitalized, the people in charge of the prison demand his immediate removal--without regard for the fact that he may die without immediate medical care. So with no other options, Oryu gets a rickshaw driver to take them as far as possible only to be deserted by him several miles from any hotel or place to stay. It's at this time that some men come by and offer to take them to their house in a village nearby. Although the sick man dies not too long afterward the leader of the village "Eguchi Kohei" (Kyosuke Machida) recognizes that Oryu is yakuza and allows her to stay in the village for the duration of the mourning period--on the condition that she not practice any Yakuza traditions while she is there. She humbly accepts but what she doesn't realize is that events will soon test her resolve beyond anything the two of them thought possible. Now rather than reveal any more I would like to mention that there is some confusion as to whether this is the fifth or sixth film in the "Red Peony Gambler" series as some sources list this movie behind another one titled "Red Peony Gambler-Oryu Returns." The reason for this confusion could stem from the fact that one may have been produced earlier but for one reason or another released a year later. Be that as it may, since this particular film was produced a year before the other one I have listed it as the fifth film in the series with "Red Peony Gambler-Oryu Returns" as the sixth. Of course, I may be wrong--but at least this is consistent with the order previously listed by IMDb if nothing else. In any case, I found this to be an enjoyable picture for the most part and I recommend it for those viewers who may be interested in a film of this type. Above average.