Le Cimetière de la morale

Kinji Fukasaku's mid-70s faux-biopic of a sociopath Yakuza gangster in late-40s Japan is certainly an absorbing experience, even if it never quite manages to immerse the viewer entirely in the nihilism of the world in which Tetsuya Watari's Rikio Ishikawa exists. It's difficult really to determine whether Fukasaku is trying to attract or repulse us here and, for me, this is the film's main weakness. Ishikawa has no redeeming features: he's simply a crude, boorish rapist and murderer who invokes unexplainable loyalty in those around him. There is some amusement to be found in the bewilderment of Ishikawa's Yakuza superiors, who don't seem to know quite what to do with the loose cannon in their midst (presumably something in the Yakuza code prevents them from simply taking him into a back alley and shooting him like a dog) but, for all its kinetic energy and undeniable style Graveyard of Honour mostly fails to fascinate, and fascinate it must – the way a caterpillar squirming on the end of a pin fascinates – if it is to hold an audience who can feel little or no connection with its main character.

Despite these criticisms, the film is never dull. Fukasaku is an unsurpassable director, completely confident of his skills, totally focused, and unafraid to adopt subjects and styles that must have seemed out of the ordinary at the time. It's to his credit that most of the techniques he uses in this film are still widely used today – especially by US gangster flicks. Fukasaku fills the screen with people in this one, countless people, hundreds of them, conveying the raucous and claustrophobic overcrowding of a country recovering from a bruising war. And while attention to period detail is perhaps not this film's strong point, this shortcoming is overcome by good use of sepia tones to reinforce the sense of history.

Graveyard of Honor is one of the best and most influential Japanese gangster movies ever made. If it had been more popular abroad, this movie might have the same reputation as The Godfather, Once Upon a Time in America and The Untouchables have today. This film was later on re-imagined by legendary Japanese director Miike Takashi.

The original movie by Fukasaku Kinji is an adaptation of Goro Fujita's novel of the same title and partially based upon real-life gangster Ishikawa Rikio. The film's antagonist starts as an ambitious gangster who assaults and steals money from numerous families but is unfit to be a permanent member of any family due to to his unconventional and violent behaviour. Things spiral out of control when the antagonist assaults the boss of his current family and is banished from Tokyo for ten years. The gangster spends some time in prison before moving to Osaka and becoming a drug addict that hangs around with unreliable junkies and sick prostitutes. He quickly returns to Tokyo and brutally clashes with the only friend he had left who has become an influential gangster boss. The antagonist is now hunted down by two gangster families and the police as he fights for survival while trying to organize some changes in his life.

There are many brutal Japanese gangster movies released between the late sixties and late seventies but Graveyard of Honor stands out for multiple reasons. The movie features numerous interesting characters such as the sick prostitute who accompanies the antagonist or his estranged friend that he met in prison. The movie has many violent action scenes that have aged surprisingly well but also some quiet dramatic parts that emotionally portray the downfall of the ambitious antagonist. The cinematography is absolutely outstanding with parts of the movie filmed in black and white as well as in sepia to introduce changes and flashbacks that give the final result an experimental mockumentary style. Despite these unconventional elements, the movie is coherent, entertaining and fluid from start to finish.

To keep it short, anyone who likes gangster movies should know, buy and appreciate Graveyard of Honor. The movie has recently been reissued in a boxed set with Miike Takashi's re-imagined version by Arrow Films. This boxed set is a little bit expensive but crafted with much care and certainly worth every single penny.

As filmmaker Fukasaku Kinji was coming fresh off the success of the 'Battles without honor or humanity' series of the previous few years, it's easy to see the kinship this shares with those works. It's practically a sister film with its chaotic violence, handheld cameras, and considerable use of identifying text and narration, and of course the major focus on yakuza. I dare say 'Graveyard of honor' is even more upfront about the nastiness of the subject matter, though, as foremost figure Ishikawa Rikio is depicted as an especially vicious brute. Even amidst the turmoil of the post-war years in Japan this seems particularly ugly with its misogyny, sexual assault, xenophobia, and significant violence, and Ishikawa's ambitions are fraught with hot-headed impulsiveness. Yet Fukasaku had a very definite sense of style, and in working alongside screenwriter Kamoi Tatsuhiko he fashioned a compelling, undeniably flavorful story of gangland activity and the journey of one specific yakuza. I don't know if "enjoyable" is quite the right word, but it's an engrossing and satisfying viewing experience.

One doesn't need to read of the production history to understand the demands Fukasaku placed on his cast and crew with his direction, and the result is an overarching sense of severe aggressiveness. It's seen not just in the hard-boiled, physically intensive acting, or the stunts, effects, and choreography, but even in Nakazawa Hanjiro's dynamic, vivacious, and often somewhat free-wheeling cinematography. Where a softer tone is occasionally employed the proceedings feel like more of a measured crime drama (e.g. 'The godfather,' for an obvious frame of reference), but this is not the dominant vibe as the violence of the seedy underworld endures, if not expands around intemperate Ishikawa. All along the way the picture unquestionably benefits from the grainy production values of the mid-70s, and the production design and art direction are rich and vibrant even as they commonly portend both the relative refinement to which yakuza aspire, and the grit and filth of the streets. Say what one will otherwise, the costume design, hair, and makeup are also consistently sharp.

Even as it treads a familiar, inevitable path, Ishikawa's trajectory is low-key fascinating, and every beat, scene, surrounding character, and piece of dialogue is built to accentuate the stark vitality of the tawdry saga. Among the actors, star Watari Tetsuya and Takigawa Yumi notably stand out with their ranged performances as troubled Ishikawa and beleaguered Chieko. I'm also a big fan of Tsushima Toshiaki's original music, a score of themes that are alternately pensive and heavily dramatic as handily befits the progression of the protagonist's life and criminal career, from fierce and bold to dour and tragic. All told I wonder if this feature doesn't actually count among Fukasaku's best, and certainly ranking highly in the very least, including in comparison to the noted franchise of the prior few years. The man's oeuvre covered a wide spectrum, and while not all his works are equal, at his best he absolutely carved out some fabulously absorbing classics that walk a line between bewitching narrative fiction, sheer exploitation, and cinematic artistry. I'm incredibly pleased with how good 'Graveyard of honor' is, and in all honesty it quite exceeded my expectations.

From Ishikawa's early aspirations and the accompanying wanton bloodshed, to his sullen decline and downfall, the mood herein varies more than I anticipated, and the finished product is all the better for the fact of it. By the nature of the material it won't appeal to all comers, yet those who are receptive to the genre will surely find much to love herein, and the filmmaker can almost always be relied upon for a quality movie. I'd stop short of saying this wholly demands viewership, but through every turn 'Graveyard of honor' is terrific and rather captivating, and I'm glad to give it my high recommendation.

Kinji Fukasaku is worldwide known for his Yakuza movies, different from the typical overall view the cinema had from Yakuzas. This movie is a good example of how far some yakuzas are from honor or pride.

Fukasaku films Jingi no hakaba (Graveyard of Honor) as a mockumentary (fake documentary) which gives more emphasis to the actual yakuza situation. This movie follows the story of Ishikawa, the archetypical post-war gangster (as it's defined in the film). The character development is great, and very surprising. However, you may loose the plot in some points if you don't have an overall knowledge of the Yakuza organization.

In conclusion, a very entertaining gangster movie the Japanese way. I hugely recommend for anyone looking for the roots of most of the Japanese and Hong Kongese gangsters movies nowadays (Takashi Miike, Takeshi Kitano, John Woo, etc.), you won't get disappointed.

Graveyard of Honor is a fantastic entry into the yakuza genre or, for that matter, the gangster genre in general. However, more so than many of its counterparts, it is an excellent Brechtian character study. Filmed in a "mockumentary" style, Graveyard of Honor breaks up its action and storytelling relatively often with bits of narration, setting the events of the film in their period context and transitioning over long gaps in time.

A reviewer once equated this film to the "blacksploitation" films of the same period: this betrayed the reviewer's ignorance to the genre. The Japanese gangster film is far more presentational than its western counterparts. From the bright, red, paint-like blood to the strict characterizations and operatic emotions, Graveyard of Honor and other films like it are a sort of midway point between Kabuki theater and French nihilism. It is an intriguing genre, and one that internationally acclaimed director Kinji Fukasaku uses brilliantly to pose intriguing questions and point out crucial problems in the Japanese mindset of the time.

To truly appreciate his 1970s yakuza films, it helps to have knowledge of the history leading up o that time from the end of World War II. Watching Graveyard of Honor on its own will certainly be an entertaining experience, but anyone perplexed or intrigued by the film should do research on other films of the period, their cultural context, and their societal implications. Fukasaku was a groundbreaking director, and it's a shame that his brilliance could be lost in the cultural gap.