User reviews

What you need to know about this film: it is part 5 of the "Outlaw: Gangster VIP" series. And it is available now from Arrow Video.

Arrow Video is arguably the greatest thing to happen to cult film since... ever. There are many boutique companies out there, but it seems that they either focus on horror (which is great) or foreign classics (which is great). This leaves a huge amount of material untouched -- what about all the genre films that are not classics or horror? Not that I am a huge fan of Japanese films, but I was still surprised to learn that there was a studio (Nikkatsu) that was pumping out these great gangster films, and they seem to be completely forgotten. This whole series -- except maybe the first film -- has been forgotten and IMDb has barely even heard of it. And yet, it's brilliant and fun.

This film essentially begins with a skilled assassin named "Goro Fujikawa" (Tetsuya Watari) involved in a knife fight and killing several gangsters who initiated the melee. Unfortunately, it's during this time that his current girlfriend, "Yuri" (Chieko Matsubara), is accidentally killed by another gangster named "Sueo Shige" (Tamio Kawaji), who happens to be the son of the leader of a yakuza clan known as the Buso Group. Not intending to kill her, this profoundly affects Sueo, who subsequently allows the wounded Goro to escape. The scene then shifts to two years later, with Goro wanting to put his yakuza days behind him and searching for a job in Tokyo. Thanks to a former friend, he manages to find a job and at the same time also visits a former girlfriend named "Saeko Takemiya" (Sanae Kitabayashi) who used to visit him when he was in prison. It's during this visit that Saeko's husband, "Kunematsu Takemiya" (Shigeru Tsuyuguchi), informs him of problems he is having with the Buso Group and asks for his help. Unfortunately, in his attempt to steer clear of the yakuza, Goro declines--and this has tragic consequences for all involved. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will simply say that this is one of those films that successfully combines a lot of drama and action in a way that keeps it exciting throughout. I especially liked the acting of Chieko Matsubara, who, I should mention, played both "Yuri" and "Shizuko Miuri" quite well. Be that as it may, I enjoyed this particular installment of the "Outlaw-Gangster" series, and I have rated it accordingly. Above average.