Coming out of jail and hoping for a quiet life, Yokohama Yakuza has to take the lead of his gang after the death of his boss. His small group is taken in the crossfire between a big yakuza group from Osaka at war with the Tokyo alliance for control of the city. He tries to keep to the old yakuza code, but he is no match for the new thugs who live and fight without honor.
The more I watch the Yakuza genre, the more I think this probably isn’t the genre for me. These are not terrible films by any means. The actors do a fine job, the direction is usually good, and the photography is often intriguing. Where these movies get me is in their convoluted plotlines and scope.
“Japan Organized Crime Boss,” directed by Kinji Fukasaku, opens with an overwhelming exposition dump. This five-minute segment gives all the setup necessary for what unfolds over the following 90 minutes. Perhaps I should have watched it twice, once to get the lay of the land (so to speak) and again to pick up on the intricacies and better follow the story.
Fukasaku is most famous for the “Battle Without Honor and Humanity” films and, more recently, “Battle Royale,” with that film being his last finished work. As with “Japan Organized Crime Boss,” none of these movies did much for me—maybe I’m not much of a Fukasaku fan?
After the opening sequence, “Japan Organized Crime Boss” introduces Tsukamoto (Koji Tsuruta), a Yokohama crime boss, as he is released from prison. Two yakuza factions are fighting over control of Yokohama, and Tsukamoto soon finds himself the leader of his gang, looking for a way out of the proxy war going on around them.
“Japan Organized Crime Boss” is released on Blu-ray™ Disc by Radiance. The film has been sourced from a 4K restoration by Toei Company’ and generally looks very good. One minor complaint about the picture quality is that there is some fluctuation in brightness throughout the movie. I’m unsure if this is a unique problem for this film, a problem with the transfer, or something that naturally occurs with particular film stock. Whatever the reason, it’s only minimally distracting. The audio fares well but does occasionally have some harsher-sounding elements.
The disc includes many extras—an archival interview with Fukasaku, an interview with Akihiko Ito, a visual essay by Nathan Stuart, and the film’s trailer. This limited edition also includes a booklet with an essay by Stuart Galbraith IV and a review of the movie from 1969 by Jun Ishiko. Nathan Stuart’s visual essay is a bit of an information overload. He offers much insight into the filmmakers and the genre in the brief feature. Stuart Galbraith IV’s essay is also chock full of information. The included review from Jun Ishiko gives insight into how the film was received at its release but is a bit heavy on spoilers. Film historian Akihiko Ito contextualizes the film and its filmmakers in his segment.
While this movie didn’t totally click with me, the disc is another solid offering from Radiance. The features included here will interest those looking for background information on the films they watch.
Available on a Limited Edition Blu-ray™ November 19th
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Should be a good suspense movie