In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

With all the trash coming out of Hollywood today, and Asian cinema becoming more popular, and widely watched, I think it is important to look at older Asian films, and this is truly a Japanese film classic, and I highly recommend it. This film is directed by Kenji Fukasaku, which if you know about films, should give you an indication of the quality of the film. It was previously released under the title of 'Battles Without Honour or Humanity'. It takes place in post WW2 Japan, and follows the story of yakuza clans battling for power. The story is similar to that of 'City of God', as both highlight the instability and brutality of gang wars. The story centres around the character played by Bunta Sugawara, and his journey through the yakuza way of life. He puts in a great performance, and commands such screen presence.The direction is raw, solid, and well-hendled by Fukasaku. With so many Hollywood films today, relying on special effects and CGI to hold a film together, it is great to see how films used to be made.Despite being made around thirty years ago, the film is still fresh, possibly because it is based on the true account given by a yakuza whilst in prison. Don't let the subtitles put you off, cause the story more than makes up for it. I would really recommend you to get this, and if you enjoy it, I would also suggest 'Street Mobster', also directed by Fukasaku, and starring Sugawara.

I don't get what's with those people who think "Battles Without Honor Or Humanity" has something to do with "The Godfather". The only notable similarity is that both delve into the criminal underworlds. But so what ? "The Godfather" didn't invent this genre. Furthermore the story in "Battles" was adapted from newspaper articles describing various yakuza activities. What Kinji Fukasaku created is a brilliant, violent tale about the dark and unforgiving nature of the Japanese crime syndicates it is also a story about friendship and betrayal.This is a tale about a group of young men who after the end of the Second World War find themselves outcasts from society, under pursuit by the authorities. They inevitably bond together and form a new crime syndicate under the leadership of boss Yamamoto. As their organization grows in power so do the internal struggles between them begin to escalate. Slowly, either from pure greed and the corruption of power or by Yamamoto's careful manipulations. It's hard not to draw comparison with "Battle Royale" Fukusako's most notable film released in the late nineties. Both present a similar in a way situation: friends fight friends for their own survival.The only difference being that here that is done in a much more subtle way. But the elements are still the same, characters are likable well fleshed-out and the viewer is thrown into an internal struggle of his own when he sees them killing each other. Fukasaku's type of narration is one that involves multiple points of view, we don't have such a strong focus on main character as most movies do, there is one of course Shozo Hirono (played by the ever great Bunta Sugawara) but he serves the role of executing the movie's catharsis, he is the one who becomes a witness to all the madness and senseless killings and it is his final actions that define that, his realization and his rebellion to it all, his final display of grief to friends lost for nothing.The acting is superb on all fronts, with a diverse cast of characters who offer a different perspective with their own point of view. Fukasaku demonstrates his great skill as a director, his technique perfectly fitting to the movie's tone. By using a fast-paced, erratic, nearly chaotic style the action scenes offer us that taste of brutality we wouldn't have felt had they been directed in a more traditional manner. Fukasaku strays from the established formula of people getting killed fast and easy with one or two bullets instead he shows us an alternative to that : a slow, painful exercise, one that more accurately portrays the yakuza's violent lifestyle. Yet there are no large body counts, the battles are often predetermined with one side attacking an individual or small group from the other, by surprise and in overwhelming force. There really is no honor in the Japanese underworld. "Battles Without Honor Or Humanity" is the epitome of humanity's own self-destructive nature. The one that drives us to aim for a higher financial and social standing on any means. With no regard for friends, family, honor or trust.

Director: Fukasaku Kinji Duration: 99 MinutesOpening with an image of the atomic bomb reducing Hiroshima to ashes, Fukasaku Kinji's Battles without Honor and Humanity begins a series of five movies depicting the chaotic life of Hirono Shozo a former soldier who is trying to survive in the chaotic world of the black markets in postwar Japan. A pretty even-tempered man, the viewer first witnesses Hirono lash out in violence when a group of American GIs try to rape a woman. Amidst the chaos of the black market with its prostitutes, underground rice kitchens, and violent bars, one of Hirono's friend's head is slashed by a yakuza. A rival yakuza was going to deal with the man, but in his stead Hoshino seeks revenge for his friend. Faced with a drunken, sword wielding yakuza Hirono empties his pistol into the man, and receives a twelve year sentence. However, while in prison, he meets another yakuza named Wakasugi who plans to slice open his stomach in order to get out of jail on bail. Promising to raise Hirono's bail money if he helps him in his plot, Wakasugi introduces Hirono into the world of the yakuza and the two men become blood brothers.A short time afterward, Hirono is released from prison and meets the head of the Doi family, the clan of the yakuza he went to jail for, and Yamamori the man who will soon be his gang boss. After Yamamori establishes his own gang, Hirono and several other toughs pledge their allegiance to him. However, almost from the beginning there is internal fighting in the ranks. How can a man as straight laced an honorable as Hirono work for a man like Yamamori who continuously plays his men against each other? During the late 1950s and the early 1960s a style of film called ninkyou eiga, or chivalry films became popular in Japan. For the most part these films portrayed yakuza as chivalrous beings who protected and preserved time honored traditions in Japan and expelled Western influences. Quite often in these films Westerners, Japanese heavily influenced by the West, and individuals of mixed blood were portrayed as villains while the sword wielding yakuza represented the purity of the Japanese spirit. It is not surprising that real yakuza were highly attracted to these films. However, Fukasaku Kinji viewed this portrayal of the yakuza as false and the ninkyou eiga films' portrayal of the yakuza, i.e. Japanese spirit, as being quite close to the wartime mentality. When Hirono draws his pistol and kills the sword-wielding yakuza it is a statement that the world of the yakuza is built on chaos and corruption not pure spirit. A highly recommended film and series for those who enjoy yakuza films and an important series for those who are interested in the evolution of the yakuza film.

Although based on a true story, this film owes a lot to The Godfather, which was released a couple of years before. However, there are quite a few differences. For a start, there are many more main characters. At least twenty. And they are introduced at such a rate as to make it impossible to follow the lot. No less than ten characters are introduced (each with a name and description subtitle) in the first two minutes. The key word for this film is - chaotic. The opening scene is of Japan just after the end of WWII. The camera uses the now-familiar form of WobblyScope, tumbling all over the place as it chases the young thugs who chase misbehaving GIs and then run away. The progression is highly episodic from there. Although Shozo is the lead character and narrator, much screen time is spent on at least a dozen others. Really, if you are non-Japanese, like me, you'd need a map of all the characters and their changing relationships to have any hope of following the story. However, this is not a big problem because, mainly, it is one of the aspects which the filmmaker is trying to convey. That the people who were drawn into these gangs often had nothing much else to do, and were not particularly men of honour. The Japanese title refers to the total breakdown of the old code, where honour was everything. The only character who acts with anything like honour here is Shozo, who looks continuously stunned as powerplays and double-deals swirl around him. This film is a terrific antidote to the "honourable gangster" films. Well-worth watching. Also, it produced at least 4 sequels, all starring Bunta.