Cinema
Battles Without Honor and Humanity
仁義なき戦い
Kinji Fukasaku · 1973
Synopsis
Kure, a devastated naval port, in the aftermath of the defeat. Hirono Shōzō, a demobilised former soldier, lives off the black market, according to the American Genre Film Archive. For killing a yakuza who had attacked a friend, he is convicted and in prison becomes the sworn brother of Wakasugi, a man from a rival clan. Released thanks to him, he joins the family of Yamamori, a boss who, according to Kotobank, asserts himself through scheming and betrayals, while Hirono gradually loses his illusions.
Context
The film is based on the testimony written in prison by Minō Kōzō, who had taken part in the clashes between gangs in Hiroshima, which the writer Iiboshi Kōichi shaped for a weekly magazine from 1972. The screenplay is by Kasahara Kazuo. Distributed by Tōei, it was released on 13 January 1973 and was quickly successful, which led the studio to launch sequels: the series comprises five films shot in two years. Kotobank sees in it the moment when the studio's gangster film left the chivalric code for the true story.
Who it is for
Ninety-nine minutes of settling of scores in postwar Hiroshima, based on the recollections of a man who had lived through them.
Prizes and reception
A great success in Japan, it launched a series of five films; a restored version was shown at Cannes Classics in 2015.
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