The Yakuza Papers

[Tosh]

I just finished up the last movie to this a couple days ago and I have to say why did it ever take me so long to see this! Fukasaku's The Yakuza Papers is about complex a film can get, after watching and getting lost in Samurai films I've learned to just go with the flow and everything comes back around, 5 films though is trying and multiple viewings of this is essential I believe.

Couple things threw me off though, one is the main character Hirono(played brilliantly by Bunta Sugawara)is in jail over half the movie, but I realized that the films are more about the Yakuza network itself then just one main character and even bigger the strife of a postwar Japan.

Another, I was surprised a few characters didn't get their "up and comings" like Yamamori, half of all the films are geared at Hirono wanting to kill him, and there were(I think) a few loose ends that never went anywhere, I guess though this could be realistic as the yakuza had to start doing legit business as time went on. It didn't help to the confusion a couple actors coming back as different characters after they were killed in earlier movies.

The execution and fight scenes become quite amusing by the 3rd film, the way the gunman runs around shooting the guy 20 times it's total chaos(then to shoot him point blank in the head), the camera man rolling around with them almost feels like your there. I also love the hard facial expressions, these guys knew they were in a kill or be killed world.

I'll be picking up this one for the collection, I hear the boxset has a family tree that would be of great use, I can't wait to give this one another go.

[Alex]

you think you're done but there's actually a few more in the series that aren't in the boxset

[daisho2004]

I enjoyed this entire series it was very brutal, not like an American Gangster type of films we see in Hollywood.