Viewed: 05 July 2005
Directed by: Kinji Fukasaku
Listed in: Movies, Netflix

The first volume in the Yakuza papers series, about the formation of Yakuza families just after WWII in Hiroshima. The film is mostly violent action, within the first ten minutes are a rape, two dismemberments, beatings and shootings. The protagonist (Hirono) spends the majority of the film in jail, as various families and gangs fight each other for power. Whenever Hirono is released, his honor leads him back to jail. The rest of the gangs engage in a brutal and non-stop war. Even with its fast pace and rapid editing, the film is beautifully shot. It feels as through much more has happened in its hour and a half. By the end, I really want to see what happens in volume 2.