Review of Japan Organised Crime Boss

Introduction

The Danno Organisation wants to extend its control over more and more of Japan outside of its native city base and forges alliances with the Hamanaka Organisation. Turf-wars rage as more territorial control is sought in other districts. Then the inevitable happens. There are rivals in opposition that don`t want to share or play nicely and they in turn form large alliances with other Yakuza.

This only leads to more trouble. One of the Hamanaka Organisation is released from prison and heads home only to have his boss murdered by one of the rival gangs. In a vain effort to try and contain the situation and work out a peaceful agreement, he`s attacked and villified. Remaining pacified however, he almost manages to save his organisation from mass bloodshed until he becomes embroiled in getting revenge to save homour.

Video

It`s difficult to tell the aspect ratio of this anamorphic transfer since it`s wider than 1.78:1/1.85:1 but isn`t quite 2.35:1 as other Fukasaku films are. The quality here is also slightly better than previous Eurkeka/Fukasaku releases too. Better, but detail is still somewhat grainy and indistinct. Colours in general seem to be muted and a little washed out. Not a great transfer, but you can still see what`s going on.

Audio

Just a mono Japanese Dolby Digital soundtrack. It sounds clear for the most part, but sometimes the screaming and gun shots can sound a little harsh.

Features

Easy to navigate static menus with a just a couple of extras here:

• Director`s Profile (static pages) - This seems to be the stock bio that`s been added to other Eureka/Fukasaku DVDs. The filmography runs from Furaibo Tantei: Akai Tan No Sangeki (1961) through to Battle Royale (2000). If you`ve already read it once on other Fukusaku DVDs, you`re not going to gleen anything new from here.

• Photo Gallery - Just 10 black & white stills taken from the film. Since there`s no likelihood of any other Japan Organised Crime Boss extra anywhere, a photo gallery isn`t a bad idea. But why just take stills from the film itself? There`s nothing really dramatic or stylish about it. It`s plain average.

The English subtitles are clear and easy to read. The film is packaged in a slim keepcase.

Conclusion

This is a story of Yakuza rivalry on a big scale with brazen violence showing just how brutal and serious they are about the territories they control. These gangs are big, hard and extremely violent. There`s never anything glamourous about being a member of Yakuza and here everyone, including the topmost people, are fair game. With all the bloodshed and death, there are some moments of pure contradiction when you realise that homour and respect plays a part of their code. There`s a key scene where the boss of the Hamanaka Organisation is killed and a funeral then laid on by his successor, Tsukamoto. Rival gangs all come along, suited and booted, to pay their respects and it`s as if no problem exists between them. The new leader of the Hamanaka Organisation, tired of all these nonsensical deaths and turf-wars, wants to broker peace among the rivals but faces stiff opposition from his former allies. This leads to conflict and more lives are sacrificed.

Those that have followed other Fukasaku films will know what to expect from Japan Organised Crime Boss. It has a gritty feel and flow to it, though you`ll need to pay a lot of attention to the story and the names of the Yakuza to get the most from it. I had to make a few rudimentary notes at the start of the film just to keep track of the Japanese names! The opening scenes are typical of some other Fukasaku films with the stills and captions relaying the backstory in bringing you into the fold.

Fukasaku`s films can be hard to watch at times, and to follow the story well can take more than one viewing. You`ll find similar themes such as betrayal, greed and exploitation explored without condoning gang behaviour. Fukasaku`s comment on the subject, to show this seedy and poor side of what many may aspire to, shows his distaste. There are no such things are happy Westernised endings in these films. There are some of the usual flaws in these Fukasaku films however and these are underdeveloped characters. Certainly we`re not supposed to care one iota about what happens to who, who cares about gangsters anyway, but watching all this death unfold can leave one with a hollow experience by the time the end credits roll. If this is exactly the portrayal that`s intended, it`s a cold one and something battered home in many of his other films.

This is a film that I can recommend to those that do like other Fukasaku titles such as: Street Mobster, Cops vs Thugs and Graveyard of Honour. If you`re curious then by all means give it a rent.