Violent Streets: 1974, Nathan's Take

 

Violent Streets

1974

Japan

Director: Hideo Gosha

Nathan's Take

As Kansai Yakuza of the Western alliance make inroads into Ginza, encroaching on the now 'straight' Togiku Group's territory, retired yakuza Egawa (Noboru Ando) is slowly pulled into the conflict, dealing with his old group trying to take his bar, his pissed off, but still loyal family members, proxy assassins and his brother Yazaki (Akira Kobayashi), this seemingly complex web of backstabbing and politicking will have only one outcome for a man who was pushed aside, but still capable of great violence.

Hideo Gosha's Violent Streets is one of the most revered, and recognised Yakuza films of the 1970's, and for good reason. A ferocious exercise of style, form and content blended near perfectly by Gosha's competent hand and performed by a cast of Toei veterans at the top of their game, that deservedly cements itself in the annals of the Jitsuroku genre. Gosha's deft ability to combine characterisation with a skill for directing some stylishly extreme violence makes for a heady mix.

From its opening that sees Egawa defend his Latin themed bar from thugs of his old Yakuza group who want him to vacate the premises as he bottles one and rams an order spike into the eye of another, to its bloody denouement set in a chicken coop, the film grabs the viewer by the throat, taking them on a 90 minute odyssey of crime with the message of 'everyone loses'.

Violent Streets contains many such memorable scenes and while it's action and violence isn't quite as pronounced as some of its Jitsuroku peers, it still packs one hell of a punch, whether it be Ando repeatedly jamming broken glass into an assassins neck, or Isao Natsuyagi rolling around in the shit and filth on the floor of a chicken coop as a Transgender assassin slowly cuts his throat with a straight razor, it's clear Gosha wasn't holding back.

I have to mention too, while the film isn't *quite* up there amongst my favourite Yakuza films, it does contain one of my favourite scenes of all time. A raid on an executives celebration by Bunta Sugawara and Noboru Ando, they crash the car into the entrance and Ando, duel wielding revolvers, begins to drop goons as they charge the car while Sugawara chills in the backseat, listening to some tunes on his headphones whilst eating a sandwich and drinking a coke, occasionally popping up to blast guys approaching the rear (who said men can't multitask), much to Ando's appreciation, who drops his stoic facade for a microsecond to break out a smile in appreciation, summing up his characters nature in a single frame. It's a singularly spectacular moment and simply unforgettable, for me at least.

Noboru Ando is of course, great in the lead, not necessarily delivering a fantastic dramatic performance, but that's also not what was required of him either, his role instead playing into his air of authenticity as an ex-yakuza himself and just requiring him to lean as hard as he can into his stature and inimitable screen presence, which he does with MUCH success. Outside of Ando, the only character that really gets some decent screen time is Akira Kobayashi, a legend in his own right though an actor that is quite divisive amongst Toei/Yakuza film fans. And I must say, he delivers some of his finest work here, with a nuanced performance as Yazaki, sworn brother of Egawa who handles the Togiku groups dirty business and resents the companies airs and graces for what was once a proud Yakuza group, it's a great role and he pulls it off really well, delicately balancing his masculine airs with some more thoughtful approaches than he perhaps gets credit for. Joining the pair is a wonderful ensemble of Toei regulars ranging from Hideo Murota to Asao Koike, with all making the most of their sometimes all too brief roles, especially the aforementioned Bunta Sugawara, whose cameo is simply stunning.

Overall, Violent Streets is an essential piece of Yakuza viewing, with a recommendation that extends beyond just genre enthusiasts to Japanese cinephile's as a whole. A pacey, stylish, well condensed tale of crime directed by a master at the top of his power armed with a sublime cast. It might not quite crack the absolute best that the genre has to offer, but it's really damn close.