New Battles Without Honour and Humanity (Japan 1974)

Nathan's review:

Hiroshima, 1959. Yamamori family member Maki (Bunta Sugawara), is paroled after murdering a rival Boss and heads to Nagoya with a handful of young members. There he quickly becomes embroiled in the Yamamori family infighting as his brother Aoki (Tomisaburo Wakayama) clashes with the Yamamori Boss (Nobuo Kaneko) over leadership.

Kinji Fukasaku returns to the world of Hiroshima Yakuza after the success of his seminal Battles pentalogy with a new story set in the same world. Often dismissed semi-unfairly as a mere remake/rehash, there's no doubt that as much as the film is a cash grab on Toei's behalf, at the same time it's still an engaging and entertaining slice of Jitsuroku mayhem.

While New Battles treads similar ground as it's remarkable predecessors, it's simplistic narrative is a strength in so much as it's easy to follow storyline makes it a solid starting place for those new to the series and/or genre as a whole. The depth and nuance it may lack in comparison to its labyrinthine parent films make it easily digestible and provides a wonderful introduction to the murky Yakuza world, replete with director Fukasaku's signature aesthetics, plenty of chaotic assassinations and Yakuza ultraviolence.

I must admit too, on a rewatch, it's greatest strength lies in some of the dynamic interactions between its sublime ensemble cast. Whether it be a tension filled scene of Bunta Sugawara and Tomisaburo Wakayama in a bar as each waits for the other to make an expected move, veins popping from foreheads as the pair of actors exchange pointed, thinly veiled threats to each other or a fateful scene of Reiko Ike leaving Sugawara at the end of a knife, there's some really terrific individual moments here that are both memorable and executed to near perfection by the cast.

On the subject of its wonderful cast, it really is a who's who of the Toei roster, with the mighty Bunta Sugawara and Tomisaburo Wakayama in the lead roles, Sugawara may not be pushing himself per se, but his remarkable presence is still electric, especially when opposite the inimitable Wakayama, who is brilliant as the scheming and ambitious Aoki.

Nobuo Kaneko and Kunie Tanaka also make a fine pairing as the most slippery, scheming Yakuza imaginable, with Kaneko in particular making an impression with his constant hysteric outbursts as he cries and sobs to manipulate others into doing his bidding. Other notable cast include Tsunehiko Watase as Sugawara's rough and ready right hand, a small but brilliant turn from Reiko Ike as Maki's Korean girlfriend and Hiroki Matsukata as Seki in a small, but crucial role. And what self respecting Toei film from 1974 would be complete without the Piranha Army in the background, doing what only they could?! It's pure comfort food for the soul cast-wise.

New Battles may not represent the best of the Jitsuroku genre, nor the best of what Kinji Fukasaku has to offer from his filmography, BUT, it's a fine little film in its own right and would serve as the perfect gateway into the genre. Its pacey, ridiculously easy to follow and has just enough of the tropes of the genre to keep any viewer happy.