Battles Without Honor and Humanity (1973) User Reviews

Not a film series for all tastes.

[39-0-13 · 6/10 · 17 May 2007]

A lot of praise for this series of films from many posters, I see, but let me say that I can't recommend it for all of you. Yes, there's a bunch of good stuff here for the Yakuza film fans and the action film fans. The violence in this set of films would make the Droogs of the Ken Russell world very happy.

Yet, let me emphasize that this movie and the sequels cannot stand up to all tastes. Don't cook your popcorn and sit down to see the entire series -- unless you have great tolerance for repetition of story lines over the course of five films averaging a hour and three quarters each. Or unless you have a very effective fast forward button.

Not everyone one is going to appreciate the continual return of the same basic themes over and over again through the course of five films which seem to share the same internal rhythms of action and talk. When you think about what you see, you realize you see the action/violence scenes are crafted the same way and the consultation scenes too.

A bunch of guys sitting down and making plans, or a couple of guys talking under the influence of alcohol again and again. Then, the explosion of violence with what seems a hand held camera, shuttling here and there in frenzied fashion. Yes, it is effective in terms of visceral response, but it's done again and again. So you wonder after awhile how many shots does it take to kill a guy. None of these bad guys seem to know how to shoot an enemy in the head. Or, they are the poorest marksmen in the world. The director just keeps repeating the same techniques.

After awhile, it all gets a little tiresome. These guys spend a lot of time repeating themselves. Yes, there is one central character whose fate you might be compelled to follow since he is there from the end of WW2 to 1970 or so (when the series ends) despite the fact that he is off scene for many parts of this series because he is serving time in prison.

The lead actor is named Bunta S., and he does a good job. Not quite like Mifune, of course, but why did Japanese actors in this era have to act like Dick Tracy's Blowtop (remember him from the comic strips?) Was this the ideal image of Manly Bossdom? Oh, forget about any meaningful female character. This is a man's world here.

Anyway, lots of Yakuza lore in this movie, including the tattoos, and if you like that, fine. But consider that the new ranks of the gangsters are depicted as thugs with little brains for the present and no respect for past traditions.

At the end, we get no real resolution. Retirement? You really think?

And now for something completely different...

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 14 August 2015]

Although it has certain stylistic similarities with other movies (the extreme violence of the LONE WOLF & CUB films and the gangster shenanigans of THE GODFATHER and its ilk), BATTLES WITHOUT HONOR AND HUMANITY is very much a unique and almost surreal slice of Japanese yakuza madness.

The story is told in a choppy style and takes place over a number of years. It sees various criminal gangs emerging in post-war Japan, engaging in various rivalries with one another as various gangster bosses strive to outdo their rivals. Into this messy mix are thrown various larger-than-life characters, foremost of whom is Hirono Shozo, played with emotional relish by Bunta Sugawara.

The first half of the film is largely confusing with a large cast of similar characters all battling one another and indeed I wondered what I was watching at some points. However, it all distills down and becomes much more focused in the second half, which follows the members of a single crime family in their bid for leadership. There's little action here, but Kinji Fukasaku (BATTLE ROYALE) directs with stylish aplomb, making this a more than memorable gangster epic.

Great Tale of No Honor Among Thieves

[dbborroughs · 8/10 · 8 August 2004]

Based on a true story Battles Without Honor is a kick ass trip through the rise of the yakuza in post war Japan. Beginning in 1945 and traveling through the next 12 or so years this is the tale of a group of friends who come together in order to survive the cruelties of post-war, and post-bomb Japan and then spend the next decade killing each other as they change sides in a perpetual gang war.

This film has just about everything. Moments of violence, hysterical comedy (The finger), drama, and there is even hints of romance as a moll tries to hide her beau. Its brutal and nasty and probably very close to reality.

Some reviews paint this as having come in the wake of the Godfather, but while that may have gotten the movie made, the tone is different. There is no honor, there is no loyalty, there is only violence, violence and more violence, usually ex-friend on ex-friend. Despite there being "gangs" its really everyman for himself. American and European films of the same period often painted things as much less cut throat and that there really was familial loyalty, that idea is somewhat alien here as people switched sides if it kept them alive.

This is a near perfect film in many ways. It picks you up from the opening minutes and carries you along to the end. Its wonderfully of a time and place and extremely well acted all around.

There are only two problems which are minor. First, I think the film requires a bit more familiarity with what was going on in Japan post war. While I have had some knowledge of that, I was a tad lost at the start since I wasn't instantly aware of what I was seeing. The second minor flaw is that its jump through time story telling can be a bit disorienting. Its not that the plot threads are lost, its just that it takes a minute to know who the older people are.

Over all a great film.

8 out of 10, although it probably should be 9 out of 10, since I'm just in a down mood.

A violent, bloody masterpiece

[K_Todorov · 9/10 · 19 February 2007]

I don't get what's with those people who think "Battles Without Honor Or Humanity" has something to do with "The Godfather". The only notable similarity is that both delve into the criminal underworlds. But so what ? "The Godfather" didn't invent this genre. Furthermore the story in "Battles" was adapted from newspaper articles describing various yakuza activities. What Kinji Fukasaku created is a brilliant, violent tale about the dark and unforgiving nature of the Japanese crime syndicates it is also a story about friendship and betrayal.

This is a tale about a group of young men who after the end of the Second World War find themselves outcasts from society, under pursuit by the authorities. They inevitably bond together and form a new crime syndicate under the leadership of boss Yamamoto. As their organization grows in power so do the internal struggles between them begin to escalate. Slowly, either from pure greed and the corruption of power or by Yamamoto's careful manipulations. It's hard not to draw comparison with "Battle Royale" Fukusako's most notable film released in the late nineties. Both present a similar in a way situation: friends fight friends for their own survival.The only difference being that here that is done in a much more subtle way. But the elements are still the same, characters are likable well fleshed-out and the viewer is thrown into an internal struggle of his own when he sees them killing each other. Fukasaku's type of narration is one that involves multiple points of view, we don't have such a strong focus on main character as most movies do, there is one of course Shozo Hirono (played by the ever great Bunta Sugawara) but he serves the role of executing the movie's catharsis, he is the one who becomes a witness to all the madness and senseless killings and it is his final actions that define that, his realization and his rebellion to it all, his final display of grief to friends lost for nothing.

The acting is superb on all fronts, with a diverse cast of characters who offer a different perspective with their own point of view. Fukasaku demonstrates his great skill as a director, his technique perfectly fitting to the movie's tone. By using a fast-paced, erratic, nearly chaotic style the action scenes offer us that taste of brutality we wouldn't have felt had they been directed in a more traditional manner. Fukasaku strays from the established formula of people getting killed fast and easy with one or two bullets instead he shows us an alternative to that : a slow, painful exercise, one that more accurately portrays the yakuza's violent lifestyle. Yet there are no large body counts, the battles are often predetermined with one side attacking an individual or small group from the other, by surprise and in overwhelming force. There really is no honor in the Japanese underworld.

"Battles Without Honor Or Humanity" is the epitome of humanity's own self-destructive nature. The one that drives us to aim for a higher financial and social standing on any means. With no regard for friends, family, honor or trust.

Oh, Yeah! (all 6 films)

[marta2046 · 9/10 · 25 February 2007]

Oh, yeah, this is one brilliant, edgy, dark piece of film-making! It moves at the speed of light starting with the American Occupation of the devastated city of Hiroshima after WWII up to the early 1970's.

It has great actors playing complex characters, and cinematography and editing way ahead of its time.

Turn off your phone and don't look away for even a second, or you'll miss something critical. There are many characters and lots of information to absorb.

I've read that the script was based on the life of a real Yakuza, but whether it's fact or fiction, it's a hell of a ride.

And though it's a serious film, sometimes it's also hilarious-- intentionally so.

Warning--not for the squeamish. Unlike the Tarentino films this has been compared to, the violence here is NOT cartoonish or funny. It's brutal, bloody, and serious. (as it should be, in my opinion)

"The Godfather" in Hiroshima !

[sharptongue · 7/10 · 15 March 2000]

Although based on a true story, this film owes a lot to The Godfather, which was released a couple of years before. However, there are quite a few differences. For a start, there are many more main characters. At least twenty. And they are introduced at such a rate as to make it impossible to follow the lot. No less than ten characters are introduced (each with a name and description subtitle) in the first two minutes. The key word for this film is - chaotic. The opening scene is of Japan just after the end of WWII. The camera uses the now-familiar form of WobblyScope, tumbling all over the place as it chases the young thugs who chase misbehaving GIs and then run away. The progression is highly episodic from there. Although Shozo is the lead character and narrator, much screen time is spent on at least a dozen others. Really, if you are non-Japanese, like me, you'd need a map of all the characters and their changing relationships to have any hope of following the story. However, this is not a big problem because, mainly, it is one of the aspects which the filmmaker is trying to convey. That the people who were drawn into these gangs often had nothing much else to do, and were not particularly men of honour. The Japanese title refers to the total breakdown of the old code, where honour was everything. The only character who acts with anything like honour here is Shozo, who looks continuously stunned as powerplays and double-deals swirl around him. This film is a terrific antidote to the "honourable gangster" films. Well-worth watching. Also, it produced at least 4 sequels, all starring Bunta.

The Battles Without Honor and Humanity saga:Part 1.

[morrison-dylan-fan · 10/10 · 9 August 2020]

Finally buying a Blu-Ray player after my PS3 had played up one too many times so I could at last play Jose Ramon Larraz's The Coming of Sin (1978-also reviewed),this set,which has sat on my shelf waiting to be played for years (!) ,was at the top of my must-watch list. Seeing a 70's viewing challenge taking place, I at last went into battle.

View on the film:

Opening the first of their two huge box sets dedicated to the series, Arrow present a superb presentation, with the picture retaining a film grain and the soundtrack keeping the gunfire crisp, all tied up with detailed extras.

Attacking the audience with a manifesto statement of a opening shot of a mushroom cloud which descends on the crime-ridden streets of Hiroshima, a shot the film maker later said was done to establish "The genesis of the extreme violence with the gangsters almost appearing right out of the dust and smoke of the mushroom cloud...that's why we used the stock footage of the bomb going off at the beginning of the film."

Entering the project after studio head (and former yakuza member) Koji Shundo had been impressed by his work on Street Mobster (1972), directing auteur Kinji Fukasaku & his regular cinematographer of this period Sadaji Yoshida, take the refine styling of Neo-Noir and the experimentation of the Japanese New Wave (JNW), and strikes them both with a brutal Punk sensibility.

Placing the viewer up-close to assassinations performed by rival gangs, Fukasaku unloads a raw atmosphere of jagged JNW fluid cameras tracking Hirono (played by a fantastic Bunta Sugawara, who burns away the cool heroism of Noir loners of the past, for blunt-force rage) in the middle of crowds, jump-cutting to JNW newsreel blistering freeze frames and extreme close-ups of gangsters laying dead on the ground splashed over with red title cards recording their murder, (a major recurring motif of Fukasaku) and Toshiaki Tsushima's rich brass Jazz score announcing their deaths.

Loading up from the Film Noir tradition of "Ripped from the headlines" in adapting a Jingi Naki Tatakai series of articles written by Koichi Iiboshi that began in Weekly Sankei, which were based on a manuscript written by former yakuza member Kozo Mino,who wrote whilst in jail.

The screenplay by Kazuo Kasahara incredibly retains the newsreel roots by trimming exposition for JNW "in the moment", criss-crossing the various warring gangs to short, sharp, shock encounters, keeping wannabe rookie gangster Hirono on his toes in his attempt to be on the winning side in a ever shifting battle without honour and humanity.

Simply great...

[bill-552 · 9/10 · 28 January 2001]

For those who love yakuza films, this is one NOT to miss. Wild violence to start the film (two arms are lopped off within the first five minutes of the flick) sets a tone of dread (you don't know who'll be killed next). But more than action, the film brings a thoughtfulness to the fore. For those who want an English-language analogy, this film "feels" like Soderbergh's The Limey (though with a different plot and without the bouncing back-and-forth in time [though this movie does jump years in its narrative]).

Don't miss this one...

Like Toy Soldiers

[liftedface · 9/10 · 19 April 2006]

The art of film welcomes its viewers into worlds unknown filled with interesting characters and settings unfamiliar to the everyday person. Some of these worlds may be completely imagined, full of monsters and witchcraft, while others set in the real world but with people and places with whom we may never meet in our lifetime. Sometimes, after watching these films, we are left with such a profound imprint that we cannot help but empathize with the world which we have just witnessed. All of the above represent the feelings one is able to experience after watching the five episodes known in America as "The Yakuza Papers." The first of the series is story of the beginnings of a post World War II yakuza empire centering around a main character Shozo Hirono, played by Bunta Sugawara, and his devotion to a disjointed backstabbing mobster family. A former soldier without a plan, Shozo easily slips into the yakuza plan as he volunteers to enact revenge on a friend until his fate is sealed when he is forced to chop off his finger for insulting another family member. The film has a lively pace, to say the least, as there are a huge cast which are killed off as soon as they are introduced, and they don't necessarily die boring deaths. This humble critic suggests using a Polaroid camera or a pen and paper while watching this movie as it can get extremely confusing at times. It took this humble critic three views to realize that the character of Toru Ueda was the one who had his arm chopped off in the beginning and throughout the rest of the movie walked around without a left hand in his sleeve.

This film and its sequels released between 1973 and 1974 was a gigantic hit in Japan. One can recognize the theme song arise in daily Japan in various places like the occasional comedy skit or variety show. Incidentally, the piece composed by Toshiaki Tsushima and said to be based on Ennio Morricone's titlepiece for the 1969 movie The Sicilian Clan, resurfaced in a remix of sorts by guitar legend Tomoyasu Hotei for the the movie Kill Bill Vol.1. It also became Hideki Matsui's new theme song and played at Yankees Stadium on his turns at bat. Not only is the music memorable but this movie set a huge precedence for being one of the first yakuza movies to depict the yakuza life as one of tragic animals rather than glorifying it. This plays very well into its setting of postwar pessimism and adds to the movie's credibility. Technical tricks such as hand-held camera and fast cut editing lets the viewers feel right there in the middle of the fight and adds a huge documentary feel. Director William Friedkin professed to lifting this style when he made his own "French Connection." Similarly, if you liked the recent 2002 film "City of God," refer to this film as the classic blueprint.

Already well known by this time, Kinji Fukusaku had his name drawn in the Japanese film-making books forever after this series was released and then again for a younger generation when his teenage bloodpic "Battle Royale" was released in 2000. Kinji Fukusaku died in 2003 while filming "Battle Royale 2."

Blood-Fixated Cartoon!

[net_orders · 2/10 · 15 July 2017]

BATTLES WITHOUT HONOR AND HUMANITY / THE YAKUZA PAPERS, VOL. 1: BATTLES WITHOUT HONOR AND HUMANITY / THE YAKUZA PAPERS / COMBAT WITHOUT A CODE (JINGI NAKI TATAKAI). Viewed on DVD. Restoration/preservation = seven (7) stars; subtitles = five (5) stars; cinematography = four (4) stars; sound = two (2) stars; story/script = one (1) star. Director Kinji Fukasaku's homage to apparent hoodlum life in Western Japan following WW II by violently re-imaging petty criminal activities and the black market based on published depictions of claimed real-life events (plus news-reel sensationalizing hype). The Director started a sub-genre of "kill-first-maybe-ask-questions-later gangster soap operas that remain popular to this day. It's every hood for him/herself which is how the Director treats viewers vainly searching for a fragment of sense and cohesion in this run-amok chaotic film! There is no consistent plot-line except that it always takes 6-8 shots (a full clip) to kill-off a character (at the rate of one every 3-5 minutes or so). Fukasaku has front loaded his movie with a multitude of characters to provide a near infinite source of hand-gun fodder (and to try to hide the absence of a meaningful script!). Ensemble acting is not particularly distinguished and ranges from the melodramatic (hoodlum "bosses" resorting to tears when conning their brood) to workman-like line readings. Hood fights closely resemble fraternity-party Pile Ons! A gratuitous "pink" porno scene is tossed into the pot to break up the monotony of gun fire. Cinematography (2.35:1, color) mostly deploys a shaky/grainy hand-held process to (apparently) enhance the documentary film flavor (the names and death dates of killed-off characters are usually posted and a voice-over often occurs in news-reel style). Editing is used to simulate action with rapid-cut close-ups (often appearing out of focus due to the wide screen format) at the start of the film. Audio needs some serious re-looping. Every gun shot sounds exactly the same; most scenes contain background noise that resembles cheap electric toothbrushes (interestingly, each speaking character seems to have a different toothbrush running on the sound track!). Subtitles can flash by too fast. Silly and juvenile. WILLIAM FLANIGAN, PhD.

One of the best Yakuza movies. period.

[half-echilon · 9/10 · 15 October 2006]

This was, BY FAR, one of the best Yakuza movies i have ever seen. From the graphic violence to the internal politics of the Japanese mafia, these movies earn a well deserved place in anyone's mafia library. The series follows the life of Shozo Hirono, an ex WWII Japanese soldier, and his rise and fall within the tumultuous ranks of the Yakuza. The movie chronicles the violent start of the Japanese mafia to about the end of the 70's. I really enjoyed the ENTIRE series, but i felt that it lost its gusto towards the end of the 5th movie, and it ended in a very "japanese" way: with commentary and non violent closure. Hirono retires unscathed, and walks off into the veritable sunset.. Other than the lame ending, the ENTIRE SERIES is straight up and down, one of the most awesome and REALISTIC views into the secret world of the yakuza, that i have ever had the absolute pleasure of viewing.

The Godfather in Japan

[kgodmode177 · 9/10 · 25 March 2022]

After just finishing the entire series (5 films in all) I must say that this series is DEFINITELY worth a watch, especially for fans of dramas centered around crime families with a healthy dose of violence to help spice things up.

It follows mainly Shozo Hirono, and his journey from an ambitious and stoic slum-dweller in the bombed out crater of the Hiroshima bomb site. As him and his war buddies climb the ranks of the Yakuza, greed, honor and betrayal force the families into various conflicts in a never ending cycle of power struggles.

Stylistically this film, and all the others, are excellent, with a consistent jazzy theme accentuating the more important points and giving each entry a familiar feel to the last one, yet not one which ends up feeling boring or overused. The camera work is fantastic and the scene composition is where I am most reminded of the Italian-American titan of cinema that this review invokes. Many of the scenes are around crowded tables at family meetings or in shadowy bars with table lamps and cigarette smoke twirling in the air.

All in all I love this series and if you have a chance, absolutely watch all five. If anything give this first entry a chance and you will not be disappointed.

Ridiculously good cinematography

[ShaeSpencer · 8/10 · 16 August 2020]

I was shocked and awed from the first scene by the blisteringly kinetic and colorful cinematography. This movie is beautifully constructed and performed.

Bunta Sugawara is so endlessly fascinating to watch. What a face. Keiji Takamiya was great too.

WHY is this not better known?

Tornado cinema!

[fertilecelluloid · 9/10 · 5 September 2005]

The yakuza of this series arose from the social and economic fallout of Japan's nuclear annihilation. Even the occupying forces jumped into bed with them so mighty was their influence.

Fukusaku's DEATH OF HONOR, which was made later, depicted one man torn asunder by his own fractured obsessions. BATTLES WITHOUT HONOR depicts clans so fractured they spend most of their time tearing each other apart.

Bunta Sagawara, who was to Fukasaku what Deniro was to Scorsese, is scorching as a man whose personal honor is continuously tested by betrayal and seismic shifts in the leadership plate.

The late, great director's considerable skill was to illuminate gritty humanism in arenas of total chaos. His is a breathless, kinetic cinema that perfectly personifies his preferred subject matter.

The details in this outing are fascinating. A scene in which yakuza buddies and a boss's wife discuss the correct procedure for sawing off a finger is priceless. Another scene in which the devoted girlfriend of a wanted man hides him under a blanket with her children is funny and horrible at the same time.

The violence is sudden, bloody and realistic. Not a directorial foot is put wrong and the use of freeze frames is inspired. The pacing is brisk, the cutting sharp and unconventional.

The world portrayed is absolute and absolutely convincing.

This is tornado cinema.

Watch when your head is clear

[Tanbalarai · 10/10 · 27 January 2020]

Even though the story is fluttering and I do not know what the degree of scenario perfection is, I can not stop focusing. It's a really great movie. Probably, the real yakuza struggle will be confused like this and kill each other without knowing what is happening. In terms of images, the color comes up having the density and taste from a large format film. Tarantino, who uses film for filming, confessed to the influence of this film. That is understandable. There are many characters, and introduce them so briefly, and the relationships are complicated and important. So those with poor memory persons will not be able to taste the whole movie. You should look twice. Anyway, if it gets caught between the group trying to take the territory and the group that is likely to be taken over, it means almost he has dead. Death approaches with just one answer. Yakuza must has excellent head. The chaotic situation of the yakuza world, complex relationships, and the battle that starts without thinking ... this is a very powerful movie that makes such a reality come to life.

Crime bosses constantly crying???

[madwand6 · 1/10 · 25 April 2021]

I don't know how anyone can take this foolishness seriously. Crime bosses constantly crying to their inferiors, constantly being told what to do by them...this is a joke. It's bad enough Asians act like clowns in serious movies, but this is ridiculous.

The chilling power of greed and psychosis

[realIK17 · 8/10 · 11 February 2019]

I was a little intimidated when I learned about the length of the film series. Due to my perfectionist tendencies, I had to finish the entire movie series after starting the first one. However, the film did not disappoint and lives up to its reputation as the basis for a gangster movie genre. A note for you Western audiences: Honor and humanity are traditional concepts in Chinese philosophy and society, often inextricably linked. A central theme is conforming to social norms (practice of honor) and contributing to society (human development). The predecessors of the modern yakuza (before the Meiji Restoration) were generally underclassmen, such as gamblers and social outcasts. This social oppression makes them more sensitive to their social reputation. As a side note, the film ignores the fact that there are many oppressed Korean-Japanese in the yakuza. However, the issue of South Korea and Japan has always been an extremely sensitive topic in Japan. OK, back to the movie. I love this movie because it tells the true story of the turbulent years after World War II, and we can also observe the rapid changes in Japan's economy and society. The protagonist is an idealist who is a liar and a lunatic in the gangster society. Overall, I really liked the historical context the film portrayed and learned a lot about this period in Japan.

A start of massive conflict that lasted for over 20 years.

[mihokonluke · 9/10 · 15 December 2021]

This movie series isn't just about Hirano it's a grand hotel theme surrounding yakuza not just in Hiroshima and Kura but whole western japan.

I loved the movie the first time I watched it too but when I watched it for the second the time it got even better since now I have full knowledge and understanding to the situation and I understated what character were truly liked in the movie for example Yamamori wasn't a boss that respects the member but too desperate too earn money, he is a total dooshbag that doesn't think about anything other then himself and he doesn't even show respect to Hirano and he doesn't have honor or humanity.

I love this series and I hope other people would watch this series and like it too.

Bright, brash, violent and bloody

[christopher-underwood · 8/10 · 23 July 2019]

Harrowing post-war b/w photos of Hiroshima are the backcloth for the opening credits and we are soon introduced name by name to family members that will play a part in the early days of the yakuza. Seemingly one unforeseen aspect of the war was a lawless Tokyo but there were those who rushed in to fill the void and would expand further when the Korean war began a few years later. Bold use of widescreen (as many close-ups as distant - partly, I'm sure to cut down on cost of converting wide expanses of the city to a 40s/50s landscape) and wonderful colour and effective soundtrack help hold this somewhat desperate story together. Bright, brash, violent and bloody, this is also fast moving (a little too fast at times, for some of us) with a pause here and there only to discuss the next epode of mayhem.

Hen Pecked Fingers

[Meganeguard · 8/10 · 27 July 2006]

Director: Fukasaku Kinji Duration: 99 Minutes

Opening with an image of the atomic bomb reducing Hiroshima to ashes, Fukasaku Kinji's Battles without Honor and Humanity begins a series of five movies depicting the chaotic life of Hirono Shozo a former soldier who is trying to survive in the chaotic world of the black markets in postwar Japan. A pretty even-tempered man, the viewer first witnesses Hirono lash out in violence when a group of American GIs try to rape a woman. Amidst the chaos of the black market with its prostitutes, underground rice kitchens, and violent bars, one of Hirono's friend's head is slashed by a yakuza. A rival yakuza was going to deal with the man, but in his stead Hoshino seeks revenge for his friend. Faced with a drunken, sword wielding yakuza Hirono empties his pistol into the man, and receives a twelve year sentence. However, while in prison, he meets another yakuza named Wakasugi who plans to slice open his stomach in order to get out of jail on bail. Promising to raise Hirono's bail money if he helps him in his plot, Wakasugi introduces Hirono into the world of the yakuza and the two men become blood brothers.

A short time afterward, Hirono is released from prison and meets the head of the Doi family, the clan of the yakuza he went to jail for, and Yamamori the man who will soon be his gang boss. After Yamamori establishes his own gang, Hirono and several other toughs pledge their allegiance to him. However, almost from the beginning there is internal fighting in the ranks. How can a man as straight laced an honorable as Hirono work for a man like Yamamori who continuously plays his men against each other?

During the late 1950s and the early 1960s a style of film called ninkyou eiga, or chivalry films became popular in Japan. For the most part these films portrayed yakuza as chivalrous beings who protected and preserved time honored traditions in Japan and expelled Western influences. Quite often in these films Westerners, Japanese heavily influenced by the West, and individuals of mixed blood were portrayed as villains while the sword wielding yakuza represented the purity of the Japanese spirit. It is not surprising that real yakuza were highly attracted to these films. However, Fukasaku Kinji viewed this portrayal of the yakuza as false and the ninkyou eiga films' portrayal of the yakuza, i.e. Japanese spirit, as being quite close to the wartime mentality. When Hirono draws his pistol and kills the sword-wielding yakuza it is a statement that the world of the yakuza is built on chaos and corruption not pure spirit. A highly recommended film and series for those who enjoy yakuza films and an important series for those who are interested in the evolution of the yakuza film.

a complex crime story

[el_strong_bad · 10/10 · 12 April 2005]

*spoilers* this movie and its 4 sequels are about yakuzas(Japanese mob)in Hiroshima after WWII and beyond. the film begins with the main character Shozo Hirono being pulled into a yakuza battle and being sent to jail. when he gets out, a crime boss enlists him as an under boss. The traditional yakuza structure involves complete devotion to your direct superior,and also your superior respecting you, something that everyone except shozo seems to try to disregard. shozo stays loyal to his treacherous and undeserving boss much longer than most others did, but leaves at the end of the film when most of the other under bosses who he had known for years were dead. this movie is extremely violent and seems to portray yakuza life very honestly. the complex web of characters is hard to follow, but scenes usually depict something important to the story of the crime family overall, and there is a still shot with a caption whenever someone important dies.

This is a Japanese Godfather type movie that is an underrated gem and an absolute must see

[kevin_robbins · 9/10 · 17 February 2022]

Yakuza Papers 1: Battles Without Honor and Humanity (1973) is a movie I recently rewatched for the first time in a long time on Tubi. The storyline follows the changing of the underground gangsters leaderships pre- and post- bombing of Hiroshima and the rise of Shozo Hirono.

This movie is directed by Kinji Fukasaku (Battle Royale) and stars Bunta Sugawara (Spirited Away), Kunie Tanaka (Sanjuro), Gorô Ibuki (The Fort of Death), Nobuo Kaneko (Ikiru), Toshie Kimura (Three Outlaw Samurai) and Tamio Kawaji (The Warped Ones).

The movie has a great opening establishing characters and the feel for street life in Japan at the time. The family's, both past and present, are also well set up. The street justice, interrogation scenes and revenge kills are very well executed, especially for the era. The level of intensity between characters is well established and bubble over at the right times. The pace of the film is very good and there's just enough action to keep your interest to the final sequences which are sudden and blow your mind. The police, politic and bath house depictions were definitely entertaining. The cars, settings and attire are absolutely excellent and the final shootout is crazy and a perfect way to end the film.

This is a Japanese Godfather type movie that is an underrated gem and an absolute must see. I would score this a 9.5/10 and strongly recommend it.

Angry People Yelling And Killing

[DavyDissonance · 9/10 · 19 June 2019]

I'm reviewing the entire Battles Without Honor And Humanity series 1-5 because I'm too fat and lazy to do them individually. Every one of these movies has the same concept: situations, meetings, yelling, bloodshed killings, every time a Yakuza leader dies they post it on screen, newspapers clippings, weird incomprehensible anticlimactic endings (well sort of)..... It all repeats itself with every film. I suppose that can all be forgiven because you can probably considered this series an entire film which is how I'm taking it. The main reason why I like these movies is because nothing beats seeing a bunch of Japanese people yelling and cursing at each other and chopping at each other with samurai swords and shooting each other with guns! It's bad and funny as hell at the same time! As far as the stories are concerned they are written well but for some weird reason I have a very difficult time trying to keep up with Japanese storytelling. It gets a little too complex from time to time. I highly recommend this films for those who have an interest in yakuza culture and all that crap.

No honor amongst thieves and killers

[dirtyharry167 · 10/10 · 31 January 2014]

There are few films as well-named as Fukasaku Kinji's "Battles Without Honor and Humanity" ("Jingi naki tatakai.') With one shot, Fukasaku (director of "Battle Royale") undid and entire genre of film, one that would never be the same again. A lone Yakuza, wielding a Samurai sword stands against a crowd, a brave sneer on his face. He is instantly shot and killed, his katana useless against a gun.

Yakuza films in Japan were generally in a category known as Ninkyo Eiga, Chivalry Films. The Japanese mafia was shown as later-day Samurai heroes, defending and upholding traditional Japanese values of honor and loyalty above all else. This colorful imagery was supported by the Yakuza themselves, who loved seeing themselves portrayed in this heroic light.

Fukasaku, with deep anti-violence sentiments, directed "Battles Without Honor and Humanity" in an attempt to set the record straight, to re-write the post-War history of Japan and unveil the true nature of these violent thugs, more interested in money than honor. The story unfolds over several years, following the career of Hirono Shozo, a former soldier and brawler who's own sense of loyalty to his Yakuza boss proves his undoing. Hirono is used as a pawn by several rival bosses and would-be bosses, seeking control over the Black Markets that sprang up following WWII.

Hirano's narrative is only a framework for the deconstruction of a genre. Hard and true Yakuza genre tropes are constantly destroyed. Yakuza bosses break down and cry in front of their men, using money as a lure to get their way. Guns jam and run out of bullets, "brave" Yakuza hide under children attempting to escape the police...there is little sacred here.

The disjointed storyline might be a little disorientating to those who have never seen a Yakuza film before, but Fukasaku helps you out with a running total of who has died. (A device that would reappear in "Battle Royale." ) A general background of post-WWII Japan would be helpful, but isn't necessary.

"Battles Without Honor and Humanity" is a landmark Japanese film. Harsh, violent and sending a powerful message, it is an amazing piece of work.

brilliant

[londonscot2003 · 10/10 · 31 January 2014]

With all the trash coming out of Hollywood today, and Asian cinema becoming more popular, and widely watched, I think it is important to look at older Asian films, and this is truly a Japanese film classic, and I highly recommend it. This film is directed by Kenji Fukasaku, which if you know about films, should give you an indication of the quality of the film. It was previously released under the title of 'Battles Without Honour or Humanity'. It takes place in post WW2 Japan, and follows the story of yakuza clans battling for power. The story is similar to that of 'City of God', as both highlight the instability and brutality of gang wars. The story centres around the character played by Bunta Sugawara, and his journey through the yakuza way of life. He puts in a great performance, and commands such screen presence.The direction is raw, solid, and well-hendled by Fukasaku. With so many Hollywood films today, relying on special effects and CGI to hold a film together, it is great to see how films used to be made.

Despite being made around thirty years ago, the film is still fresh, possibly because it is based on the true account given by a yakuza whilst in prison. Don't let the subtitles put you off, cause the story more than makes up for it. I would really recommend you to get this, and if you enjoy it, I would also suggest 'Street Mobster', also directed by Fukasaku, and starring Sugawara.