Jo Shishido's cheeks keep this movie from being great

Easily the stand-out of a hugely disappointing Eclipse set.

Takes the yakuza flick and blends it with equal parts noir and spaghetti western, resulting in a beautifully crafted, tightly plotted cat-and-mouse game. Shishido is as slick and cunning as James Bond and there's a lot of clever ruses and tense scenarios. Director Takashi Nomura manages to keep just about every shot interesting, culminating in a superb climax that could have come straight out of a Leone film. Very enjoyable.