Retaliation

Jô Shishido is underused and even though Akira Kobayashi is the main character he doesn't show much screen presence in this. A few grim scenes and a lot of blood made this a slightly above-average watch for me.

Middle-of-the-road yakuza fare, probably forgettable to most due to Kobayashi's ultra-stoic, icy underboss character (picked up again for greater impact in Battles w/o H&H). What is notable, though, is the rather brazen way it blurs the line between legitimate business and, well, the more sordid type. If one starts making some connections during this filmmaking era, it becomes clear that the Economic Miracle was the house that yakuza built.

This is an intriguing, transitional Yakuza film that starts out in the traditional mode, depicting Kobayashi as the honourable man amongst thieves. As the film progresses, the violence escalates until Kobayashi proves himself willing to do anything it takes to take down his rivals.