I love this movie so much

Powerful

Fresh and Exciting

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

This film sets the stage and battle lines for the Battle for HiroshimaFilm follows the various proxy wars within the Yakuza system: the battle for Muraoka successor (Uchimoto vs Yamamori), the battle of Japan (Akashi clan vs Shinwa Group), Hamazaki clan vs Komori clan, and Yamamori vs Shozo for loyalty of Underbosses -------------------------------------------------------- Muraoka is on his death bed and the question arises who will be his next successor. Underboss Uchimoto is the best candidate, but his indecisiveness on clan decision's put the other bosses at unease. The three Muraoka Underbosses (Matsunaga, Eda, Takeda) decide to reach out to Mr. Yamamori to combine clans and revive the Muraoka clan. Shozo is against the plan, but is currently re-indebted to Yamamori after he makes himself Shozo's guarantor to stay out of police trouble. To save his own neck, Shozo connects Uchimoto with the Akashi clan under blood oaths. Akashi is currently fighting for #1 gang in Japan along with the Shinwa Group, and the latest battle has taken stage in Hiroshima. Both clans are choosing battle lines among the gangs of Hiroshima for control of the West.When Yamamori takes control of Muraoka clan, Uchimoto books it for the Akashi clan. Yamamori wants to go to war with Uchimoto for his alliance with Komori, a rival to their sworn brothers Hamazaki, but the Underbosses of Muraoka are against it. Yamamori then persuades the Underboss of Uchimoto, Hayakawa, to betray his boss and join his sides. Due to Yamamori's harassment towards Uchimoto, the Akashi clan steps in to mediate. Yamamori convinces Takeda to help eliminate Shozo, and by joining forces with the Shinwa Group they'll take down Akashi and control Japan. After a failed attempt on Shozo's life, his henchmen take it upon themselves to kill Makihara. Meanwhile, Shozo makes a deal with Akashi to get rid of Yamamori in Hiroshima. He devises a plan with Elder Okubo to pull Yamamori out but the plan backfires once they both forge a Letter of Resignation for Shozo. It ends with the Three Underbosses split between alliances, Akashi siding with Shozo, Hayakawa siding with Yamamori, and the Shinwa Group shooting up the Akashi Hiroshima Branch to kick off the Battle for Hiroshima. When some Yamamori thugs shoot up Shozo's henchmen funeral and drive over his tombstone, things get personal

The third film in Kinji Fukasaku's unremitting, sprawling, epic yakuza series, made up of five films shot in Japan between 1973 and 1974. The first film, BATTLES WITHOUT HONOR AND HUMANITY, I thought was pretty good, but a bit confusingly plotted which worked against it. The sequel, Hiroshima Death Match, was excellent in its plotting of Sonny Chiba and his grudge match and a big improvement over the first.PROXY WAR is a slight step down from Hiroshima Death Match, but only slight. This is an effective tale that draws you deep into the yakuza underworld as it explores rivalry between various factions and the sort of violent, day-to-day incidents that make up gangster warfare. I found that series lead Bunta Sugawara had a much clearer role this time around, and gets to do plenty of quality acting as the conflicted, hard-headed man of violence.As is the norm with this series, Fukasaku's production values are top notch and the pace is lightning fast. I particularly liked the vignettes of non-stop violence that reveal the brutality of yakuza warfare. The supporting, all-star cast is exemplary and PROXY WAR makes a particular effort with the characterisation this time around so that the heads of the families and the underbosses are no longer just names and faces but living, breathing people. I look forward to the fourth instalment, POLICE TACTICS.

Chances are, if you're reading this, you've already seen the first two installments or have a vague idea of what The Yakuza Papers are all about. Battles without Honor and Humanity. That sums up the yakuza lifestyle pretty well, and even though I haven't done any research on the actual yakuza, there's a palpable sense of gritty realism in Fukasaku's crime sagas that is very convincing.Proxy War is another chapter in the long series of betrayal, scheming and chaos among the rival families of Hiroshima. Alliances are formed only to be broken the next second and rival parties are renonciled only to go at it again the next day. Without going into much details, Proxy War details the chronicles that led to the Hiroshima battle between the Yamamori and the Akashi families in the early 60's. There's a semblance of honor among thieves here, but it's just a semblance. These people lack the warped sense of honor and loyalty the Cosa Nostra had. As Hirono says, "he just wants a safe ground to stand". The same could be said for all of them.Once again, Bunta Sugawara steals the show as Shizo Hirono, and there's also a welcome cameo by the beautiful Reiko Ike (a pinku regular). There's not as much blood as in previous installments, but when violence erupts, you feel it. Fukasaku's direction is solid and keeps the convoluted plot going on a steady pace. The fights and shootings are gritty and raw, there's no Guy Ritchie glamour or glorified violence here. It kind of reminds me of the urban guerilla film-making of a Cassavetes or Mean Streets-era Scorsese. Coupled with a haunting score, and great performances all around, PW doesn't dissappoint.There's a semblance of honor among thieves here, but it's just a semblance. These people lack the warped sense of honor and loyalty the Cosa Nostra had. As Hirono says, "he just wants a safe ground to stand". The same could be said for all of them.My only gripe is, that plot-wise, there's no counter-balance to the scheming and back stabbing. Unlike The Godfather and other crime epics about the Italian mob, we never get to see the criminal side of the Yakuza. Money-laundering, smuggling, drug trafficking, prostitution, they're the bread and butter of any self respecting mob. Yet we never get a glimpse of that world in The Yakuza Papers. And if the unrelenting violence and interesting plot were enough to make the first two installments amazing, it gets repetitive here. People gather around tables to discuss their plans, form alliances, break alliances and that's it for most of the time. IMO it would be more interesting if the two aspects were combined. As it is, it feel kind of incomplete. The Akashi family, for example, butt in to help Uchimoto, but it's obvious that apart from defending the honor of their sworn brother, in the same time, it serves as a way of getting in the Hiroshima underworld. Yet we never witness what makes said underworld a place worth risking their men over.All in all, this is strongly recommended to people who enjoyed the first parts of the series. If you're a newcomer, start with the first one. The plot, characters and motivations will make more sense. And you'll know by the point you reach Proxy War, if this is your cup of tea or not.