Hiroki Matsukata stars as the psychopathic yakuza member who starts the Hokuriku Proxy War in director Kinji Fukasaku’s bloody action thriller. New to Blu-ray from Radiance Films.
The Film
One tough psychotic bastard.
It’s what I kept saying to myself as I watched director Kinji Fukasaku’s bloody and brilliant Hokuriku Proxy War unfold. The film has one of my favorite troupes. The pure psychopathic mid-level goon who kills his way through all of his problems and no one knows what to do with him as they’re bound by a code, one that he cares nothing about.
All the Tomiyasu Group had to do was keep their end of the deal made with lowly Kawada Noboru (Hiroki Matsukata) – kill Yamada and after he’s released from prison Kawada gets to run security at the local speedboating rink. Tomiyasu Group does not live up to their end of the bargain and starts a Proxy War with a man with nothing to lose or care about. Kawada begins a devil deal with the Kanai Group (Tomiyasu’s bitter rivals) allowing him to unleash his fury and rage against not only the Tomiyasu Group but setting up Kanai – who are funding Kawada in secret. The man starts a Proxy War where the only winner is Kawada and his thirst for vengeance against these Groups who see him as a peasant rouge who refuses to stay in line.
Director Fukasaku with screenwriter Kōji Takada have created a sharp and cutting crime thriller that speaks more to class and the rage of the underprivileged than any Yakuza film before it. There is an anger to the film as it unfolds that is so clear-eyed toward the pageantry of the honor code of criminals. Even Yakuza have a caste system preventing the poor and indignant from rising above their station. The way that Kawada refuses this and the indignities and slights at the hands of the system is a critique of not just their system but society as a whole. Even as they try to subdue him what they do not realize it is too late; he will not be satisfied until he has taken the entire system down.
Fukasaku’s film is a warning beyond a great existential action film. A warning that a ruling class control is an illusion. It only takes the anger of someone who disregards his class, position, and livelihood for a greater purpose. That someone with a purpose like Kawada can take down that caste system. Hokuriku Proxy War is a truly riveting piece of blood-soaked violence that echoes through time and space. Like its main character – not caring about anything but its end game.
The Transfer
The all-new 4K restoration by Toei Company is another grand slam for Radiance. There are no scratches or true blemishes on the sharp filmic image. The beautiful, oversaturated look of the 35mm shot film is lovely in its grit and grime adding to the splendor of this frost-bitten snowbound Yakuza crime thriller. There is a wonderful patina of active grain for this reviewer added to the theatrical experience of viewing the film at home. Radiance continues to deliver filmic transfers for undiscovered gems.
The Extras
They include the following;
- New interview with actress Yoko Takahashi
- New interview with screenwriter Koji Takada
- Yakuza film historian Akihiko Ito on the real-life Hokuriku Proxy War murder case
- Trailer
Yoko Takahashi (15:51) is an all-new interview with the actress that begins with a discussion of her standout scene towards the end of the film – and how she approached it as an actor. Some of the details include how she was cast in the film – and the troubles with scheduling as she was filming a film with Kon Ichikawa at the time; her doubts at the time she could do this Toei film with Fukasaku; her surprise at how fun these “serious” films were once on set; the freedom and trust that Fukasaku gave his actors; her role was originally written as a boy and the reasons why they changed it; and much more. In Japanese with English subtitles.
Koji Takada (18:42) – is an all-new interview with the screenwriter opening with just how different the film was and how special what they made was even at the time of release. Some of the details include the influence of the West (Shakespeare) and Japan (Chikamatsu Monzaemon, a kabuki playwright) on his and others’ work as he feels Yakuza films are all fairy tales; how women, joenen, honor, and ego all play a part of his writing and especially with the work he did with Fukasaku; what he feels is the best writing he’s ever done; the reasons he felt freer writing novels than writing movies about Yakuza; his feelings about the real-life characters that he wrote about and their real-world ends in the film; and much more. In Japanese with English subtitles.
The Hokuriku Proxy War Cast (14:36) – the all-new interview by Yakuza film historian Akihiko Ito on the real-life Hokuriku Proxy War murder case is another fascinating delve into the fiction and factual account that makes the basis for one of Fukasaku’s most arresting films. Ito goes into detail about the real-life mob boss that was the basis of the film’s main character and how the Toei production used the exact location where that man was killed. Ito goes into the story, its origins in fact, the development of the script, the making of the film, and release which would eventually escalate tensions between Yakuza families resulting in tragedy. Note Ito has written an entire book based on the case and the making of the film (one can only hope it will someday be available in English). In Japanese with English subtitles.
Trailer (3:21)
The Final Thought
One can only hope the latest Kinji Fukasaku film to enter Radiance Films’ collection will not be the last. The most recent Blu-ray edition is the finest. Highest Recommendations!!!