Hiroshima Death Match (1973) User Reviews

Epic Japanese yakuza madness from Toei

[Leofwine_draca · 8/10 · 6 May 2016]

Famed Japanese director Kinji Fukasaku made a popular series of epic gangster films in Japan in the 1970s, starting with BATTLES WITHOUT HONOR AND HUMANITY. Hiroshima DEATH MATCH is the second of this five-part series and even better than the first; the first film is good but a little too sprawling and unfocused. It feels like everybody cut their teeth on that one, and went on to even better things with this.

The tale is a familiar one for anybody versed with the works of Beat Takeshi and the like: two rival crime families vie for control of post-war Hiroshima during the 1950s, and petty rivalries soon spiral out of control leading to full-blooded murder. A relatively short running time means that there's a heck of a lot of incident packed in here, ranging from love affairs to prison stays, assassination attempts, gang fights, and shoot-outs.

The production values of Hiroshima DEATH MATCH are very good indeed and there's a decidedly adult edge to the proceedings, with plenty of violence and blood thrown into the mix. The star players are all very strong too, from the mild mannered Yakuza bosses to the likes of Sonny Chiba as a spaced-out thug with violent passions. PROXY WAR followed next.

Hiroshima's Yakuza gangs range the period between 1950-1955!!!

[elo-equipamentos · 8/10 · 1 December 2019]

This second episode of Hiroshima Yakuza's gangs focused on the main leading character that strangely appears on bottom of list of the characters at IMDB's page, Kin'Ya Kitaôji as the hired killer Sochi Yamanaka, after back from war he looking for a job, has an incident at restaurant when he meets for the first time Yasuko a widow from a Japanese war hero, due his bravery on fight he was hired to work with the clan Muraoka and received a valuable Swiss clock as gift, one night he was involved sexually with the Yasuko, a forbidden step, widow was allowed to marry again with her brother in law only, Yamanaka disappears for a while working as killer, arrested in jail for murder receives a unexpected news, Muraoka has been arranging a marriage between Yasuko and his brother in law, knowing this treachery he decides to kill Muraoka, always helped by the Shozo Hirono (Sugawara) as his best friend and adviser, the final sequence is noteworthy on a slum area, a bit complex to follow, don't blink on the movie, also some fights have many shouting and some characters are too freaky and grotesque, insane and bloody sequel!!

Resume:

First watch: 2019 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 8

Yakuza Papers Pt. 2 - The Life of Hitman Yamanaka

[jimniexperience · 7/10 · 21 April 2018]

Part 2 of Yakuza Papers, the "Japanese Godfather"

Story begins in 1950 in Hiroshima. While serving a two year sentence on assult, Yamanaka becomes acquainted with Shozo. His first day out prison he falls in love with Boss Muraoka's niece Yasuko and starts a rivalry with hothead Katsutoshi Otomo, the son of Otomo clan. After caught having an affair with Yasuko, Yamanaka goes into hiding under the Takanashi family for a year. He pays his way back into the Muraoka clan after he does a hit on one of the clan's rivals and gains a major reputation in the underworld.

Katsutoshi's men set off a firecracker at Muraoka's race track. To avoid a war breaking out, Boss Otomo expels his son from the clan. Katsutoshi, determined to take over Hiroshima, teams up under Mr. Tokimori (elder of underworld) and undermines Muraoka's gambling zones. Muraoka declares both Katsu and Tokimori banned from Hiroshima and Katsu shoots up Muraoka's spa house. To avoid any furher blooodshed, Tokimori seeks out Yamamori protection in Kura.

Yamamori connives Shozo to look after Tokimori, right as Yamanaka is paying a visit to take him out. To avoid bloodshed on his turf, Shozo arranges to "deliver" Tokimori back to Hiroshima so Yamanaka can kill him. Tokimori smells the trap and escapes. Shozo, under fire by both Muraoka and Yamamori, decides to kill Tokimori himself.

Muraoka arranges a marriage for Yamanaka and Yasuko for his loyalty. He's also ordered to hit some of Katsu's men who are plotting on killing Boss Otomo and Muraoka. Yamanaka is imprisoned for life and Muraoka takes over the Otomo clan. When in prison, Yamanaka learns from Takanashi Muraoka is making Yasuko marry her widow's brother. Enraged by the betrayal, Yamanaka breaks out of jail to kill Muraoka. After an elaborate stage to make it seem as if Yasuko has always been in Hiroshima, Yamanaka vows to kill Katsu as his punishment. Katsu, in the meantime has been shooting up clubs, and kidnapping Muraoka's men.

After Yamanaka failed hit he decides to hide away in Shozo territory. But Muraoka discovers his hideout and assigns him to kill Takanashi for "snitching". Yamanaka takes the hit but it turns out to be a trap, and is now on the run from the police. Seeing there's nowhere to run, he decides to take his own life.

Deliriously anarchic crime drama

[fertilecelluloid · 9/10 · 11 September 2005]

The focus of this highly engaging second installment is Kin'ya Kitaoji's "Shoji Yamanaka" character, a brooding, shy, impulsive man who places the highest premium on his love for his boss's niece, a humble, passionate woman who vows to wait for him when he is incarcerated for a series of brutal murders.

The political machinations of the yakuza world provide bloody, non-stop thrills in this deliriously anarchic crime drama that is never less than fascinating for its attention to personal details and vivid pictorial exploration of a criminal, country-wide hornet's nest.

Despite the impressive performance of Sonny Chiba as an ultra-psychotic "torpedo" and the weighty presence of Bunta Sagawara (who takes a back seat in this episode), the film does belong to Fukomoto. His turn as Yamanaka is extraordinary and he makes us empathize with the character. Fukasaku's handling of the romance is deft and touching without ever becoming cloying.

Once again, the action sequences are brutal and unforgiving and the camera-work by Sadaji Yoshida is, at times, mesmerizing. The film's final twenty minutes, where Yamanaka is hunted in the rainy laneways of Hiroshima, are quite beautiful.

A plaudit should also go to composer Toshiaki Tsushima who delivers a driving, organic, highly memorable score.

Another triumph.

The Battles Without Honor and Humanity saga:Part 2.

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

After finally watching the superb first in the saga, (also reviewed)I got set for the second title. Taking a peak at the cast before viewing, I excitingly entered the death match.

View on the film:

Continuing the standard set on part 1, Arrow present a terrific transfer, with facial features and gunfire kept cleanly visible during the many night time scenes,and the soundtrack being kept clear.

The lone voice of feminine voice within the first two films, Meiko Kaji gives an extremely expressive performance as Uehara. Whilst she does not wear her signature hat, (sadly) Kaji gives Uehara a burning, head-strong assertivenesses of standing her ground when confronted by all the wise guys in her family, which Kaji twists into a final sequence of chilling anguished, clawing at all the death spread across the floor.

Despite sadly not having the chance to do a fight sequence with Kaji, Sonny Chiba (whose 3rd film was by this director) gives a sizzling turn as Katsutoshi, whose manic, psychotic body language jerking movements are used by Chiba to hold Katsutoshi as a ticking time bomb keeping everyone on edge. Returning in a position more enshrined into the underworld,Bunta Sugawara gives a great performance as Hirono, whose brutal, sawn-off outbursts of the past Sugawara files down to a tough quiet confidence of holding power.

Elbowing his way into the underworld,Kin'ya Kitaoji gives a blistering performance as Yamanaka, who at each turn where his attempt to join a gang,leads to them sending him like a ping- pong to another group, Kitaoji makes each bounce Yamanaka takes one that increase him becoming a loose cannon, leading to him looking down a harrowing final shot.

Taking a more linear direction compared to the first film, due to articles in Weekly Sankei based on the manuscript written by former yakuza member Kozo Mino having yet to complete publication, causing no clear direction for where the adaptation could end, the screenplay by Kazuo Kasahara cleverly weaves a adaptation of real life gangster Mitsuji Yamagami, whilst continuing to build on the themes of the first Battle.

Looking back years later at the project, Kasahara revealed that "I Intended to write an elegy to...a youth who trained in the military tradition,but were too young to have actually gone to war. He ( Yamanaka)offers his boss the loyalty he once offered the state. He uses a pistol- a substitute to a kamikaze plane freely, as he assassinates people whilst whistling a military tune...In reality I had wanted to expel the vestiges of that time which remained within me."

Sending Noir loner Yamanaka into the maze of gangsters all guns blazing,Kazuo Kasahara brilliantly continues to examine the theme of taking the heroics of the lone warrior and honour held by the ruling family, and tearing it apart, until left as a red raw form.

Falling in love not only with the bosses niece, but in becoming a part of the underworld Muraoka family, whose orders he follows like a good solider, Kasahara takes each moment Yamanaka reaches out to build a bond with the Muraoka's,and unflinchingly pushes Yamanaka, leading to him being struck by every branch, and unlike the self-assured Hirono, not finding a footing,and being left in a ditch.

Backed by a spidery score from Toshiaki Tsushima (who includes a playful nod to Seijun Suzuki's Tokyo Drifter, (1966-also reviewed) directing auteur Kinji Fukasaku reunites with cinematographer Sadaji Yoshida, and takes his distinctive Japanese New Wave (JNW) ultra-stylisation into a dazzling expansion, firing up a frenzied atmosphere of fluid hand-held JNW-style cameras being slammed into extreme close-ups and jagged whip-pans on Yamanaka's latest shoot-up, and staging a brutal punch-up via overlapping freeze frames.

Following Kasahara path with the script, Fukasaku unveils a eye for breathing space in the middle of the blood-flowing whirlpool, with rich wide-shots on the Muraoka family dipped in Art-Deco peeled away, holding Yamanaka alone surrounded by ice-cold colours and newsreel JNW jump-cuts circling all those after him, until Fukasaku takes a magnificently vicious, cynical final twist,as Yamanaka is left in a battle without honour and humanity.

my favorite of the whole series

[realIK17 · 10/10 · 11 February 2019]

I especially liked the last part where the assassin was surrounded by police nearby. With the sound of heavy rain, he struggled to find the last bit of courage to commit suicide. Finally, his anger and pain pulled the trigger. This scene left a deep impression on me. I haven't gotten tired of tense soundtracks yet, so I was really moved when the assassin was crying in his fetal position, under the cover of darkness. In this film, we see the entire story of how the extreme violence and vices of the gangster society corrupt and ultimately destroy a young man. Unlike the stories of Hirono, whose fortunes are up and down throughout the series, we can learn about yakuza society through the life of one person.

This may not be as good as the first one but it is still an absolute must see

[kevin_robbins · 8/10 · 22 May 2022]

Yakuza Papers 2: Hiroshima Death Match (1973) is a movie that I recently rewatched on Tubi. This picture has two parallel storylines that are bound to cross. One storyline follows a young man who is sick and tired of being beat up by local gang members and takes up a new job as a hitman. A love story unfolds between him and the bosses niece. Meanwhile Shozo from the first film has joined up with a ruthless man looking to gain power within the Japanese Yakuza.

This movie is directed by Kinji Fukasaku (Battle Royale) and stars Bunta Sugawara (Wicked Priest), Sonny Chiba (Street Fighter), Meiko Kaji (Lady Snowblood), Hiroshi Nawa (Zatoichi: The Fugitive) and Mikio Narita (Shadow Warriors).

The best part of this movie is definitely the action/fight sequences. Many of the action scenes combine gun shootouts with sword fighting that's breathtaking. Some of these scenes have a vast number of characters and deaths that's extremely entertaining. This has a worthwhile and intricate storyline that contains fascinating characters. Chiba and Sugawara are awesome and I adored seeing Lady Snowblood in this.

Overall this may not be as good as the first one but it is still an absolute must see. I would score this an 8/10 and strongly recommend it.

10/10 masterpiece!!.This movie is about a battle between man who lived in love and a crazy phyco

[mihokonluke · 10/10 · 15 December 2021]

This movie isn't really about the main protagonist Hirano but about Shoji who is an ex soldier and Otomo Katsutoshi who's a total savege and his a son of a big yakuza clans kumichou.

Story is about Shoji who through love and the yakuza war develops as a person and also develops devotion towards the boss of yakuza clan that he is In which in the end dose not repay.

One thing I like the most about this film is the fact that they don't try to show Otomo as a vilan that has justificable reason to his act which is very popular in the modern cinema for example in marvel movie, in sense of justificable reason to his act this is same as character like Yamamori.

When you rate this film you'll end up with 10/10 music, 10/10 character development and 10/10 badass yakuza.