With as gritty of an introduction as you'll ever see, Street Mobster looks like Taxi Driver, plays like Goodfellas, with an ending like No Country For Old Men. It should be noted, Street Mobster is 3 years older than Taxi Driver, 18 years older than Goodfellas, and 35 years older than No Country For Old Men.
Director Kinji Fukasaku tosses you into the belly of the crime underworld in about 10 seconds flat. In fact, it's less like a toss and more like a kick to the back of the head, whilst trying to keep your balance, on your toes, at the top of a skyscraper. In the final episode of Toei's "Gendai Yakuza" series, we follow Isamu (Bunta Sugawara) who's rage and lack of respect for rival gangs is unbridled. Now leading the leftovers of the gang he once called his own, Isamu looks to regain control of the area he once reigned over.
With drama as bitter as the underworld that Fukasaku depicts, Street Mobster continues to go deeper and deeper into the abyss. The ending is just as tough to watch as anything you'll see. Relentless and unforgiving. Just like the world Isamu has decided to live in. That is, if "living" is what you'd call it.
Another homerun by Arrow Video with it's transfer. A crisp 1080p transfer which truly forces the audience to be even more engrossed. It has the original uncompressed PCM mono audio. And if that wasn't enough for the purchaser, it's comes with an informative commentary by Japanese cinema expert, Tom Mes. Furgeddaabout the genre, this is a must own by ANY fans of cinema.
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A pivotal work in the yakuza movie genre and in the career of director Kinji Fukasaku (Battle Royale, Doberman Cop), Street Mobster presents an abrasive portrait of the rise and fall of a reckless street punk caught in the crossfire of a bloody turf war raging in the mean streets of Kawazaki.
When Okita Isamu (Bunta Sugawara, Cops VS Thugs) re-emerges onto the mean streets of Kawazaki after five years in prison for a string of brutal crimes, he comes face to face with prostitute Kinuyo, who immediately pinpoints him as one of the participants in her brutal sexual assault years earlier that left her shell-shocked and consigned to the life of a sex worker. While the two outcasts form an unlikely bond, Okita returns to his criminal ways. He is approached by veteran gangster Kizaki (Noboru Andô, Graveyard of Honour), who encourages him to round up a group of local chinpira street punks to shake up the uneasy agreement between the two rival yakuza groups, who between them control the city s bars, gambling dens and entertainment areas. However, when the new outfit goes too far into the turf of the big boys, they find themselves caught in the midst of a violent reprisal, before an offer of patronage appears from an unlikely source.
Street Mobster is the first film in which Fukasaku s vital and exhilarating approach to the contemporary-set gangster picture was paired with the untamed, raw charisma of Japan s top screen mobster Sugawara Bunta. The film would change the life of both, paving the way for their subsequent collaborations on the landmark Battles Without Honour and Humanity series that began the following year.
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
Original uncompressed PCM mono audio
Optional English subtitles
Audio commentary by Japanese cinema expert Tom Mes
Theatrical trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Chris Malbon
FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writting on the film by Jasper Sharp