Yakuza
Yakuza films.
They have gone through a number of stages:
* Beginning - although most of the pre-WWII films are missing, some like Chuji Tabinikki Daisanbu Goyohen (1927), are still being found.
* Ninkyo eiga - chivalry films in the 1960s, with Seijun Suzuki being one of the more prominent directors, until he got sacked for getting too experimental, and Ken Takakura being a well-known face in front of the camera.
* Jitsuroku eiga - docudrama films in the 1970s, as typified by Kinji Fukasaku films, like Battles Without Honor and Humanity, usually set in the post-War period.
* Resurgence - yakuza films went off the radar in the 1980s and returned in the mid-90s thanks to prolific directors like Takeshi Kitano and Takashi Miike, the latter pushing the films into increasingly strange areas (while still delivering more conventional takes on the genre).
Further reading: Mark Schilling (2003). The Yakuza Movie Book : A Guide to Japanese Gangster Film.
See also: Jidaigeki for period Japanese films (with which there is some crossover with this list).
Comments: As I don't have a Facebook account I cannot interact with the new comments system, so have switched it off. I will start a thread on the message board and link it in here shortly.
They have gone through a number of stages:
* Beginning - although most of the pre-WWII films are missing, some like Chuji Tabinikki Daisanbu Goyohen (1927), are still being found.
* Ninkyo eiga - chivalry films in the 1960s, with Seijun Suzuki being one of the more prominent directors, until he got sacked for getting too experimental, and Ken Takakura being a well-known face in front of the camera.
* Jitsuroku eiga - docudrama films in the 1970s, as typified by Kinji Fukasaku films, like Battles Without Honor and Humanity, usually set in the post-War period.
* Resurgence - yakuza films went off the radar in the 1980s and returned in the mid-90s thanks to prolific directors like Takeshi Kitano and Takashi Miike, the latter pushing the films into increasingly strange areas (while still delivering more conventional takes on the genre).
Further reading: Mark Schilling (2003). The Yakuza Movie Book : A Guide to Japanese Gangster Film.
See also: Jidaigeki for period Japanese films (with which there is some crossover with this list).
Comments: As I don't have a Facebook account I cannot interact with the new comments system, so have switched it off. I will start a thread on the message board and link it in here shortly.
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- DirectorTakashi MiikeStarsKazuki KitamuraShun ShioyaSaekoCult Japanese director Takashi Miike draws inspiration from the popular Playstation 2 title Yakuza for this unhinged tale of underworld violence in Tokyo starring Goro Kishitani and Kazuki Kitamura. It's summertime in Tokyo, and as the temperature rises, two undercover cops stake out a high-profile bank robbery while complaining about the air conditioning. When the masked gunmen make their way into the vault only to find that the Tojo gang's ten-million-yen deposit has mysteriously vanished, an already complicated situation gradually starts to spiral out of control. Meanwhile, in another part of town, psychotic yakuza Goro Majima (Kishitani) strikes out on his own to pay a visit to rival gang leader Kazuma Kiryu (Kitamura) and track down the missing mother of adorable youngster Haruka (Natsuo). It seems that Haruka's mother has some valuable information, and Majima is determined to find her at any cost. Now, as Majima makes his way through the neon-lit streets of Tokyo, Satoru (Shun Shioya) and his girlfriend, Yui (Saeko), embark on a bold robbery spree, and South Korean hitman Park (Yoo Gong) prepares to locate and terminate the thieves who absconded with the Toho gang's money. Later, after Majima and Kiryu engage in a series of fights all across the city, a confrontation at the top of Tokyo's Millennium Tower finds the true criminal mastermind finally stepping out of the shadows.Here to provide the list with a thumbnail graphic, the list begins below:
- DirectorDaisuke ItôStarsDenjirô ÔkôchiHideo NakamuraKichiji NakamuraTrilogy about the travels of the kindly bakuto Kunisada Chuji. Film depicts Chuji's attempt to save the geisha Oshina, a rebellion against the rigid social structure of Edo Japan. Part 3. "The Chuji Patrol"
- DirectorDaisuke ItôStarsDenjirô ÔkôchiEnichiro MikawaHideo NakamuraTrilogy about the travels of the kindly bakuto Kunisada Chuji. Film depicts Chuji's attempt to save the geisha Oshina, a rebellion against the rigid social structure of Edo Japan. Part 2. "Shinshu Blood Laughter"
- DirectorDaisuke ItôStarsDenjirô ÔkôchiIchimaru IchikawaChiyoko KinoshitaTrilogy about the travels of the kindly bakuto Kunisada Chuji. Film depicts Chuji's attempt to save the geisha Oshina, a rebellion against the rigid social structure of Edo Japan. Part 1. "Koshu Swordfighting" - First film is lost
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsTakashi ShimuraToshirô MifuneReizaburô YamamotoA drunken doctor with a hot temper and a violence-prone gangster with tuberculosis form a quicksilver bond.
- DirectorMasahiro MakinoStarsAkio KoboriSetsuko WakayamaJun Tazaki
- DirectorMasahiro MakinoStarsAkio KoboriSetsuko WakayamaSeizaburô Kawazuaka Jirocho Sangokushi 2: First Journey
- DirectorMasahiro MakinoStarsAkio KoboriHisaya MorishigeSetsuko Wakayamaaka Jirocho Sangokushi 3: Jirocho and Ishimatsu
- DirectorMasahiro MakinoStarsAkio KoboriHisaya MorishigeSeizaburô Kawazuaka Jirocho Sangokushi 4: All Gathered at Shimizu Harbor
- DirectorMasahiro MakinoStarsAkio KoboriHisaya MorishigeSeizaburô Kawazuaka Jirocho Sangokushi 5: Violence on the Koshu Road
- DirectorMasahiro MakinoStarsAkio KoboriHisaya MorishigeAsami Kujiaka Jirocho Sangokushi 6: Jirocho's Family of Wanderers
- DirectorMasahiro MakinoStarsAkio KoboriHisaya MorishigeAsami Kujiaka Jirocho Sangokushi 7: First Celebration at Shimizu Harbor
- DirectorMasahiro MakinoStarsHisaya MorishigeAkio KoboriFubuki Koshijiaka Jirocho Sangokushi 8: Last of the Wild Ones
- DirectorMasahiro MakinoStarsAkio KoboriSeizaburô KawazuJun Tazakiaka Jirocho Sangokushi 9: The Holy Mountain
- DirectorKoreyoshi KuraharaStarsYûjirô IshiharaMie KitaharaIsamu KosugiA former boxer gets involved with a club hostess trying to escape the clutches of her gangster employer.
- DirectorSeijun SuzukiStarsMichitarô MizushimaMari ShirakiShinsuke AshidaReleased from prison, a gangster (Michitaro Mizushima) retrieves diamonds sought by fellow yakuza.
- DirectorYasuzô MasumuraStarsYukio MishimaAyako WakaoEiji FunakoshiTakeo is a young yakuza who renounces his former criminal activities after being released from prison. But sometimes escaping the past is not so easy.aka Afraid to Die
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsToshirô MifuneEijirô TônoTatsuya NakadaiA crafty ronin comes to a town divided by two criminal gangs and decides to play them against each other to free the town.
- DirectorToshikazu KônoStarsChiyonosuke AzumaHashizô Ôkawa
- DirectorTokuzô TanakaStarsShintarô KatsuJirô TamiyaTamao Nakamura
- DirectorKenji MisumiStarsShintarô KatsuMasayo BanriRyûzô ShimadaThe adventures of a blind, gambling masseur who also happens to be a master swordsman.
- DirectorSeijun SuzukiStarsTamio KawajiNoriko MatsumotoKeiko SugiyamaA high school vigilante protects his community from the extortions of mobsters from a neighboring city.aka Teen Yakuza
- DirectorSeijun SuzukiStarsJô ShishidoMisako WatanabeTamio KawajiA violent thug plays opposing yakuza bosses against each other.
- DirectorSeijun SuzukiStarsAkira KobayashiChieko MatsubaraDaisaburô HirataThree schoolgirls are infatuated with a yakuza, Katsuta, of the Izu Clan. They meet another yakuza, `Diamond` Fuyu, of the rival Yoshida clan. As he gets a tattoo, two of the girls become squeamish and run off but Hanako, the best friend of the daughter of Sota Izu, boss of the Izu clan, stays to watch. She is intrigued with the yakuza .....aka Kanto Wanderer
- DirectorSeijun SuzukiStarsJô ShishidoTamio KawajiReiko SasamoriPolice detective Tajima, tasked with tracking down stolen firearms, turns an underworld grudge into a blood-bath. Suzuki transforms a colorful pot-boiler into an on-target send-up of cultural colonialism and post-war greed.aka Detective Bureau 23: Go to Hell, Bastards!
- DirectorSeijun SuzukiStarsEimei EsumiChieko MisakiKeisuke NoroAnother subversion of audience expectations has Kobayashi acting somewhat cowardly in the snow-bound final showdown, an unheard-of trait in a ninkyô yakuza hero. Also with Tamio Kawaji as a sword-wielding assassin in Zero-cape-and -hat(!)aka The Flower and the Angry Waves
- DirectorMasahiro ShinodaStarsRyô IkebeMariko KagaTakashi FujikiA gangster gets released from prison and has to cope with the recent shifts of power between the gangs, while taking care of a thrill-seeking young woman, who got in bad company while gambling.
- DirectorSeijun SuzukiStarsJô ShishidoKôji WadaYumiko NogawaAn injured thief on the run finds sanctuary within a brothel of united, ruthless women.
- DirectorTakumi FurukawaStarsJô ShishidoChieko MatsubaraTamio KawajiA convict fresh out of prison, with a handicapped sister, is coerced by a wealthy mob boss into organizing an armored racetrack car heist.
- DirectorSeijun SuzukiStarsAkira KobayashiHideki TakahashiChieko MatsubaraTwo brothers seek revenge on the yakuza for the death of their father.aka Our Blood Will Not Forgive
- DirectorKinji FukasakuStarsKen TakakuraRentarô MikuniKin'ya KitaôjiA lonely gangster tries recruiting men to plunder a respected and powerful gang.
- DirectorSeijun SuzukiStarsHideki TakahashiMasako IzumiHiroko ItôAfter his own gang sets him up to kill a rival mobster, a hit man is forced to flee with his younger brother.aka Tattooed Life
- DirectorKiyoshi SaekiStarsKen TakakuraRyô IkebeYoshiko MitaAfter World War II, their town was a pile of rubble. Gennosuke, the second generation boss of the Kamizu Group was upholding yakuza chivalry by keeping black-market and illegal items out of their open-air market. Taking advantage of the mess, Iwasa and his gang take hold of goods from the US military, black-market and controlled items in order to become the most powerful group in Enko area.aka Chivalrous Tales of the Shôwa Era
- DirectorTeruo IshiiStarsKen TakakuraKôji NanbaraTetsurô TanbaShinichi is a good guy serving three years and approaching the end of his time. He escapes handcuffed to dangerous Gunda, who instigated the escape. Thus tethered, they start out on a journey across the desolate snow country of Hokkaido.aka Abashiri Prison
- DirectorTadashi SawashimaStarsKinnosuke NakamuraTatsuya NakadaiHiroki MatsukataThis anthology tells three separate stories, all about yakuza (Japan's gangsters) in the feudal period. In the first, Sentaro, a roaming yakuza, seeks sanctuary with a gang which then asks his help in a fight against its rivals. His attention is drawn primarily to a young woman who waits in vain for the man she loves. In the second tale, two gamblers barely escape from their pursuers after being caught cheating. They rest in a cabin where a young woman lives. The older gambler, it turns out, has a history with the young woman, a history that changes all three lives. The third tale concerns a young yakuza, a braggart and coward, who is asked by villagers to kill the hated official who torments them. Despite being a gangster, he finds himself sympathetic to the villagers' plight. Now if he can only find the courage to help them.aka Three Yakuza
- DirectorTai KatôStarsKôji TsurutaSumiko FujiTetsurô TanbaA tale set in the late Meiji era - circa 1880s-1890 as opposed to the early Meiji which began in the 1860s.
- DirectorTokuzô TanakaStarsShintarô KatsuJirô TamiyaYaeko Mizutani
- DirectorSeijun SuzukiStarsTetsuya WatariChieko MatsubaraHideaki NitaniAfter his gang disbands, a yakuza enforcer looks forward to life outside of organized crime but soon must become a drifter after his old rivals attempt to assassinate him.aka Tokyo Drifter
- DirectorKazuo IkehiroStarsShintarô KatsuMichiyo YasudaKunie TanakaZatoichi's trek through 88 temples to atone for his violent past is interrupted as he stumbles into a village terrorized by a violent yakuza boss.
- DirectorKiyoshi SaekiStarsKen TakakuraRyô IkebeYoshiko MitaA yakuza has to to kill a guy out of obligation. When he gets out of prison, he visits his victim's grave where he meets his victim's son and wife while they do not know who he is. After that, he tries to make amends for his deed.aka Brutal Tales of Chivalry 2: The Chinese Lion and Peony Tattoo
- DirectorKiyoshi SaekiStarsKen TakakuraRyô IkebeSumiko FujiTakei Shigejiro belongs to the Shimazu family. When his boss gets killed, he takes revenge and ends up in prison.aka Brutal Tales of Chivalry 3: The Lone Wolf
- DirectorSadao NakajimaStarsHiroki MatsukataShigeru AmachiKazuko Inanoaka Yakuza Outpost
- DirectorSeijun SuzukiStarsJô ShishidoMariko OgawaAnnu MariAfter a botched assignment, a rice-fetishizing hitman finds himself in conflict with his organization, and one mysterious, dangerous fellow-hitman in particular.
- DirectorToshio MasudaStarsTetsuya WatariRuriko AsaokaJô ShishidoA young yakuza hitman named Goro does a job and needs to hideout away from Tokyo for a while. He hangs out with loose women and hard men and always manages to stay one step ahead of the law. In his exile, he comes under suspicion for a murder and meets the girlfriend of the murdered man. They develop a strange bond while unbeknown to Goro, another hitman is after him for the job he did in Tokyo.
- DirectorTakashi NomuraStarsJô ShishidoJerry FujioChitose KobayashiA hit man is hired to kill a mob boss. After the deed is done, he and his driver are wanted dead by rival gangs who joined forces.
- DirectorYasuharu HasebeStarsJô ShishidoHideaki NitaniYôko YamamotoKuroda (Jô Shishido) is a mob hitman who turns on his employers after being forced to execute his lover. Joining forces with his similarly wronged brothers, hot-headed Eiji (Tatsuya Fuji) and aspiring boxer Saburô (Jirô Okazaki), the trio escalate their mob retaliation to all-out turf war where no one will stop until one faction emerges victorious.
- DirectorMasahiro MakinoStarsKen TakakuraRyô IkebeSumiko FujiFourth film in the "Shôwa Zankyôden" series. This expression means duty, obligations, and rules obeyed by gangsters and outlaws in the pre-Shôwa era.aka Brutal Tales of Chivalry 4
- DirectorYasuo FuruhataStarsBunta SugawaraKyôsuke MachidaTomisaburô WakayamaJust released on parole, one young man hurtles towards a face-off with the gangsters controlling Shinjuku and its lucrative prostitutes.
- DirectorKôsaku YamashitaStarsKôji TsurutaTomisaburô WakayamaHiroshi NawaTokyo, 1934. The boss of the clan that controls gambling agonizes and some of his followers propose to Nakai to take his place, but he refuses the offer and suggests they choose Matsuda, who is in prison.
- DirectorYasuharu HasebeStarsAkira KobayashiJô ShishidoHideaki NitaniFresh out of prison, yakuza lieutenant Jiro Sagae is recruited by a new gang to help defeat a powerful rival family in this bloody, stylish crime film that inspired Japanese yakuza films of the '70s.
- DirectorKôsaku YamashitaStarsSumiko FujiKen TakakuraTomisaburô WakayamaOryu (Fuji Junko) is invited to stay with a local yakuza boss of a silk farming town. When a rival gang murders the boss Oryu takes it upon herself to protect his business and family.aka Lady Yakuza
- DirectorYasuharu HasebeStarsAkira KobayashiTatsuya FujiRyôji HayamaA tale of wannabe yakuza youths. Zenkichi develops a crush on Taro's disgusted sister. But soon the young hoods run afoul of their underworld idols when they rob the wrong gang.
- DirectorTai KatôStarsSumiko FujiKen TakakuraKanjûrô ArashiAfter saving a blind child from being hit by an oncoming train the gambler known as Oryu-The Red Peony is accepted as a guest by a Yakuza boss only to become involved in a romantic dispute between two members of rival clans.aka Lady Yakuza: Flower Cards Match
- DirectorShigehiro OzawaStarsBin AmatsuKanjûrô ArashiMasaharu ArikawaThe industrial revolution comes to Japan with the introduction of the railroad system. This led to clashes between boatmen, whose livelihoods are threatened, and the railway construction workers.aka Lady Yakuza: Second Generation Ceremony
- DirectorKôsaku YamashitaStarsBin AmatsuHiroshi ArikawaDaisuke AwajiAfter collecting her sickly follower from jail, Oryu is taken in by a fishing village. Feeling indebed to their generosity, she stays to work for the village and promises to leave her yakuza ways behind. When a dispute breaks out for the gambling rights to a local festival, the villagers are harrassed by a gang of thugs. When the harrassment turns violent, Oryu must decide wither to keep her promise or protect the villagers.aka Lady Yakuza: Biographies of a Gambling Room
- DirectorYasuo FuruhataStarsBunta SugawaraRyô IkebeMasakazu Tamura
- DirectorKinji FukasakuStarsKôji TsurutaTomisaburô WakayamaBunta SugawaraComing out of jail and hoping for a quiet life, Yokohama yakuza has to take the lead of his gang after the death of his boss. His small group is is taken in a crossfire between a big yakuza group from Osaka at war with the Tokyo alliance for the control of the city. He tries to keep to the old yakuza code but he is no match for the new thugs who live and fight without honor.
- DirectorYasuharu HasebeStarsAkira KobayashiRyôji HayamaTadao NakamaruA once-powerful yakuza clan disbands as a result of a police crackdown but one small group refuses to bow to police pressure, and launches a campaign to take over Tokyo's drug, prostitution, and gambling rackets.
- DirectorMasahiro MakinoStarsKen TakakuraRyô IkebeSumiko FujiHidejuro is sent to prison after killing the boss of a rival family. After being released, he discovers that his family has scattered and he is taking in by a company of quarry workers, whose boss has a strict code of non-violence.aka Brutal Tales of Chivalry 5 or Chivalrous Tales of the Shôwa Era: The Duty of a Lion
- DirectorYukio NodaStarsShin'ichi ChibaRyôji HayamaMachiko YashiroAn undercover cop befriends a yakuza underling who through his contacts helps him infiltrate two rival Yakuza gangs. He pits the two rival gangs against each other in hopes that they will cross each other out.aka Gangster Cop
Both this and the sequel are collected on Optimum's excellent Sonny Chiba Collection, Volume 1. - DirectorYasuharu HasebeStarsMeiko KajiRikiya YasuokaTatsuya FujiA street girl gang clashes with racist local gangsters after one of the girls starts dating an Afro-Japanese man.aka Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter
- DirectorMasahiro MakinoStarsKen TakakuraRyô IkebeSumiko FujiYoung yakuza Shujiro Hanada (Takakura) goes to prison after losing his cool in a rigged gambling game and slashing a few other players. When he's released in 1927, the world has changed. His sister died in the Great Kanto Earthquake and his father is also gone. His brother Jukichi (Ikebe) invites him to stay at his in-laws and works in their family pub. Shujiro is trying to go straight. He lies low, helping his blind mother-in-law and slowly developing a relationship with Ikuye, the hostess who helped him before his arrest. But trouble lurks when the resident gang decides to show its strength. It all leads to a showdown between the two brothers and around 20 sword-wielding gangsters.aka Chivalrous Tales of the Shôwa Era: Hell Is Man's Destiny
- DirectorRyûichi TakamoriStarsShin'ichi ChibaRyôhei UchidaFumio WatanabeHayata is an undercover cop assigned to infiltrate not one, but two rival Yakuza gangs. Things get complicated when Hayata gets into a relationship with a young schoolteacher, the daughter of a fellow officer who was slain by one of the gangs.aka Yakuza Deka: Secret Police or Gangster Cop: The Assassin
- DirectorShin TakakuwaStarsBunta SugawaraMakoto SatôShinichi RukiAfter release from jail, Katsumata forms a rag-tag gang calling themselves the Shinjuku Brothers. His partner and co-leader is a sleazy gambling addict he met in a nightclub. Actually, they got to know each other in a comic drunken brawl as opponents. After slugging it out for quite a while, the two men admire each other's toughness and become 'Kyodai' (equal brothers). The gang is made up of 'Chinpira' or 'Yotamono' (the lowest grade of gangsters, basically petty thugs), who spend their time smashing things and hitting people. Because they are muscling in on existing territory, they quickly make enemies. When the Brothers provocatively attend the funeral of a local gangster, they narrowly avoid a beating, held back only by a senior boss who tells them that "We, as Yakuza, are the rubbish of the world, but we still hold to a moral code". The boss of bosses invites them to join a respected local council of warlords. Katsumata is suspicious of why such powerful men would extend an invitation to lowlife like himself. Their plan is pretty clear. But how will the Brothers react...
- DirectorYasuzô MasumuraStarsShintarô KatsuNaoko ÔtaniMasakazu TamuraA yakuza member's half-sister means much more to him in a film that repeatedly depicts realities other than what normal societal rules allow. The overly protective and loving brother; however, soon has to contend with his sister falling for and dating her school teacher, but there is not much he can do about it if he is going to land in jail for stepping outside the bounds of the law.
- DirectorTai KatôStarsSumiko FujiTomisaburô WakayamaKanjûrô ArashiOryu searches for a blind girl she left behind but gets involved in a Yakuza turf war.aka Lady Yakuza: Oryu's Return
- DirectorKinji FukasakuStarsKôji TsurutaTomisaburô WakayamaTsunehiko WataseA yakuza gang gets driven out of Yokohama by a big gang from Tokyo. They relocate to Okinawa to violently start over.aka Sympathy for the Underdog
- DirectorHideo GoshaStarsRumi AikiHideyo AmamotoNoboru AndôAfter going to prison for killing the boss of the Kanno gang, a gangster gets released early - only to find that his ex-gang has merged with the Kannos. But with bitter resentments lingering on both sides, bloodshed is bound to begin anew.
- DirectorTai KatôStarsSumiko FujiKôji TsurutaKatsutoshi AkiyamaOryu meets villagers whose crops and livelihoods are being damaged by air pollution from a local factory.aka Lady Yakuza: Here to Kill You
- DirectorKiyoshi SaekiStarsBunta SugawaraHiroki MatsukataYumiko NogawaA young yakuza soldier is torn between staying in his current life or leaving his family when his boss refuses to follow their ancient code of ethics.
- DirectorKinji FukasakuStarsBunta SugawaraNoboru AndôMayumi NagisaA yakuza, who has an untamed rage and lack of respect for authority, finds himself leading the remnants of the gang he once belonged to in order to secure an area of their own.aka Street Mobster
One of the quintessential and influential early Jitsuroku eiga (and the best in this five-movie series, as well as the last), I don't think anyone could argue that the main protagonist is an anti-hero - he is clearly a broken little boy who grows up to be a little league sociopath, who doesn't redeem all his petty and major unpleasantness.
It'd lead to the director (Kinji Fukasaku) and lead actor (Bunta Sugawara) returning a year later for the start of the big era-defining film series: Battles Without Honor & Humanity. - DirectorKazuhiko YamaguchiStarsMeiko KajiTatsuo UmemiyaTsunehiko WataseNami is an ex-convict who becomes a hostess to support a sick woman who bailed her out. In doing so, she gets involved in a local gangster's scheme to take over the bar she works for.aka Wandering Ginza Butterfly
- DirectorKazuhiko YamaguchiStarsMeiko KajiShin'ichi ChibaShingo YamashiroNami (played by Meiko Kaji) returns to Tokyo to find the man who killed her father 13 years ago. On the way she saves a young woman named Hanae whose father had sold her for prostitution, but by doing this noble thing she becomes involved with Yakuza gang who doesn't want to let their property go and wants to keep a tight control over the Ginza district. With the help of Ryuji (played by Sonny Chiba) she has to find the man who killed her father and deal with the Yakuza threat.
- DirectorBuichi SaitôStarsDaisuke AwajiSumiko FujiAkira HirasawaOryu the "Red Peony" visits an old dying Boss of an ally family and promises to help guide the new Boss. Meanwhile a turf war breaks out. When the family is betrayed from within and the rival family becomes violent, Oryu takes things into her own hands.aka Lady Yakuza: Execution of Duty
- DirectorKinji FukasakuStarsBunta SugawaraKunie TanakaMayumi NagisaThe great Bunta stars as a gangster who is sent to jail for the sake of his gang, but when he's released he finds everything completely changed and his gang has swept him aside for being too violent.
- DirectorKinji FukasakuStarsBunta SugawaraHiroki MatsukataKunie TanakaDuring the violent chaos of post-War Japanese black market, a young gangster called Shozo Hirono has to keep up with the rapid shifts of power between unscrupulous bosses.aka Battles Without Honor & Humanity
- DirectorNorifumi SuzukiStarsReiko IkeAkemi NegishiRyôko EmaDuring the Meiji era, a gambler called Ocho takes revenge on three gangsters who killed her father, shelters a wanted anarchist and confronts a British spy.aka Sex & Fury
One of Toei's Pinky Violence films, mucky exploitation films but this movie and its sequel are more than that, as the include some quite memorable scenes and eventually come across as similar to Lady Snowblood but with nudity. - DirectorTeruo IshiiStarsReiko IkeMakoto AikawaArumi KuriOcho gets abducted by a yakuza clan that uses a gang of women to smuggle drugs in their vaginas. Finding out that the kingpin had killed the last boss and abducted his daughter, Ocho joins forces with the drug mules against the clan.aka Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture
- DirectorKinji FukasakuStarsBunta SugawaraShin'ichi ChibaMeiko KajiA young criminal joins a yakuza family to kill the gangsters who beat him up, but falls in love with his boss' widow's niece, piling up enemies and corpses along his wayward way.Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Hiroshima Deathmatch
- DirectorKinji FukasakuStarsBunta SugawaraAkira KobayashiTsunehiko WataseYakuza boss Shozo Hirono must choose his alliances carefully as the local gangster family affiliations prove themselves to be wildly unstable, causing gang conflicts to slowly escalate.aka Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Proxy War
- DirectorEiichi KudôStarsTatsuo UmemiyaHiroki MatsukataBunta SugawaraIse, a Yakuza mid-level drug dealer, is captured during a police sting operation. The Yakusa criminal breaks down under interrogation and agrees to become a police informant.
- DirectorRyûichi TakamoriStarsShin'ichi ChibaMari AtsumiKinji TakinamiKarate master and anti-drug vigilante Kiba returns to his home in Japan, where he aims to wipe out the nation's drug industry.
- DirectorSydney PollackStarsRobert MitchumKen TakakuraEiji OkadaAmerican private-eye Harry Kilmer returns to Japan to rescue a friend's kidnapped daughter from the clutches of the Yakuza.A powerful film with one of Robert Mitchum's best performances alongside Ken Takakura.
- DirectorKinji FukasakuStarsBunta SugawaraAkira KobayashiTatsuo UmemiyaConflicts between Hirono's family and Yamamori's family (and their allies) are made more tense by the ambitious underlings and the police's efforts to impose a crackdown on the gangs.aka Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Police Tactics
- DirectorKinji FukasakuStarsSeizô FukumotoNobuo KanekoJô ShishidoWhile Hirono is in prison, his rival Takeda turns his own crime organization into a political party, whose two executives stir up new tensions in their thirst for power.aka Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Final Episode
- DirectorKinji FukasakuStarsBunta SugawaraHiroki MatsukataNobuo KanekoBunta Sugawara is Miyoshi, a low-level assassin of the Yamamori gang who is sent to jail after a bungled hit. While in stir, family member Aoki attempts to seize power from the boss, and Miyoshi finds himself stuck between the two factions with no honorable way out.
- DirectorHideo GoshaStarsNoboru AndôAkira KobayashiIsao NatsuyagiA retired yakuza is caught in the middle of a growing conflict between two rival clans.
- DirectorKinji FukasakuStarsTetsuya WatariTatsuo UmemiyaYumi TakigawaA self-destructive man becomes a powerful member of the Japanese mafia but quickly loses his self control. Based on the true story of Rikio Ishikawa.aka Graveyard of Honor
- DirectorKinji FukasakuStarsBunta SugawaraTatsuo UmemiyaHiroki MatsukataActing boss Hirotani of the Ohara gang uses his friendship with corrupt cop Kuno to usurp a staged land deal that rival yakuza gang Kawade had arranged through local politicians. Open warfare erupts between the two gangs.
- DirectorSam PeckinpahStarsJames CaanRobert DuvallArthur HillMike Locken, who works for a private security firm affiliated with the C.I.A., is betrayed by his partner and left apparently crippled for life.
- DirectorKinji FukasakuStarsBunta SugawaraTsunehiko WataseYuriko HishimiSugawara is Kuroda, an itinerant gambler who steps in when a hit by drug-addicted assassin Kusunoki goes wrong, and takes the fall on behalf of the Owada family, but when the gang fails to make good on financial promises to him, Kuroda targets the family bosses with a ruthless vengeance.
- DirectorSadao NakajimaStarsHiroki MatsukataKin'ya KitaôjiGorô IbukiJapan, 1948: Hiroki Matsukata stars as a man facing a nine year prison sentence. He incites prisoners of Shimane Prison to the biggest riot in jail history. A fighter by heart, he sees a way out of any situation, but will he survive this, the gutsiest assault ever attempted?aka Riot Shimane Prison
- DirectorKinji FukasakuStarsTetsuya WatariMeiko KajiTatsuo UmemiyaWhen a cop is transferred to a new precinct it is obvious that the area's yakuza mob are not dealing with just another policeman. The cop is bent on results and is not immune to becoming rough in order to get results. Matters take a different turn, however, as the policeman juxtaposes the nature of his targets with his own colleagues, examines their actions more closely and becomes acquainted with a woman on the fringe of the criminal underworld.
- DirectorSadao NakajimaStarsHiroki MatsukataShin'ichi ChibaMikio NaritaSet in Okinawa 1971, one year before the return of power to the mainland, this film highlights the bloody battle of Okinawa Yakuza gangsters versus mainland system.aka Okinawa Yakuza War
- DirectorKinji FukasakuStarsBunta SugawaraIsao BitôTakeo ChiiSugawara plays Nozaki, a laborer who swears allegiance to a sympathetic crime boss, only to find himself elected his successor after the boss is murdered. Restrained by a gang alliance that forbids retributions against high-level members, Nozaki forms a plot to exact revenge on his rivals, but a suspicious relationship with his own sister taints his relationship with his fellow gang members.
- DirectorKôsaku YamashitaStarsBunta SugawaraTsunehiko WataseMayumi NagisaOne of the only pre-1980s yakuza films to be dubbed-into-English.aka The Tattooed Hitman
- DirectorKinji FukasakuStarsShin'ichi ChibaJanet HattaEiko MatsudaA tough-as-nails cop from Okinawa investigates a savage murder in Tokyo's nightlife district. Originally dismissed as a bumpkin, he soon proves more savvy than the local police.aka Doberman Cop
Manga adaptation again starring Chiba. - DirectorSadao NakajimaStarsShin SaburiKôji TsurutaHiroki MatsukataA supposedly true-to-life story of one of the biggest rightists - yakuza bosses in 1950s - '60s Japan.aka Yakuza War: The Japanese Don
- DirectorKinji FukasakuStarsHiroki MatsukataYumiko NogawaShin'ichi ChibaA Yakuza group from Osaka with dreams of national dominance moves into the snowy Hokuriku region, sparking a bloody turf war with local gangs.