A yakuza walks free, falls in love, then learns freedom is just another prison.
Newly out of prison after killing his boss' rival, Akio Maki is eager to move on and start a new life with the boss' daughter. However, the chains of the past are not so easily broken and Maki is soon ordered to kill again.
Acting
Yūjirō Ishihara's smoldering resignation — the king of Japanese cool.
Cinematography
Shadow-soaked Yokohama docks that breathe noir into nihilism.
Direction
Ezaki's brutal economy — no wasted frame in 103 minutes.
Director
Mio Ezaki
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Part of Nikkatsu's 'borderless action' wave — Japanese studios aping French New Wave and American noir to reinvent the yakuza genre for restless youth audiences.
Yūjirō Ishihara was Japan's biggest star — this role cemented his persona as the beautiful loser doomed by his own code.
JP
