A yakuza's conscience haunts him like a ghost he can't outrun.
Direction
Imai's unflinching eye for human wreckage.
Acting
Kimura's face carries ten years of bad decisions.
Director
Tadashi Imai
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Imai was a communist who survived the Red Purge; his yakuza films weaponize noir conventions to critique capitalist cruelty.
Toei's 'ninkyo' wave was just beginning—this film's commercial failure nearly killed the genre before it started.
JP
