While director Kinji Fukasaku is now most well known for authoritarian high-school free-for-all Battle Royale, it's his pentalogy of Yakuza films, Battles Without Honor and Humanity, that originally cemented him in the cinematic landscape. The series largely follows a Yakuza member, Shozo Hirono, through 25 years of post-World War II Japan and as the title suggests, there is no romanticising of gangsters to be found here; it is every bit as bloody, backstabbing and chaotic as you might expect from the Yakuza underworld.
In spite of an almost unrelenting string of deaths and political manoeuvring one thing that struck me about the series is quite how much fun it manages to be. I think this is in large part due to the sheer energy of it, everything is so dynamic, kinetic and in your face, moving the plot along at breakneck speed. At times this can be confusing, but I think that only reflects how the Yakuza's allegiances and standing can change at the drop of a hat - greed and egos fuelling an unbroken chain of violence and murder in a lawless world.
I'm usually wary of films that are broken up into many parts (particularly when several of those parts end up being a wholly unnecessary cash grab - this seems to be becoming increasingly common of late) but I really enjoyed the segmented nature of this one. With each film you better understand the Yakuza and their idiosyncrasies and it was enough just to hear the main motif of the series to get all fired up again - excessive brawling and backstabbing await!
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