Not as compelling as some other features directed by Takeshi Kitano (Fireworks), this 1989 yakuza thriller is still a fascinating example of lovingly depicted ultraviolence demonstrating a great reverence for the characters’ motivations. Kitano plays a detective who’s slow to anger but quick to take action, executing drug dealers and murderers—unless his colleagues intervene—and eventually finding himself in an extended standoff with a syndicate member whose revenge ethics and combat ingenuity are as nuanced and psychotic as his own. Written by Hisashi Nozawa. 103 min.
