Japanese director Kinji Fukasaku is probably best known for his turn-of-the-century dystopian epic Battle Royale, which not only prompted a brand-new phenomenon of films and games centred on one survivor death battles but also spawned a new generation of young actors. However, in truth, his key body of work is centred around the yakuza film, a subgenre he effectively kickstarted with his five-part Battles without Honor and Humanity a.k.a The Yakuza Paper movie series, made between 1973 and 74, and which he swiftly followed up with the three-film instalment, New Battles without Honor and Humanity. Despite this burst of activity, within five years his days of yakuza filmmaking were over, in no small part due to the tragedy-cum-controversy that followed the release of 1977’s Hokuriku Proxy War. 

Set on the West coast of Japan, the area of the country that sees the most snowfall, and which Fukasaku makes full use of in his storytelling, Hokuriku Proxy War is the tale of the fiery and impetuous, albeit highly-principled, gangster Noburo Kawada, played by Hiroki Matsukata, and the intrigues that follow when he is left disillusioned by the actions of local boss Mr. Yasuhara (played by veteran and Kurosawa supporting actor Kō Nishimura). Kawada rebels, aligning himself with the Osaka-based section of the yakuza, led by the flamboyant Kanai and played with some panache by martial artist legend and pioneer, Sonny Chiba. But when the aforementioned Kanai himself becomes too much of a threat, the Asada Group (a powerful yakuza syndicate) promote Kawada as the perfect proxy to stand against him – rebel v rebel. Predictably, things start to unravel quickly. Cue the appearance of a mass of yakuza faction, allegiance swapping, some double cross and lots of cat and mouse. 

This is a film that bursts with fire, violence, brutality and great frenetic performances underscored by a complex and interwoven narrative that in all honesty does require some careful concentration. But don’t be put off, because Hokuriku Proxy War is a riot. The energy of the characters is through the roof, compounded by Fukasaku’s somewhat chaotic but effective direction. The performances are generally excellent across the board, but it’s the two female leads that steal the show here: Yumiko Nogawa and Yoko Takahashi. Nogawa was a well-established actress by this point having gained renown in Seijun Suzuki’s mid-60’s Flesh Trilogy and here she excels as Kawada’s lover, Kiku, who finds herself entrenched in the political machinations of the yakuza. The lesser-known Takahashi, on the other hand, plays Kiku’s sister, Nobuku. Selected based solely on her picture, she does no less of a wonderful job because of it, playing the emotional, fierce and highly sympathetic friend and latterly, lover of Kawada - a plot point that gives the film an extra intensity.

By the time of the film’s release, the yakuza film genre, Jitsuroku eiga was well-established and embedded in Japanese moviegoing culture, but Hokuriku Proxy War didn’t really have the impact that was hoped – in no small part due to life imitating art and the assassination of the real Yakuza leader emulated in the film. All of which may explain why the film was unavailable for so long. Ripe for reissue, Radiance Films’ brand-new HD transfer of Toei Studios 4K restoration, which also includes uncompressed mono PCM audio, gives this film and its brutality a new lease of life as we see the starkness of blood red contrast so effectively on the luminous white snow. A limited edition of just 3000 copies, the Blu-ray comes with a booklet featuring newly translated archival essays by critics Nakamura Muneo and Kano Motohiko and filmmaker Fujisawa Isao and three very revealing bonus interview features. The first with aforementioned actress Takahashi, who tells the story of how she found herself in the film, memories of working with Fukasaku and how she felt having a real yakuza on set; followed up by screenwriter Koji Takada; and finally yakuza film historian Akihiko Ito regales the fascinating story of the real-life Hokuriku Proxy War murder case that most likely caused Fukasaku to pull the plug on his yakuza film career

Hokuriku Proxy War may not be the best yakuza film out there, but it’s original in its own way and the performances and energy make it a great addition to the canon.