Violent Streets — Violent Streets (Blu Ray)

Originally released in 1974, Violent Streets is a Japanese crime drama directed by Hideo Gosha (Goyokin, Onimasa and Yôkirô). The film stars Noboru Andô (Violent Fraternity, Yakuza Hijoshi: Mushyo Kyodai and Blood and the Law) as Egawa, Akira Kobayashi (Haru Kuru Oni, Tokyo Mighty Guy and Rising Dragon’s Iron Fist) as Yazaki, Isao Natsuyagi (Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion, Hunter in the Dark and Emperor) as Hama and Bunta Sugawara (Spirited Away, Tales of Earthsea and The Man Who Stole the Sun) as Gizagoro’s Dragon

Hideo Gosha was renowned for his superior chambara movies - Chambara is the name given to the genre of Japanese samurai movies. His most celebrated titles being Goyokin and Hitokiri, both released in 1969. During the 70s Gosha abandoned the chambara genre in favour of yakuza-style crime movies, 1974s Violent Streets would become rated as one of the very best of the genre, and Gosha would go on to influence the likes of Takashi Miike and Yoshiaki Kawajiri.

After undergoing a prison sentence for his gang-related activities, Egawa (played by former gangster turned actor Noboru Andô) is awarded a nightclub on the Ginza strip as severance pay from his yakuza paymasters for keeping his mouth shut. However, before long a series of seemingly disparate plot threads begin to entwine to create one of the true greats of yakuza cinema. The Togiku family, who Egawa used to work for are embroiled in a battle for control of the Tokyo crime underworld, their new rivals are after Egawa’s club and are determined to make the acquisition, while there is also an underlying plot about the bungled kidnapping of a young pop star, as well as the fact that the boss of the Togiku clan is now married to Egawa’s former lover, who decided to marry him, rather than wait for her lover to serve his time in prison. This all works to drag Egawa back into the crime world he thought he had left behind.

Despite the many different threads, the story is clear and well-written, and whilst the film is violent and exploitative, it remains a stylish and well-crafted piece of cinema. As mentioned earlier you can really see the influence it had on Takashi Miike to produce similarly high-quality, violent crime dramas. As well as the brilliant Andô who steals the show in a role that is obviously reinforced by his former activities, it’s worth mentioning that Akira Kobayashi is excellent as his friend, Togiku arms dealer, Yazaki who refuses to leave the clan, saying it is better for him to remain part of the family. The film is also really interesting for the casting of trans-actor Madame Joy, who plays a yakuza killer.

Stylish, brutal and exploitative, Violent Streets is the blueprint for a host of great Japanese crime thrillers, featuring some outstanding action sequences. The fight in the chicken coop is iconic and one of the best in Japanese genre cinema, whilst the murders are graphic and brutal there is a certain beauty to the way they are choreographed. They are an art form in themselves. 

This new Blu-ray from Eureka features a stunning 2k print of the movie that really does it justice. On top of that, we get some interesting interview footage discussing both the yakuza genre and the film itself as well as the traditional trailer. Violent Streets is an excellent entry in the Japanese crime drama genre and remains one of Hideo Gosha’s defining masterpieces. Fans of Takashi Miike will love this and will be able to appreciate the influence Gosha’s movie had upon the modern-day auteur.