Yakuza Wolf 1 and 2 — Yakuza Wolf 1 and 2( Blu Ray)
Here we have a two-film box set bringing together two very tonally different 1970’s Yakuza thrillers/ action films featuring Shinichi “Sonny” Chiba. The first Yakuza Wolf is a decidedly dark ‘n’ sleazy affair with serious spaghetti western undertones. While the second is more of a typically 70’s action thriller, with some light-hearted/ comedic undertones. Here from Eureka Entertainment is the first-ever UK release of these. Each film gets a classy ‘n’ crisp HD scan, commentary tracks, and a video essay.
The first disc takes in Yakuza Wolf (aka Ôkami Yakuza: Koroshi Wa Ore Ga Yaru) from the year 1972. It was directed by Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan Ryûichi Takamori. Between the mid ’60s and the late 80’s he had thirty-six feature-length credits to his name. His career opened with high school drama Kimitachi Ga Ite Boku Ga Ita, and family comedy Let's Dance Bon-Odori in Hawaii (1964)- before going on to make a fair few crime action films with Chiba like Tale of Kawachi Chivalry (1967), The Assassin(1970), and Bodyguard Kiba (1973).
The film drops us straight into the sleaze- as we see a naked & sweaty woman bucking ‘n’ grinding with a man. Suddenly both parties pause in their passions, as a knife is a bloodily thrust into the man's back- seemingly penetrating them both. The camera pans back, and we see the decidedly mean ‘n’ moody Naoto Kiba (Chiba) with a stubbily black beard, black trilby hat, and black trench coat.
As things unfold, we see Naoto stalking the nighttime streets- taking out a few other gang members with blood-spurting attacks. He spies on a group of gang members cruelly raping a woman in a car. In time he starts focusing on playing one gang off against each other, and along the way, we find out his sister has been taken by one of the gangs and sold into the sex trade- so will he manage to fully carry out his revenge, find his sister, while avoiding the cops?
The film starts very grimly moody with the nighttime scenes- but as we shift into the daytime, we get some very spaghetti western-like shots, as the cool & calm solo figure of Naoto guns down one person after another. Along the way we get some impressively dizzying shootouts & fights- with the camera spiralling, shifting, and darting in a wonderfully manic way.
The film runs at the one hour & twenty-seven-minute mark, and for its first half or so it unfolds with great pace- with a blend of action, blood, and female flesh. Things do lull slightly in the middle- though we do get a wonderful brutal & bloody resolve with a red rose backdrop with Naoto having both hands broken & bandaged.
Chiba has a wonderful screen presence here- very much like the classic man with no name from the spaghetti western genre. The rest of the cast is passable to good- though a lot of the gangsters are somewhat interchangeable.
Aside from the mentioned lull, Yakuza Wolf is an entertaining exploitation ride- featuring a good mix of action, bloody brutality, and often sweat-drenched female flesh- all finished off with some creative & moody shot use.
On the extras side on this first disc, we get a commentary track from genre experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema- this is a chatty/ well-informed affair. They begin by running through the film's different titles, before commenting how quickly sex & violence appear. They talk about what the real Yakuza were like during this period of time, and the shift in the type of characters Chiba played- and that he’s a cold bastard in this film. They talk about the use of colour in Japanese films of this time, and how the Yakuza of today differ with less manpower & older members. Later on, they point out key scenes that mimic the spaghetti western style. Discuss the other films director Ryûichi Takamori made- both those with & without Chiba. They talk about Chiba's use of eye acting in this film and much more. It's a track that is most certainly worth a play.
Otherwise, we have Lone Wolves: Yojimbo, Django and Yakuza Wolf (23.47) which is a video essay with genre expert Howard Hughes. He talks about the crossovers between the Japanese samurai & Italian spaghetti westerns, and how they influenced each other. He talks about notable films in both genres, and a few bizarre genre blends. He moves on to talk about the first & second Yakuza Wolf films. Again, well worth a play.
On the next disc we have of course is Yakuza Wolf 2: Extend My Condolences. This was also from 1972- but boy is it a shift in tone, lead character, and general feel- with the only real connection being with the first film that the whole thing is a Yakuza revenge-fuelled feature.
The film was directed by Chichibu, Saitama-born Buichi Saitô. He has seventy features to his name- these move from the pulp crime film The Rambling Guitarist (1959), to the family drama Wind And Waves Of The South(1961), and through to the slapstick Yakuza film Song of Ossan of Kawachi(1976).
The film centres around Ibuki (Shinichi Chiba) a white-suited clean-shaven criminal- when we meet him has just been busted for a gun deal. He’s sent to prison by flat cap-wearing cop Kembe (Mikio Narita) who has been trying to arrest him for some time, and there is little love lost between the two.
Ibuki is in the slammer for five years- during his time, which is told within a short time he befriends gelled-haired, serial killer glasses-wearing, and moustached Goro Yuki (Tatsuya Fuji).
The pair are released on the same day- with Ibuki focused on revenging Kembe - who has now got himself connected tightly with a Yakuza gang. Ibuki pulls together a team to help him carry out the deed- taking in a wall like Sailer who easily knocks folk around, a harpoon-using henchman, and a few others- with the group focusing on getting into the gangs' mountain-top mansion. Added into the mix we have Mari (Reiko Ike) Ibuki's dancing girlfriend- who is now under the control of Kembe.
First off Shinichi character in this film is in complete contrast to his character in the first film- aside from a suavely suited look- he is fairly charming, and at points quite emotional in places. There is none of the dark ‘n’ sweaty sleazed air to this film, and at points, we get moments of slapstick- though most of the tone is kept fairly serious- aside from the odd bit of banter/ joking. There is some blood/ gore- but it’s way down from the first film. The action is a mix of fist fights, some gunplay, and a memorable hanging/climbing along the bottom of a bridge scene from Shinichi.
Yakuza Wolf 2: Extend My Condolences is fine for this type of 70’s action film- with Shinichi's charm & presence shining though. It’s just a pity they didn’t carry on with the tone and lead character from the first film- as it was something a little bit different, and I loved the spaghetti western/’70s action crossover vibe.
For extras on this second disc, we get a commentary track from Mike Leeder and Arne Venema. They start by saying if the first film was Die Hard, this film is Hudson Hawk with its drastic tonal shift between films. They talk about how Chiba looks more comic book-like here, and how difficult in reality it is to get hold of guns in Japan. They point out notable actors as they appear. The use of James Bond gadget elements in this film. They discuss the tonal shifts within the film- pondering if there were several different directors. They talk about the other output of director Buichi Saitô- how he worked from the 50’s to the 90’s. We get a chat about the golf course gun shooting scene. Later on, they talk about what parts of the film were captured on sound stages/ real locations. They talk about the film's laid-back/ cold villain, and the team Chiba’s character brought together for the film.
If you’re a fan of 70’s Japanese action films, this set is well worth tracking down. Yes, I prefer the first film, and wished the darker sleazier tone had continued- but Yakuza Wolf 2: Extend My Condolences is entertaining enough for what it is. This new Eureka Entertainment release certainly takes in two great scans and most worthy/ interesting extras…here’s looking forward to more 1970s Chiba films from the company.