Genre: Yakuza

What prevents Battles Without Honour and Humanity from being a true masterpiece is its confused, muddled plot.

‘Brother’ is a very classy film with some powerful moments that are eloquently shot and acted through the eyes of Takeshi Kitano.

If you manage to remain interested while the film establishes a story and can tolerate the odd sense of the macabre, then ‘Gonin’ does provide a few flashes of excellence.

For those prepared for difficult material and subject matter it is a stylish, gripping example of fearless, maverick cinema.

With brains, brawn and cool, cruel style to spare, ‘Japan Organized Crime Boss’ is a fantastic entry point to Fukasaku’s earlier movies.

A rewarding stand-alone experience, ‘Elegant Slaughter’ is also an irresistible taster for stories yet to come. The queue starts here.

Not that I am expecting high art from what is a low budget Japanese action film but this film really is awful.

Although it may not be for everyone, ‘Sonatine’ is a captivating watch that really shows a different side to the gangster lifestyle.

A knockabout punch-up of a movie, ‘Street Mobster’ flamboyantly bloodies the audience’s nose with its raw brutality and antisocial behaviour.

‘The Flower And The Angry Waves’ is a great little film, as worthy of attention as any of Suzuki’s later films or indeed of any fellow period films.

Despite some excellent action with Chiba on top form, it’s the unintentionally comical moments and camp overall feeling that win out.

While it may still be an adequate time filler, ‘Yakuza Deka: The Assassin’ is really nothing more than a carbon copy of the first film.