Yakuza Keibatsu-shi: Rinchi!
1969 / 96m - Japan
Crime, Action
2.5*/5.0*
Yakuza Law poster

Watches

January 24, 2021

2.5*/5.0*

Teruo Ishii's mini-anthology on the code of the Yakuza. Three shorts each handle a different aspect of the code, though the setup of each story is very much alike. I'm not the biggest fan of this format to be honest, I prefer more varied anthologies, but at least Ishii makes sure things never gets boring.

The first two shorts are set in ancient Japan (Edo and Taisho era) while the last one takes place in a more contemporary (and common Yakuza) setting. Though the title of the film focuses on the law part, Ishii has more interest in what happens when they are broken, which makes for some very gruesome punishments.

While the exploitation elements are definitely fun, Ishii seemed a little too confident in the technical side of his production. Paint-like blood and rubber body replacements don't work that well from up close. The pacing is high though and there are some very nasty kills that will no doubt please genre fans.