Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Proxy War [Blu-ray/DVD] [2 Discs]

Director: Kinji Fukasaku Kinji Fukasaku

Overview

Kinji Fukasaku's violent chronicle of mob warfare in post-war Hiroshima continues with this, the third film in the Yakuza Papers series. Shozo Hirono (Bunta Sugawara) struggles to remain independent and neutral in the midst of an ongoing battle between two mob families, but his drams of brokering a balance between them are dashed when a crime syndicate from Kobe enters the picture. Meanwhile, the man who is to one day lead the Muraoka family is killed, leading to a fierce and bloody battle for control dominated by the opportunistic Uchimoto (Takeshi Kato). Jingi Naki Tatakai: Dairi Senso (aka Yakuza Papers, Vol. 3: Proxy War) was followed in 1974 by Jingi Naki Tatakai: Chojo Sakusen (aka Yakuza Papers, Vol. 4: Police Tactics).

Product Details

Release Date:	08/09/2016
UPC:	0760137806295
Original Release:	1973
Rating:	NR
Source:	Arrow Video
Region Code:	A
Sound:	[stereo, Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:42:00
Sales rank:	27,997

Special Features

Secrets of the Piranha Army-a new documentary about the troupe of supporting actors who appeared throughout the series, featuring Interviews with original Piranha members Masaru Shiga and Takashi Noguchi, plus second-generation Piranha, Takashi Nishina and Akira Murota; Tales of a Bit Player - a new Interview with supporting actor and stuntman Seizo Fukumoto; Original Trailer; Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Reinhard Kleist

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Bunta Sugawara	Shozo Hirono
Takeshi Kato	Uchimoto
Hiroki Matsukata	Tetsuya Sakai
Nobuo Kaneko	Yamamori
Toshie Kimura	Mrs. Yamamori
Seizo Fukumoto	Shimonaka
Tatsuo Umemiya	Hiroshi Wakasugi
Takuzo Kawatani	Ryoichi Enami
Goro Ibuki	Ueda
Eiko Nakamura	Suzue
Harumi Sone	Shuji Yano
Tsunehiko Watase	Kuramoto Takeshi
Tamio Kawaji	Kanbara
Mayumi Nagisa	Akiko Shinjo
Hiroshi Nawa	Doi
Kunie Tanaka	Makihara
Akira Kobayashi	Takeda Akira
Reiko Ike	Actor
Asao Koike	Narrator
Shingo Yamashiro	Actor
Toshiaki Tsushima	Composer

Technical Credits

Kazuo Kasahara

Kinji Fukasaku	Director
Kazuo Kasahara	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

The Yakuza Papers 3: Proxy War might not be as overwhelming as the first film in the series, but it definitely gives it a run for the money. The script for this one is built upon a series of shifting alliances, secret deals, and double-crosses so complex it could provide enough material for an entire season of your average television drama. That said, The Yakuza Papers 3: Proxy War works because it makes the untangling of this web of deceit into a compelling film. As with the first Yakuza Papers, Bunta Sugawara anchors the film as Hirono, a somber, upright individual trying to hang on to his honor in a world of backstabbers. Nobuo Kaneko makes an excellent opponent to Sugawara as his dastardly, manipulative ex-boss, and Takeshi Kato is similarly nasty as a one-time ally of Hirono who tries to put him in the line of fire after using him for his connections. Behind the camera, Kinji Fukasaku handles the intricate storyline with skill, offsetting the film's many terse dialogue exchanges with shocking blasts of violence and the occasional moment of mournful beauty (the tragic finale, where Hirono sees the human cost of the war he is in, is a stunner). All in all, The Yakuza Papers 3: Proxy War is a top-shelf yakuza film and worthy entry in this series.