The Blood of Wolves

2018

2h 6m

Crime

Drama

List

100%

Tomatometer

9 Reviews

91%

Audience Score

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Rookie detective Hioka is given a crash course in subterfuge and street smarts by his veteran partner as the two attempt to shake down the mob.

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Robbie Collin

Daily Telegraph (UK)

Just as the film pulls no punches when it comes to violence, it withholds the tension-breaking respite of pastiche.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 29, 2018

Full Review

Katie Rife

AV Club

[It's] an appealingly hard-boiled tribute to Kinji Fukasaku's seminal Battles Without Honor And Humanity series from Toei, the same studio that released Fukasaku's yakuza films back in the '70s.

Rated: B

Oct 18, 2018

Full Review

Matt Donato

What To Watch

The intricate web of lies, sleazeball rivalries, and stakeout benders that is The Blood Of Wolves does so, so, SO much right.

Rated: 4/5

Nov 20, 2020

Full Review

Pieter-Jan Van Haecke

Psychocinematography

While those expecting a pure Yakuza drama might be disappointed, those who give Blood of Wolves a chance are in for one of the best and most entertaining Yakuza/police thrillers in years.

Sep 27, 2020

Full Review

Panos Kotzathanasis

Asian Movie Pulse

"The Blood of the Wolves" is a great movie, definitely among the best of the year, and hopefully, a splendid beginning in the resurrection of the Yakuza film.

Nov 30, 2019

Full Review

Leigh Monson

Birth.Movies.Death.

You may approach The Blood of Wolves with a sense of nostalgia for yakuza films, but you'll leave with a sense that this pulpy genre has been injected with new life.

Sep 27, 2018

Full Review

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Audience Member

I was lucky enough to catch this film at the new York Asian film festival yesterday. I am a fan of Japanese yakuza films, especially Kinji Fukasaku's "Battles without honor and humanity" series. Shiraishi continues to wade into this world of gritty hiroshima yakuza thugs, this time focusing on the other side: the grittier, nastier Hiroshima police. The film is set in 1988, at the tail end of the showa era. It starts with the brutal torture of a young yakuza accountant that starts the ball rolling on a potential gang war. a young detective, fresh out of university, is assigned to partner up with a veteran detective in the anti gang division. The veteran is obviously dirty, and it offends the young cop to the point where he begins investigating his partner as well. as we follow the investigation of the disappearance of that young accountant, we see the line blur between police and criminal. There is no one to really root for in this film. No true good guy, only characters that I liked more than others. I found it difficult to side with anyone. Koji Yakusho's stellar performance as the dirty cop walking the tightrope between cop and criminal becomes the most likeable character in comparison. Tori Matsuzaka plays the young cop who does a great job as the only "clean" cop in the division. His character is so clean that it was almost cringe worthy for me to watch him constantly yell out "This is wrong!" throughout 3/4 of the movie. Don't get me wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. The story made sense. The violence was bloody. The ending was cathartic. This film is much more satisfying than most of the other yakuza films I've seen in the past decade. The problems I had with the film had to do with the politics among these gangs. Why are some of these characters so important? Why is that woman crying over some young guy she screwed a couple of times? My problems with this film are kinda petty, and didn't affect my overall enjoyment. Think of it as "Training Day" meets "Battles without Honor and Humanity."

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A well executed fusion of genres. The bad cop is partnered with a good cop within a yakusa setting. What's not to like.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Masterpiece Yakuza movie

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

Full Review

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Kazuya Shiraishi

Director

Kôji Yakusho

Shogo Ogami

Tôri Matsuzaka

Shuichi Hioka

Yosuke Eguchi

Moritaka Ichinose

Renji Ishibashi

Shohei Ikago

Yôko Maki

Rikako Takagi

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Synopsis

Rookie detective Hioka is given a crash course in subterfuge and street smarts by his veteran partner as the two attempt to shake down the mob.

Director: Kazuya Shiraishi
Production Co: Toei Tokyo
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 23, 2020
Runtime: 2h 6m