Battles Without Honor and Humanity

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DanTheMan 2 The epitome of humanity's self-destructive nature in its raw, chaotic form all delivered via Kinji Fukasaku's ultraviolent, handheld stylistic blitzkrieg. The title says it all. There's a true sense of lawlessness at the heart of Battles Without Honor and Humanity, one that applies the electric shock treatment to lobotomise any romantic notions of gangsterdom. A dog-eat-dog world of violent, craven thugs and corrupt law enforcers, here the traditional codes of humanity and group loyalty on which Japan's postwar foundations were built are revealed to be a sham. There's some truly superb acting here from everyone involved, although Bunta Sugawara is a clear scene-stealer, a diverse cast of characters who offer a different perspective with their own viewpoints. Fukasaku demonstrates his great skill as a director, and his technique perfectly fits the movie's tone. Using a fast-paced, erratic, nearly chaotic style the action scenes offer us that taste of brutality we wouldn't have felt had the film been directed more traditionally. Fukasaku strays from the established formula of people getting killed fast and easy with one or two bullets instead he shows us an alternative to that: a slow, painful exercise, one that more accurately portrays the yakuza's violent lifestyle. Yet there are no large body counts, the battles are often predetermined with one side attacking an individual or small group from the other, by surprise and in overwhelming force. There really is no honour in the Japanese underworld. Bright, brash, violent and bloody terrific it's hard not to see how Battles Without Honor and Humanity triumphs, a brilliantly, violent tale about the dark and unforgiving nature of the Japanese crime syndicate that once it starts, never stops. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/13/25 Full Review william d Not sure why this film is considered a gangster classic, There's really not much of a story, just a bunch of guys fighting at the drop of a hat. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member I liked this movie it was surprisingly gory at times. It felt a bit like the Godfather(though not a great comparison since the Godfather is the best). This is a good Japanese mob movie. We get an interesting look at Japanese culture through the lens of the mob. I enjoyed this movie. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review Audience Member una puta locura, chinos pegándose tiros narrado con un estilo documental donde no te enteras de nada, esta pasada. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review dustin d Battles without Honor & Humanity is stylish and shocking. It deromanticizes organized crime and portrays the dirty politics of criminal organizations. Like many of Fukasaku's films, there are a lot of characters and subplots that requires attentive viewing to follow along. Also, with a nine-year time frame crammed into a 99-minute run time, the film feels reductive. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Inspired by the success of The Godfather and based upon a series of newspaper articles depicting the Yakuza lifestyle firsthand, Battles Without Honor & Humanity sent a shockwave throughout the then-stagnant universe of Japanese gangster movies and brought about many sequels and imitators. The plot of this film centers around Shozo Hirono (Bunta Sugawara) and his struggles with climbing the ladder in organized crime. Hirono adheres to a code of honor that the Yakuza supposedly cherishes, but his peers and even his superiors tend to only act chivalrous when it suits them. Battles Without Honor & Humanity attracted a lot of scrutiny for its grisly violence, gritty performance from Bunta Sugawara, and the frantic cinema verite style that director Kinji Fukasaku shot it in. It's frequently compared to similar films being made by Sidney Lumet and Martin Scorsese at the same time, but Battles Without Honor & Humanity also bears a grim charisma that's all its own. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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