Set
at the turn of the Showa Era, the son of a gangster boss gives up a
navy career to avenge the murder of his father. Young Takeshi carefully
plots the destruction of the opposing (evil) yakuza gang so that his
(good) yakuza gang can prevail. As other critics have pointed out, the
plot is uncomfortably similar to that of Godfather II which would
not be made for another ten years. Interestingly, despite the proven
International success of this motion picture, it has never been released
in the United States.
Kazuo Ikehiro is a legendary Japanese filmmaker, still active today
in his '90s. He has directed both television and big screen productions
since the early '60s but he's best known for episodes of the Baby
Cart TV series (Lone Wolf and Child), many Zatoichi films, and the
BAND
OF ASSASSINS motion pictures.
A Japanese film with
optional English subtitles; widescreen format, (89 min.), DVD encoded
for ALL REGION NTSC, playable on any American machine. Extras include
theatrical trailer.
