Graveyard of Honor (Japan, 1975)

A look at the life of renegade yakuza, Rikio Ishikawa, particularly the years from 1946 to 1950 when his violent antics get him in trouble with his own clan, Kawada, and then with the clan of his protector, Kozaburo Imai. In these years, he can rely on Chieko, a young Tokyo courtesan who gives him shelter. He's banished to Osaka, where he picks up a drug habit. Through it all, he keeps his friends and enemies off balance with unpredictable behavior - and he seems indestructible.

Kinji Fukasaku's (Battle Royale) Graveyard of Honor is one of the must-see masterpieces of the yakuza cinema, and an ultra-violent journey through Osaka's underworld of misery and power struggles. Fukasaku makes it feel almost like a documentary in how the film is like a chronicle of one disturbed man's life, and how he's sort of like an anti-hero. I love how wild the film-style is, with different filters popping in and out and how in every fight it's like the camera man is scared senseless and stumbles around while trying to shoot the film. 

The film had a remake in 2002 by Takashi Miike and while both films are fantastic, the 1975 version has a realness to it which in my opinion is far more effective than having more violence. 

Genre: Action/Crime

Graveyard of Honor (Japan, 2002)

A barkeeper saves a Yakuza boss' life and thus makes his way up in the organization. However his fear of nothing soon causes problems. 

A sociopathic killer rapist is on the rampage and leaves piles of bodys in his wake? Yep, this is a Takashi Miike film, alright. Basically an out of control yakuza crime fest, and if you consider yourself a fan of Japanese ultra-violence, this is your cup of blood. It's a remake of Kinji Fukasaku's film from 1975 of the same name, based on the real life gangster Rikio Ishikawa, and even though Miike's film is a bit more cleaned up and controlled, it's still a brutal yakuza crime spree. Here we find some of the most realistic shootout scenes ever put to film, and it stops feeling like a movie and more of a situation where someone with  a camera got caught in a chaotic firefight. 

Even if one should be well-versed in action flicks, Graveyard of Honor still contains a lot of violence which can be tough to stomach, with an abundance of abuse toward women.

Genre: Action/Crime/Thriller