Watch Battles Without Honor and Humanity For Free

Good concept, poorly executed.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

A lot of praise for this series of films from many posters, I see, but let me say that I can't recommend it for all of you. Yes, there's a bunch of good stuff here for the Yakuza film fans and the action film fans. The violence in this set of films would make the Droogs of the Ken Russell world very happy. Yet, let me emphasize that this movie and the sequels cannot stand up to all tastes. Don't cook your popcorn and sit down to see the entire series -- unless you have great tolerance for repetition of story lines over the course of five films averaging a hour and three quarters each. Or unless you have a very effective fast forward button. Not everyone one is going to appreciate the continual return of the same basic themes over and over again through the course of five films which seem to share the same internal rhythms of action and talk. When you think about what you see, you realize you see the action/violence scenes are crafted the same way and the consultation scenes too. A bunch of guys sitting down and making plans, or a couple of guys talking under the influence of alcohol again and again. Then, the explosion of violence with what seems a hand held camera, shuttling here and there in frenzied fashion. Yes, it is effective in terms of visceral response, but it's done again and again. So you wonder after awhile how many shots does it take to kill a guy. None of these bad guys seem to know how to shoot an enemy in the head. Or, they are the poorest marksmen in the world. The director just keeps repeating the same techniques. After awhile, it all gets a little tiresome. These guys spend a lot of time repeating themselves. Yes, there is one central character whose fate you might be compelled to follow since he is there from the end of WW2 to 1970 or so (when the series ends) despite the fact that he is off scene for many parts of this series because he is serving time in prison. The lead actor is named Bunta S., and he does a good job. Not quite like Mifune, of course, but why did Japanese actors in this era have to act like Dick Tracy's Blowtop (remember him from the comic strips?) Was this the ideal image of Manly Bossdom? Oh, forget about any meaningful female character. This is a man's world here.Anyway, lots of Yakuza lore in this movie, including the tattoos, and if you like that, fine. But consider that the new ranks of the gangsters are depicted as thugs with little brains for the present and no respect for past traditions.At the end, we get no real resolution. Retirement? You really think?

This was, BY FAR, one of the best Yakuza movies i have ever seen. From the graphic violence to the internal politics of the Japanese mafia, these movies earn a well deserved place in anyone's mafia library. The series follows the life of Shozo Hirono, an ex WWII Japanese soldier, and his rise and fall within the tumultuous ranks of the Yakuza. The movie chronicles the violent start of the Japanese mafia to about the end of the 70's. I really enjoyed the ENTIRE series, but i felt that it lost its gusto towards the end of the 5th movie, and it ended in a very "japanese" way: with commentary and non violent closure. Hirono retires unscathed, and walks off into the veritable sunset.. Other than the lame ending, the ENTIRE SERIES is straight up and down, one of the most awesome and REALISTIC views into the secret world of the yakuza, that i have ever had the absolute pleasure of viewing.

Director: Fukasaku Kinji Duration: 99 MinutesOpening with an image of the atomic bomb reducing Hiroshima to ashes, Fukasaku Kinji's Battles without Honor and Humanity begins a series of five movies depicting the chaotic life of Hirono Shozo a former soldier who is trying to survive in the chaotic world of the black markets in postwar Japan. A pretty even-tempered man, the viewer first witnesses Hirono lash out in violence when a group of American GIs try to rape a woman. Amidst the chaos of the black market with its prostitutes, underground rice kitchens, and violent bars, one of Hirono's friend's head is slashed by a yakuza. A rival yakuza was going to deal with the man, but in his stead Hoshino seeks revenge for his friend. Faced with a drunken, sword wielding yakuza Hirono empties his pistol into the man, and receives a twelve year sentence. However, while in prison, he meets another yakuza named Wakasugi who plans to slice open his stomach in order to get out of jail on bail. Promising to raise Hirono's bail money if he helps him in his plot, Wakasugi introduces Hirono into the world of the yakuza and the two men become blood brothers.A short time afterward, Hirono is released from prison and meets the head of the Doi family, the clan of the yakuza he went to jail for, and Yamamori the man who will soon be his gang boss. After Yamamori establishes his own gang, Hirono and several other toughs pledge their allegiance to him. However, almost from the beginning there is internal fighting in the ranks. How can a man as straight laced an honorable as Hirono work for a man like Yamamori who continuously plays his men against each other? During the late 1950s and the early 1960s a style of film called ninkyou eiga, or chivalry films became popular in Japan. For the most part these films portrayed yakuza as chivalrous beings who protected and preserved time honored traditions in Japan and expelled Western influences. Quite often in these films Westerners, Japanese heavily influenced by the West, and individuals of mixed blood were portrayed as villains while the sword wielding yakuza represented the purity of the Japanese spirit. It is not surprising that real yakuza were highly attracted to these films. However, Fukasaku Kinji viewed this portrayal of the yakuza as false and the ninkyou eiga films' portrayal of the yakuza, i.e. Japanese spirit, as being quite close to the wartime mentality. When Hirono draws his pistol and kills the sword-wielding yakuza it is a statement that the world of the yakuza is built on chaos and corruption not pure spirit. A highly recommended film and series for those who enjoy yakuza films and an important series for those who are interested in the evolution of the yakuza film.

Although based on a true story, this film owes a lot to The Godfather, which was released a couple of years before. However, there are quite a few differences. For a start, there are many more main characters. At least twenty. And they are introduced at such a rate as to make it impossible to follow the lot. No less than ten characters are introduced (each with a name and description subtitle) in the first two minutes. The key word for this film is - chaotic. The opening scene is of Japan just after the end of WWII. The camera uses the now-familiar form of WobblyScope, tumbling all over the place as it chases the young thugs who chase misbehaving GIs and then run away. The progression is highly episodic from there. Although Shozo is the lead character and narrator, much screen time is spent on at least a dozen others. Really, if you are non-Japanese, like me, you'd need a map of all the characters and their changing relationships to have any hope of following the story. However, this is not a big problem because, mainly, it is one of the aspects which the filmmaker is trying to convey. That the people who were drawn into these gangs often had nothing much else to do, and were not particularly men of honour. The Japanese title refers to the total breakdown of the old code, where honour was everything. The only character who acts with anything like honour here is Shozo, who looks continuously stunned as powerplays and double-deals swirl around him. This film is a terrific antidote to the "honourable gangster" films. Well-worth watching. Also, it produced at least 4 sequels, all starring Bunta.