Yakuza Graveyard (1976)

A forumla perfected

Even with its sombre and bleak tone that puts many of his other works to shame, once the smoke clears, there are more than enough corpses to fill this graveyard. Yakuza Graveyard is one of Kinji Fukasaku's more psychological approaches to his Yakuza films, dripping with nihilism and crammed full of energy, the film has all the hallmarks of Fukasaku's other movies. Here, he chooses to focus on the complicated and damaged psyche of Tetsuya Watari's investigator Kuroiwa with the chemistry he shares with Meiko Kaji's Keiko adding some beautiful tenderness to this gripping tale of violence and interpersonal deception. The camera tilts, dives and chases after the exceptional action, at no point becoming lost in the haze of bloody knuckles and muzzle flashes; combining this with Toshiaki Tsushima's prog rock style score and Yakuza Graveyard remains just as emotional, hard-hitting and badass as Fukasaku's other works, maintaining a standard of quality few could rival.

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