Setting: Hiroshima and Kure, just after World War II(1945-1950)


Synopsis:
In the city of KURE, Located in HIROSHIMA Prefecture, just after World War II, HIRONO Shozo, a demobilized soldier, is a member of a group of hooligans. YAMAMORI Yoshio, boss of a YAKUZA family, notices his boldness and generosity, and takes him into his family, the YAMAMORIs. In KURE in those days, there were four principal YAKUZA families, including the DOIs and the UEDAs, and the YAMAMORIs had not ye attained great influence over the town. Therefore, YAMAMORI, establishing a coalition with the UEDAs, concentrates his efforts on a struggle against the DOIs, a powerful rival.
During this time, WAKASUGI Hiroshi who has been WAKAGASHIRA of the DOIs (the second in command of a YAKUZA family) has been on bad terms with the boss, DOI KIYOSHI. He is expelled from the friend, HIRONO, the introduction to the YAMAMORI Yoshio is made. The gang war between the daring assault on DOI, and shoots him to death. YAMAMORI, however, decides that HIRONO is no longer useful, and begins to treat him as a nuisance. HIRONO eventually is forced to turn himself over to the police.
Angry because of this betrayal, WAKASUGI kills KAMBARA, a young member of the YAMAMORIs, so that he is chased by the police. He is shot to death after a fierce shootout.
The YAMAMORIs, making a profit during the Korean War, gradually rise to power. However, within the family, internal trouble grows, and they split into two factions. One is the protagonist faction, controlled by SAKAI Tetsuya, and the other, an anti-main current faction led by ARITA Toshio. They start quarreling, disregarding YAMAMORI, head of the family. ARITA kills one of the members of the SAKAI faction, and then UEDA Toru, SAKAI's associate. Enraged at the affair, SAKAI expels ARITA from the family and their quarrel expands to fights with other family members. ARITA is arrested by the police, and SAKAI, who wins this battle, forms a partnership with the KAITOs in HIROSHIMA. He then begins to conduct himself as if he dominates KURE, in place of YAMAMORI.
Soon, YAMAMORI who has been passing over the internal troubles begins operations. He demands that HIRONO, who has just been released provisionally from prison, should assassinate SAKAI. At that time, the head of the YANOs, who had joined the YAMAMORI sect, is murdered while planning to force SAKAI to severe his connection with the KAITOs. YAMAMORI induces the remaining followers of the YANOs to assault SAKAI. He dies after a barrage of bullets end his violent career.
The following day, the funeral ceremony for SAKAI is held by YAMAMORI with a large attendance. In the midst of the turbulence, YAMAMORI has stood aside, maintaining his control, while allowing others to fight to the death. HIRONO, bearing anger and despair against the society of YAKUZA, that he had once admired, steps to the sanctuary place where everyone is pretending to pay their last respects to SAKAI. Suddenly, he fires a bullets at the alter. And calmly walks away from YAMAMORI.

NOTES:
This film is a screen version of a non-fiction novel published by IIBOSHI Koichi. He wrote it, based on the memoirs written in prison by the ex-head of a YAKUZA family, who had been involved in the notorious battles, " the war among the YAKUZAs in HIROSHIMA."
In the late 1960s, the intense loyalty of gang members revealed in NINKYO YAKUZA movies, presented by TOEI Film Company, contributed to their popularity with Japanese audiences. However, they began to decline in the early 1970s, and instead, YAKUZA movies which depicted struggles among contemporary gangsters, using documentary format, became more popular. The depictions of violence with intriguing, betrayals and murders fascinated audiences.
"Big Gambling Party" (BAKUCHIUCHI: SOCHO TOBAKU) 1968, wrote the screenplay of this film, and FUKASAKU Kinji directed it. FUKASAKU pioneered the modern documentary style of YAKUZA movies since the 1960s. This film depicts the realities of #the bloody battles without o code of conduct" (JINGI NAKI TATAKAI), which is the literary translation of the title of this film. FUKASAKU expresses the confused state of Japan and its affects on some of the young men without jobs or job skills.
As a result of the success of this film, four additional films were made as a serial. In addition, three others were created, which contained similar thems. All of them were directed by FUKASAKU Kinji. SUGAWARA Bunta played the protagonist in all eight of these films.</><//>