Cast of Tokyo Drifter return for the movie that is believe inspired Kinji Fukasaku's style of filming violenceGoro is fresh out of jail for stabbing rival hitman Sugiyama (whom happens to be his brother). He returns finding his boss Mizuhara dominated by the rival Ueno Clan, now in control of all the money making ventures of Toyko. Goro spends his days of freedom tracking down women of his past, but a hit is on his life after he stabs Ueno underboss in a fight the underboss caused. The Ueno Clan kidnaps and kills a soldier of Mizuhara and Goro goes on a killing frenzy to right the wrong. As Goro is recovering in the hospital , Ueno launches a surprise attack on Mizuhara in their weaken state. Mizuhara in-debts himself to the Jingu Clan as reinforcements to the escalating Ueno Clan attacks.As the Mizuhara and Jingu Clans finalize their partnership, the Ueno Clan martyrs the young Takeo , a soldier under Goro. Sugiyama , realized from prison, attempts to persuade Ueno not to pursue Goro, but the conversation gets Sugiyama killed instead. Goro now convinced Ueno is the wicked villain of the west, knife fights his entire army in the finale.

A yakuza movie series recently released on video by Arrow (God bless 'em), five movies starring Tokyo Drifter's Tetsuya Watari. Other familiar Nikkatsu faces appear, too, including Watari's love interest from Tokyo Drifter, Chieko Matsubara (she of the perpetually sad face). The story here begins more or less like many other yakuza pictures, with Watari being released from prison. He finds his former gang has languished without him and the rival gang, whom he went to prison fighting, has grown more powerful. Immediately, he gets himself into big trouble when he defends Matsubara, a virginal youth new to Tokyo, from a gaggle of handsy yakuza. As the film moves on, it distinguishes itself with several fantastic set pieces, including some really violent yakuza brawls, and one of the best murder sequences I've ever seen, with one of Watari's best friends being clandestinely dispatched while waiting for the train. The film kind of ends in the middle of the story, but the studio knew it was going to make a series of these films immediately - this was one of five films, and the first of four of them that was released in 1968 alone! Definitely worth checking out.