This was the first movie i have watched from legendary Japanese director Kinji Fukasaku, as a big lover of Takeshi Kitano and his yakuza movies, i wanted to discover older classic Japanese yakuza movies, i have first watched works of Seijun Suzuki, after that i started with Fukasaku's movies, Street Mobster is fantastic movie, it is very fast paced movie, full of brutal violence, killings, nudity, it must be very schocking at that time, but what i most loved about film is main actor Bunta Sugawara, he is so good in his role of the main street punk Okita, he must be tough guy in a real life, also i must admit this is very different movie from other yakuza movies i have seen because the main protagonist wants to be independent from other yakuza syndicates, he doesn't wanted to be rich, he only wanted to be free, tough, to fight other guys and gangs, to be himself.I am recommending this movie to anyone interested in older Japanese movies, crime fiction and yakuza topics my rate 7.5/10
... View MoreStreet Mobster is among my favorite yakuza films, and from one of my favorite Japanese directors. This is a great, less-popular Fukasaku film, and it really deserves more attention.Okita is our "hero", if you can call him that. He's hot-heated, violent, and unapologetic. I can't think of a time in the film where he really shows restraint. He's just such an over-the-top, punk rockin' character who doesn't care about rival gangs or other thugs; he wants to do what he wants, when he wants to. And that's definitely the driving force behind the film, it's explosive nature. It's so unglamorous and filthy at times, and yet you have this sense of a man living his life, maybe not to it's full potential, but having a hell of a lot of fun doing what he's doing. And maybe he's not even enjoying it, everything else is just too conformist for him. He simply doesn't back down. So he really is a hero, a hero to the downtrodden. A counterculture icon, a raging machine.With it's boisterous protagonist comes a slew of background characters who are really just there to make Okita the centerpiece. Aside from the prostitute that he raped years earlier and now forms a bond with (Whose name I can't even remember!) there are few other noteworthy characters. And that's really okay. When they speak, they speak to get Okita's reaction. If you don't like Okita, then you're probably not going to like the film. Me, I enjoyed this rebellious, non-conformist gangster, yelling and picking fights. It was just so over-the-top and the director clearly embraced the punk style that was emerging at the time of this film's release.Speaking of release time, I just watched the film again a few minutes ago, and I still can't believe it was made in 1972. I'm sure you've heard it before, but it's way ahead of it's time. It looks 90s-ish to me. The shaky-cam and jump cuts stand out most as then-foreign techniques. Of course, now they've become the norm in films.So that's my short review. I don't feel that there's a whole lot more ground to cover as Okita is really the main attraction. So if you're looking to kill 87 minutes and consider yourself a fan of exciting cinema, look no further than Street Mobster.
... View MoreBunta Sugawara plays a low-level criminal who keeps getting in trouble with a major yakuza clan. After a ton of screwing around with them, a second yakuza clan adopts him as one of their own. At first, everyone's happy about it, but soon enough, Sugawara feels trapped and starts to act out. This, of course, does not please his bosses. The main problem with this one is that Sugawara's character is just so unlikable - you have to wonder why the yakuza on either side keep letting him screw around so much. The mobsters from The Godfather would have whacked him instantly (especially since he's essentially a nobody; he has a few followers, but they're just punks, too). The value of the film comes from Fukasaku's direction, which seems revolutionary for 1972, almost Jason Bourne-like with hand-held cameras, thrusting the audience in the kinetic action sequences. The direction is definitely some of Fukasaku's best work.
... View MoreUnbelievable - this ultraviolent gangster flick is from 1972 - if it wasn't for the poor monophonic sound mix on the dvd, you almost wouldn't recognize the age! Fast cuts, ultracool gangster hero, bloody beat-ups and shootings - everything that Beat Takeshi Kitano is exploring and developing to a further stage in his brilliant movies 'Hana-Bi' or 'Brother' can be found in this masterpiece as a blueprint.Fans of Asian action cinema won't be disappointed - the film is moving so fast, the inevitable climax almost let's you lose breath - this is a true gem! Get it, see it!
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