Director: Hideo Gosha
Screenplay: Masahiro Kakefuda, Nobuaki Nakajima
Based on an Idea by: Hideo Gosha
Starring: Noboru Andô, Akira Kobayashi, Isao Natsuyagi, Bunta Sugawara, Tetsurô Tanba, Asao Koike
Country: Japan
Running Time: 96 min
Year: 1974
BBFC Certificate: 15
Hideo Gosha was a rare Japanese director (at the time at least) who transitioned from TV to cinema, following the success of his series Three Outlaw Samurai. He was invited to direct the film adaptation (which I reviewed here a while back) and went on to make a name for himself directing similar samurai/chambara films, including the classic Sword of the Beast. As the 1970s rolled in, trends changed though and the studios turned their sights to producing yakuza films instead.
Being very much a studio director, Gosha was forced to follow suit. His first yakuza film was The Wolves in 1971 and, after dipping back into the world of television with Okappiki dobu, he followed it up with Violent Streets (a.k.a. Bôryoku gai) in 1974.
Gosha is somewhat underappreciated in the west, with few of his films readily available to watch, particularly in the UK. Criterion put out Three Outlaw Samurai on Blu-ray a couple of years ago though and now Eureka are giving Violent Streets the boutique Blu-ray treatment.
The film sees Noboru Andô play Egawa, a retired yakuza member who now runs a Spanish-themed bar called The Madrid. This was gifted to Egawa by the Ginza-based Togiku clan for serving time in prison without naming any names. However, the Togiku, who claim to have become a legitimate business, now have their eyes on the bar and have been sending goons there to cause trouble.
Meanwhile, conflict is brewing between the Osaka and Ginza clans. This comes to a head when the singer and TV personality Minami (Minami Nakatsugawa), who is associated with the Togiku clan, is kidnapped and the blame is put on the Osaka-based yakuza.
However, we later learn that the culprits are, in fact, former associates of Egawa, who want him to restart their clan. When the kidnapping goes sour, Egawa is landed in deep trouble and is forced to return to his criminal ways.
Violent Streets was released in between episodes of the Battles Without Honour and Humanity series, whose success put the yakuza genre through a change to a more visceral, fast-moving and gritty style alongside labyrinthine stories that were often ripped from the headlines. With a more classical shooting style (in terms of movement and framing) and an emphasis on the idea of conflicts between moral and dutiful codes, akin to earlier yakuza movies, Violent Streets seems slightly outdated.
Personally though, whilst I’m a big fan of Kinji Fukasaku’s Battles series, I greatly appreciated the classic, measured Japanese shooting style of Violent Streets, so I was happy with what I saw. Also, though the camera is more static, the use of colour is bold and eye-catching. The editing can be quite vibrant and inventive too. An early love scene, for example, is effectively edited with some fiery flamenco dancing.
Also marking Violent Streets out from the crowd of yakuza films from the era are some fun quirks, particularly in terms of settings. On top of making good use of the aforementioned Spanish-themed bar, there’s a ransom exchange on the scaffolding of a building site and a couple of fights in a chicken coup.
There are a couple of quirky characters too, most notably in the form of a pair of assassins sent to ‘clean up’. One is a man who occasionally carries a parrot on his shoulder, whilst another is a cross-dresser. This ‘drag queen killer’ (played by real-life drag queen Madame Joy) is given no explanation or backstory, she’s just a transgender hit-person that seems to take great pleasure in killing people in a cruel and grisly fashion, using a razor. Reportedly, the actress was discovered in a cross-dressing bar that she ran, where the film’s producer Toru “Tatsu” Yoshida was a regular. The striking white kimono she wears in a key conflict, that sees it get drenched in dirty water, stage blood and chicken poo, was her own and reportedly cost a great deal.
In the extra features, Jasper Sharp suggests it’s one of the writers, Masahiro Kakefuda, who might be key in the film’s more unusual aspects. He had much more experience than Gosha in making weird and wacky exploitation flicks, working with Teruo Ishii, for instance, on films such as Horrors of Malformed Men and Orgies of Edo.
Whilst the visual style of Violent Streets is a little behind the times and some other flourishes are more unusual, the increased level of violence in the film is typical of the yakuza movies of the time. The mob hits and fight scenes are frequently doused in blood and uncomfortably prolonged in places, particularly the brutal showdown with the assassins in the chicken coup.
The cast all do a first-rate job too. Noboru Andô actually was a yakuza boss in the 40s and 50s, and his distinctive facial scar was a result of his time running a street gang. When he returned from prison, he was swiftly taken in by the film studios whilst yakuza films were becoming popular. He uses his experience to great effect here, despite it not being a particularly ‘realistic’ film.
Akira Kobayashi, who might be familiar from much of the Battles series, does a typically top-notch job as Egawa’s old friend but Togiku member, Yazaki. There’s a wonderful extended cameo from Bunta Sugawara too, as a gunsmith who helps Egawa take on his rivals in an explosive action sequence.
With exactly who is committing the pivotal kidnapping being kept unknown to begin with, the film can be difficult to follow in the initial portions. Generally, the story could have been a little better developed in this and other aspects, in fact. However, overall I was mightily impressed with Violent Streets. The classical, yet bold visual style, quirky touches and expertly directed ultra-violence were more than enough to satisfy.
Film: 
Violent Streets is out on 20th February on Blu-Ray in the UK, released by Eureka as part of their Masters of Cinema series. The film looks great, with wonderfully handled colours and grain. The audio is solid too. ‘S’ sounds are often distorted, but I notice this a lot in films of this era, so it seems to be unavoidable.
SPECIAL FEATURES
– Limited Edition slipcase featuring new artwork by Tony Stella [2000 copies]
– 1080p presentation on Blu-ray from a 2K restoration of the original film elements
– Optional English subtitles
– An introduction to Violent Streets and the works of director Hideo Gosha by film critic Tony Rayns
– Jasper Sharp on Violent Streets
– A collector’s booklet featuring a new essay by Japanese cinema expert Tom Mes
Tony Rayns begins his 37-minute introduction by talking about the history of Toei, before describing how their output in the late 60s and early 70s moved from samurai movies, their bread-and-butter for a long while, to yakuza movies. He then digs into Violent Streets in his typically knowledgeable fashion. He doesn’t claim the film is a classic but explains its merits, despite any generic aspects.
Jasper Sharp gives a brief background to the film before analysing it, discussing how it sits among the rest of the genre, as well as talking about the talent in front of and behind the camera. As usual, Sharp knows his onions and has plenty to talk about in his relatively brief 13-minute piece. There’s a little crossover between Rayns’ interview, but not enough to deem either unnecessary.
Tom Mes completes the ‘holy trinity’ of Japanese cinema experts through an illuminating essay in the booklet. He covers a lot of ground and his writing, alongside the video pieces, proved vital in my putting this review together.
All-in-all then, whilst not one of Eureka’s more stacked releases, it’s a pleasure to have the film released at all, particularly in such good shape. Plus, the handful of extras that are provided is of great value, so make this a must-buy.
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