Graveyard of Honor (1975)
"Jingi no hakaba" (original title)

A self-destructive man becomes a powerful member of the Japanese mafia but quickly loses his self control. Based on the true story of Rikio Ishikawa.

Director:

Kinji Fukasaku

Writers:

Tatsuhiko Kamoi, Hirô Matsuda,

Stars:

Tetsuya Watari, Tatsuo Umemiya, Yumi Takigawa

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Tetsuya Watari	...	Rikio Ishikawa
Tatsuo Umemiya	...	Kozaburo Imai
Yumi Takigawa	...	Chieko Ishikawa
Eiji Gô	...	Makoto Sugiura
Noboru Ando	...	Ryunosuke Nozu
Hajime Hana	...	Shuzo Kawada
Mikio Narita	...	Noboru Kajiki
Kunie Tanaka	...	Katsuji Ozaki
Shingo Yamashiro	...	Hiroshi Tamura
Reiko Ike	...	Teruko Imai
Hideo Murota	...	Yasuo Matsuoka
Meika Seri	...	Woman in the slums
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Takuji Aoki
Kenjirô Asano
Hidehiro Aya

Storyline

A look at the life of renegade yakuza, Rikio Ishikawa, particularly the years from 1946 to 1950 when his violent antics get him in trouble with his own clan, Kawada, and then with the clan of his protector, Kozaburo Imai. In these years, he can rely on Chieko, a young Tokyo courtesan who gives him shelter. He's banished to Osaka, where he picks up a drug habit. Through it all, he keeps his friends and enemies off balance with unpredictable behavior - and he seems indestructible.

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Plot Keywords:

yakuza | prison | based on novel

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Genres:

Action | Crime

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Details

Official Sites:

Home Vision Entertainment (DVD Distributor)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

15 February 1975 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Psycho Junkie

Filming Locations:

Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Toei Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Version of Shin jingi no hakaba (2002)

User Reviews

Fukasaku single-handedly annihilates the gangster genre!

It is such the bittersweet taste and nature of irony, that one of the greatest directors in the history of humankind, sensei Kinji Fukasaku, finally broke through in the west with his last film, the fantastically nihilistic Battle Royale. Yet it is also so enthralling to discover yet another gem in the back catalogue of this man. Graveyard of Honour (1975) wasn't remade by a modern whirlwind of inspiration like Takashi Miike for no reason.

To put things in perspective, I urge you to become affiliated with the mechanisms of the yakuza before venturing in Graveyard of Honour. It's not necessary, but it will greatly help appreciate Ishikawa's story. Reading up on wikipedia bores you to tears? Good, me too. Instead, grab, steal or netflix asap Fukasaku's The Yakuza Papers series, also known as Battles Without Honour and Humanity. Five movies that will introduce you to the brilliant yakuza world of Fukasaku, and in the same time give you the lowdown of the intricate yakuza spiderweb of post-war Japan, full of gang wars, drug deals, prostitution rings, betrayals and allegiances swifting constantly.

If you're already acquainted with The Yakuza Papers, Graveyard of Honour will pleasantly surprise you. The plot is nowhere near as convoluted, the barrage of constant name-dropping that made the former occasionally hard to follow is absent. Instead we get the distilled Fukasaku style, highly energetic, with hand-held cameras peering from the most improbable angles, filming the numerous fights not from a distance, but right in the middle of the action.

So far so good. Graveyard is filmed like a documentary/biopic on the life of Ishikawa. Which means stills, narration, clever use of sepia, fast forwards in the future and so on. Yet what sets Graveyard of Honour apart from other yakuza movies is Ishikawa's figure. He's not the typical Icarus figure often seen in gangster movies. He doesn't hit the good time before falling down. He's not Tony Montana in that aspect. No, it's all down-hill for him; a self-destructive yakuza without a care in the world, who brings about his own misery and challenges his bad karma at every corner. His frighteningly nihilistic stare reminded me of Ryonosuke Tsukue from Sword of Doom, if that means anything.

A biopic, a gritty crime film, a drama about a man without future, everything packed in 98 minutes. Strongly recommended for crime drama fans.