During the violent chaos of post-War Japanese black market, a young gangster called Shozo Hirono has to keep up with the rapid shifts of power between unscrupulous bosses.
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Title: Battles Without Honor and Humanity (1973)
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3 wins.
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Bunta Sugawara | ... | Shozo Hirono | |
 |
Hiroki Matsukata | ... | Tetsuya Sakai |
| Kunie Tanaka | ... | Makihara Masakichi | |
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Eiko Nakamura | ... | Suzue Kunihiro |
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Tsunehiko Watase | ... | Toshio Arita |
| Gorô Ibuki | ... | Ueda | |
| Nobuo Kaneko | ... | Yamamori | |
| Toshie Kimura | ... | Mrs. Yamamori | |
|
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Tamio Kawaji | ... | Kanbara Seiichi |
|
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Mayumi Nagisa | ... | Akiko Shinjo |
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Asao Uchida | ... | Okubo Kenichi |
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Shin'ichirô Mikami | ... | Shinkai Uichi |
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Hiroshi Nawa | ... | Doi |
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Shinji Takano | ... | Kaneko Shoichi |
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Keiji Takamiya | ... | Yamakata Shinichi |
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Storyline
During the violent chaos of post-War Japanese black market, a young gangster called Shozo Hirono has to keep up with the rapid shifts of power between unscrupulous bosses.
Plot Keywords:
post world war two | hiroshima japan | gang war | organized crime | crime epic |Parents Guide:
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Trivia
JINGINAKI TATAKAI series. #1 of 9 films. See more »Goofs
In the first film, US military police show up on the scene in a jeep with "MILITALY POLICE" painted under the windshield. See more »Frequently Asked Questions
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Details
Country:
JapanLanguage:
JapaneseRelease Date:
13 January 1973 (Japan) See more »Also Known As:
Battles Without Honor and Humanity See more »Company Credits
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Runtime:
Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
Color (Fujicolor)Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1Contribute to This Page
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Although it has certain stylistic similarities with other movies (the extreme violence of the LONE WOLF & CUB films and the gangster shenanigans of THE GODFATHER and its ilk), BATTLES WITHOUT HONOR AND HUMANITY is very much a unique and almost surreal slice of Japanese yakuza madness.
The story is told in a choppy style and takes place over a number of years. It sees various criminal gangs emerging in post-war Japan, engaging in various rivalries with one another as various gangster bosses strive to outdo their rivals. Into this messy mix are thrown various larger-than-life characters, foremost of whom is Hirono Shozo, played with emotional relish by Bunta Sugawara.
The first half of the film is largely confusing with a large cast of similar characters all battling one another and indeed I wondered what I was watching at some points. However, it all distills down and becomes much more focused in the second half, which follows the members of a single crime family in their bid for leadership. There's little action here, but Kinji Fukasaku (BATTLE ROYALE) directs with stylish aplomb, making this a more than memorable gangster epic.