Jingi naki tatakai: Chôjô sakusen

The fourth and penultimate film in Kenji Fukasaku's epic quintet of yakuza films that began with BATTLES WITHOUT HONOR OR HUMANITY. Fans of this series can expect more of the same in terms of sudden and explicit violence countered with lots of scenes of eating, drinking, and plotting. As with the previous films in this series, it's all about the politics of power, and the struggle for supremacy between rival factions.

A word of warning: if you haven't watched any of the previous films, you'll struggle with what's going on here, because back story is everything. If you have watched the previous films, I can say that this one is a slight step down in quality, although still enjoyable; perhaps it's the familiarity of the whole thing that makes this one drag a little, the need for a proper resolution.

POLICE TACTICS is still an enjoyable film, although series lead Bunta Sugawara takes something of a back seat here as other players come to fame and fortune and feature heavily. Fukasaku's direction is as strong as ever, and the calibre of the performances never fails to disappoint. The series would close with the fifth and last film, FINAL EPISODE.