The coolest Yakuza around.
What They Say:
In 1968, acclaimed director Toshio Masada (Rusty Knife, Tora! Tora! Tora!) and rising star Tetsuya Watari (Tokyo Drifter) teamed up for Outlaw: Gangster VIP, a gritty yakuza yarn based on the writings of real life ex-gangster Goro Fujita.
The series offers up a depiction of the Japanese underworld that was unprecedented in its realism and its sympathetic portrayal of its protagonist as a man haunted by his past, unable to escape a life of crime. The success of the initial instalment spawned five sequels, continuing the story of the lone wolf “Slasher” Goro and his quest for redemption.
The films presented a new kind of realism and violence that would prefigure Kinji Fukasaku’s Battles Without Honor and Humanity series, with their winning combination of brutal violence, gang warfare and sweeping romance, these films make for a unique and unforgettable viewing experience.
The set includes six films in the Outlaw series released for the first time in the west: Gangster VIP, Gangster VIP 2, Heartless, Goro the Assassin, Black Dagger, and Kill!
The Review:
Audio:
Nothing special going on with the audio, given that it’s the original uncompressed mono. English subtitles are provided for non-Japanese speakers. My only complaint is that the subtitles are in white, and sometimes it was difficult to read them. Yellow would have worked better in making sure they stood out from the video.
Video:
Arrow Films always does a great job with its transfers. The video quality is very nice with nice, vivid colors and no technical issues that I could discern.
Packaging:
No packaging information, as I only received a screener.
Menu:
All six movies use the same menu design following the standard Arrow layout. Scenes from the movie occupy the entire screen while the song that played in the climax of the first movie plays on a loop. The menu options are subtle and reside in the lower lefthand corner of the screen. Each option is white, with the one selected in yellow. Very easy to navigate and highly aesthetically pleasing.
Extras:
Arrow does love to pack its videos with goodies! Trailers for all six movies are included, as well as image galleries, a visual essay of the series by Kevin Gilvear, and audio commentary on the first movie by Jasper Sharp. The visual essay is a little disappointing, though, as it didn’t provide much more than a summary of each of the films. Occasionally Gilvear would provide some extra information, but they weren’t enough, as I wanted to know more about Goro Fujita and how closely the movies cleaved to his writings (my guess is not very closely).
There are some physical goodies that I didn’t receive that would make up for the essay, including a booklet featuring interviews and essays, and a gatefold packaging featuring new artwork by Tonci Zonjic.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Based on the writings of ex-Yakuza Goro Fujita, the series Outlaw: Gangster VIP follows the trials and tribulations of Goro Fujikawa, a Yakuza who pines for a better life, but somehow never escapes the path he set on as a boy—a victim of both fate and his nobler instincts.
Goro’s life was one of hardship from the very beginning: absent father, a mother forced to prostitution to feed herself and her family, and a helpless younger sister who needed his care and protection. Both his mother and sister die, presumably of tuberculosis, and Goro ends up on the street, stealing to survive. He gets caught and sent to a boy’s reform school, and eventually joins a Yakuza clan.
The first movie establishes Goro’s childhood in a very nice black and white montage at the very beginning. The film takes just enough time to provide the audience with the particulars of Goro’s life before it catapults us right into his life as an adult. Pacing-wise, it’s a little janky at the beginning, but the beauty of the black and white scenes makes up for that. We barely get to see Goro as an adult before he’s off to protect his clan from a rival’s assassin. Goro confronts the assassin, only to discover it’s his friend and “older brother,” Sugiyama, who took care of Goro when they were in the reform school. Goro manages to prevent the assassination, and only wounds Sugiyama with his dagger. The police arrive and haul both of them off to jail. Goro’s girlfriend promises to wait for him, while Sugiyama’s girlfriend curses him for a murderer.
Fast forward three years and Goro’s once again out on the streets. The sweet taste of freedom turns bitter once he discovers that his clan has fallen into disrepair and his girlfriend married a salaryman in his absence. Goro, being both a tad fatalistic and very cool, takes it all in stride.
And it’s not like he’s hurting for feminine attention. Barely five minutes out of the crossbar hotel, he rescues a young woman named Yukiko from some wandering Yakuza thugs. Yukiko falls instantly in love and follows him around like a whipped puppy—a fact that both flatters and irritates Goro to no end. He does his very best to push her away, knowing that women involved with Yakuza lead miserable lives full of pain and worry. Yukiko, of course, refuses to listen.
As if that weren’t enough to deal with, the rival Aoki clan senses blood in the water and goes after Goro’s clan. They eventually capture one of Goro’s lieutenants, Suzuki, after goading the boy into attacking them. Goro goes to the Aoki clan boss and offers up his small finger as payment for the insult Suzuki caused. The boss agrees, and Goro does the deed, but it turns out this was done in bad faith, as the Aoki’s had already killed Suzuki. Enraged at both he death of his friend and the dishonorable way the boss handled the situation, Goro goes on what will the be the first of approximately eleventy-gillion knife fights, killing the equivalent of the population of Yokohama.
Goro lives, despite fighting off something like fifteen men, but must recuperate in a hidden hospital for several months. There, Yukiko tends to him, and Goro loses the battle between what he knows is right (pushing her away) and what he wants (keeping her around). It doesn’t help matters that his former girlfriend—the one who promised to wait for him—arrives and literally throws herself at his feet. Goro does the noble thing and gently pushes her away, despite her proclamations of love and leaving her husband.
Once he heals, Goro tries to flee the Yakuza life with Yukiko, Sugiyama and his wife Yumeko. The Aoki have other plans, and Sugiyama gives his life to give Goro a chance to flee. Enraged once more, Goro goes on another rampage and kills the equivalent of the population of Osaka.
So, that’s the first movie. The second is a direct sequel, which finds Goro traveling to the country to reunite with Yukiko and Yumeko. Yumeko is deathly sick, and even though Goro makes a good go at an honest life, the medical bills stack up and he must return to the Yakuza life. From there, it’s lather, rinse, repeat: the clan Goro works for is weak, a stronger clan seeks to wipe it out, someone acts dishonorably, someone close to Goro tries to flee but is killed, and Goro goes on a rampage, seemingly dead from his wounds.
Outlaw: Gangster VIP 2 is different from the rest of the sequels in that it actually continues the plot of the first one. Starting with three, the movies become one-shots that basically hit the same notes over and over. Goro travels to a new town, saves a young woman from Yakuza thugs (the woman is always played by Chieko Matsubara), gets pissed when the Yakuza don’t live up to his high ethical standards, and then goes on a rampage. While all six movies are fun, it’s a shame that they took the safe route and didn’t present a six-movie saga where Goro grows and changes and either finds his way out, or, more likely, succumbs to his fate, made all the worse because he knows that there’s a better way.
I shotgunned these movies, so by the final two, I was ready for it to be over. The first two are certainly the best, and every entry in the series is enjoyable and well-made. I joked with a friend that I thought the series might go the Rocky route with the first two being serious, and the rest of the sequels devolving into sillier and sillier plots. That didn’t quite happen, but there does come a point where Goro basically becomes Wolverine, only with a slower healing factor. It’s pretty amazing, and a testament to the fight choreographer, that the fights when he takes on ten other men feel realistic. People slip and stumble, and never indulge in any fancy moves. The fights are definitely down and dirty, and that adds a sense of realism to something that could look ridiculous if done poorly. After all, Goro isn’t Wolverine—he’s just a man.
One of the strengths of the movies is the way it interrogates gender politics in Yakuza culture. Goro often comes across as the last noble man, but his two fatal flaws are women and his sense of honor. Sometimes the two clash, and despite his best attempts to harden his heart and push away Chieko Matsubara, he almost always gives in, and she almost always pays for it.
The other major strength of the movie lies in its lead, Tetsuya Watari. He stands as the immovable center of each movie, and his charisma, warmth, and introspective melancholy elevate the series. His Goro is the coolest cat around, and it’s easy to see why everyone falls for him in one way or another.
In Summary:
Although the series takes the safe route one too many times, Outlaw: Gangster VIP is a highly enjoyable series with an excellent lead, solid fight scenes, and interesting stabs at social commentary. Although it could have been something even greater had they took risks and didn’t just remake the same movie six times, I can’t deny I had a great deal of fun watching them. Dr. J gives this a…
Content Grade: B –
Audio Grade: C
Video Grade: A
Packaging Grade: N/A
Menu Grade: A
Extras Grade: B+
Released By: Arrow Films
Release Date: April 19th, 2016
MSRP: $79.95
Running Time: 540 minutes
Video Encoding: 1080p
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen
Review Equipment:
Panasonic Viera TH42PX50U 42” Plasma HDTV, Sony BPD-S3050 Blu-ray Player w/HDMI Connection
