The Greatest Film of its Kind

mrcruns

People often think that I'm joking when I try to tell them what a masterpiece this film really is. Now I know it's badly dubbed and the script has probably been ripped apart from the original but it's still a thousand times better than 90% of the rubbish we get now. Lines like "Tell that **** who sent you how sorry I am I can no longer be her friend" heard while looking into the face of the most convincing hard man in film history.

Terry Tsurugi is the man, Sonny Chiba can say more with his contorted face than any one else I've seen in films. But it's not just the look on his face that makes him convincing, there's something very nasty and practical about the way he deals with his enemies and the long cuts make the whole thing more real.

There is also immense complexity in the character, a man who lives by the code taught to him by his farther moments before he was executed, a fine speech punctuated by the line "Become the Number One Man!" Not you're typical hero or your typical anti hero, a man who killed an innocent man before selling his grieving sister into slavery and yet somehow you're still routing for him all the way.

If you do have the chance to see this film, try not to dismiss it before you give Terry a chance.

score 10/10

mrcruns 20 April 2005

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw1064213/