Yakuza Graveyard (1976)

☆ ☆ ☆ ½

Yakuza Graveyard (1976) – K. Fukasaku

Appearing just two years after the conclusion of the five-film Battles without Honour and Humanity yakuza saga, Kinji Fukasaku’s Yakuza Graveyard shows a lot of stylistic similarities.  (His late controversial success with Battle Royale was still decades away).  Tetsuya Watari plays a rogue cop who feels more sympathy (and develops more of an allegiance) with the yakuza involved in a gang war than he does for the corrupt police force to which he belongs.  Again, it’s the yakuaza’s code of honour that appeals to him – although this doesn’t stop him (and them) from gambling, drinking, using drugs, and supporting prostitution.  They do take care of the women who are left alone when their husbands die or are put in prison.  Perhaps these obligations are akin to strictly economic (exchange) relationships rather than love (communal) relationships; the latter are reserved for the male bonds. Once bonded (even between cop and yakuza, as here), the “brothers” will do anything for each other.  Fukasaku’s style is incredible – he makes full use of freeze frames, jump cuts, and even some psychotronic colouring when necessary (Watari is drugged).  It isn’t surprising that boundary-crosser Nagisa Oshima has a cameo.  The film speeds along at a very healthy clip, spiked by violence, and although the plot is occasionally muddled, it isn’t hard to follow the central action.  At times, there is a resemblance to the films of Jean-Pierre Melville (also a master of the “gangster’s honour” genre) and therefore to film noir.  But truly the yakuza film (and specifically those of Fukasaku) are a genre unto themselves and definitely worth checking out.