Arakure - Bloody Territories
Theatrical Release Date: Japan, July 26th, 1969
Director: Yasuharu Hasebe
Writers: Kazuo Aoki, Yasuharu Hasebe
Cast: Akira Kobayashi, Ryoji Hayama, Tadao Nakamaru, Hiroshi NawaDVD Released: June 22nd, 2004
Approximate Running Time: 88 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
From Japan Pop Cult: Without a doubt, Yasuharu Hasebe's Bloody Territories is an aptly-named film. As if he is as beholden to Yakuza tradition as the film's protagonists, Hasebe eschews gunplay in favor of unsheathed daggers. Before the curtain falls, blood flows in crimson rivers from wounds wrought out of betrayal and dutiful obligation to tradition.
Bloody Territories Yakuza films, and much of Japanese cinema for that matter, derive tension from competing duties and loyalties, and the clash of personal obligation over one's obligation to society as a whole. At the beginning of Bloody Territories, the Onogi clan is forced to make a choice… concede defeat and accept the dissolution of the crime association which binds them to their fellow Yakuza clans, or to maintain their clan as a rogue element outside the protection the association affords. Boss Onogi, old-school to the hilt, walks out of the meeting, instantly making them outcasts among the Tokyo yakuza.
It doesn't take long for this decision to haunt them. Almost immediately a rival gang tries to goad them into a violent clash; without the backing of an association, the Onogi clan is forced to submit to a costly arbitration which virtually bankrupts them. To make matters worse, the Onogi clan finds themselves set against an alliance between a rival Yakuza clan and a corporation with which they once had faithful ties. In fact, one of the Onogi has gone legit and now works for the company, serving as an ad hoc middleman between the two organizations. As tensions rise, Onogi strongarm Yuji (played by 60's leading man Akira Kobayashi) and Boss Onogi's right hand man Seiichi find themselves fighting for the survival of their clan.
To be truthful, Bloody Territories is a fairly standard example of 60's yakuza film. Director Yasuharu Hasebe injects the film with intensity and tension, but lacks the visual polish or inventiveness of the more stylish Seijun Suzuki. Of course, Hasebe was also known for the over-the-top lava-lamp epic Stray Cat Rock series as well as the 70's kaiju series Spectreman, so Bloody Territories can be seen as a rare foray into straight cinema, somewhat to its detriment. While a director like Kinji Fukasaku can pull off something this straightlaced, Hasebe seems to play his cards too close to his chest.
By the time the film enters its final, fatal act, however, Hasebe seems to find his footing. As the various plot threads (many of which leave you scratching your head for much of the film's running time) come together, tanto knives are unsheathed and blood begins to flow. The final, rain-soaked showdown (is there any other kind in yakuza film?) takes place amongst an incongruous arrangement of laundry lines strewn with white sheets…ripe for staining with blood. And stained they are.
The slyly handsome Akira Kobayashi easily steals the show. In reality, he's one of only a handful of memorable characters in the film. The other, a sinister yakuza rabble-rouser who begins the film at cross-purposes from Yuji but ends up one of his strongest allies, is also a crowd pleaser, if for no other reason than to see how he and Yuji's quest for vengeance ends. A typical yakuza revenge film? Yes… but entertaining nonetheless - particularly if, like me, you’re a fan of the genre and await every similar release with baited breath. I can't say the uninitiated will find much to love here, but yakuza fans shouldn't pass it up.
From 10K Bulletes: Synopsis: A large crime syndicate is forced to dissolve under pressure from the police. They are forced to legitimize themselves only the Onogi clan isn’t quite ready to call it day and they refuse to join the rest of the Yakuza who have decided to go straight. Boss Onogi is the leader of the clan and two right hand men are Yuji (Akira Kobayashi) and Seiichi who loyalty that extends to dying if needed. The Kansai Association (another clan), moves in to take control of the territories abandoned by Onogi’s former allies. To prevent from going to war Boss Onogi meets with the Kansai Association and in the process of making amends through ritual and gambling, Onogi goes into deep debt. The Kansai Association through their schemes strips the Onogi clan of all their assets and in effect dissolves the clan. After Boss Onogi and Seiichi, Yuji seeks vengeance and meets up with the Kansai Association in a final bloody showdown.
At a time when most Yakuza films where usually set in the early 20th century with sword wielding protagonists. Yasuharu Hasebe’s Bloody Territories is a modern day yakuza tale in which hero’s and villains are mirror images of each other was part of the metamorphosis that had began in the late 1960's as the studios in Japan decided to update the Yakuza for the modern audiences. Bloody Territories is more grounded then Yasuharu Hasebe’s other films from this time period. Knives and swords are the weapon of choice no guns are used in this film and the gritty action isn’t as creative as most Yakuza films from the late 1960's.
The cast on a whole are satisfying and the only real standout is the brooding performance from Akira Kobayashi who plays Yuji. Yasuharu Hasebe is pretty standard through out still he manages to squeeze in a few moments of inspired direction. This film is loaded with violent images such as when a young girl is rapped in her hotel room and most of the knifings in the film with their spurting blood feel excessive as they stab their victims repeatedly. Bloody Territories in the final moments tries to be a cautionary tale only it is too late since we have gone through this journey with cold unfeeling characters with little of no redeeming qualities about them.
AVI Information
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