Graveyard Of Honor

Year: 1975

Grade: B

Country: Japan

Director: Fukasaku

Review

fukasaku, like suzuki before him, is a director who is seemingly without limits. both do things that are normally outside of the film language. this film is a fine example of this – fuakasaku’s use of voice-over, color, widescreen and more all demonstrate just how ambitious and visionary he is.

graveyard of honor tells the story of rikio ishikawa, a real yakuza who emerged during the postwar chaos. he’s basically an out of control, joe pesci type of gangster. he goes from clan to clan upsetting the order and disobeying the yakuza code. the story is about more than just ishikawa. we learn about the impact of the war and the realities of post-war japan. we see the intricacies of the occupation and the brutal realities of yakuza warfare. fukasaku presents it all in a nonjudgmental and entertaining manner. if you’re at all interested in yakuza films you should certainly give fukasaku a look, and you could do worse than making this your starting point.