Cops vs. Thugs on AllMovie

The director of Battle Royale and The Yakuza Papers delivers yet another gritty yakuza masterpiece in this brutal tale of two warring underworld factions determined to gain ultimate power over Kurashima City. The year is 1963, and the delicate balance of power in Kurashima City is shakily maintained between two warring factions. The political influence of the Kawade gang helps to legitimize the vicious group's lucrative rackets scheme, and the uneasy alliance shared between their rivals the Ohara gang and the corrupt local police force ensures that neither gang gets too much power. When the lure of some valuable waterfront property becomes too much for the Ohara boss to resist, however, the volatile standoff receives just the catalyst needed to spark a vicious bloodbath between the gangsters, cops, and politicians all looking to come out on top. The all-seeing eye of the horrific hurricane of violence, Detective Kuno of the Kurashima City Violence Squad remains torn by his childhood allegiance with a powerful yakuza kingpin and the increasing pressure from his reform-minded superiors to keep the city streets safe for the frightened citizens. An inherently decent man who recognizes the code of ethics on both sides of the law, Detective Kuno's itchy trigger finger finds him falling down an ever-darker path as he coolly plays both sides by walking a line that could be pulled out from under him at any moment.