Deadly Outlaw: Rekka on AllMovie

For his fifth or so release of 2002, phenomenally prolific filmmaker Takashi Miike directs this gangster epic. The film opens with the godfather (Yuya Uchida) of the Sanada-gumi being targeted for a hit. The hired gun, however, finds the old goat less than willing to die. Of course, the murder infuriates the clan's second-in-command Kunisada (Riki Takeuchi) who viewed the slain crime boss as in own flesh and blood. He, along with his henchman Shimatani (Kenichi Endo), discover that the guy who ordered the hit was Otaki (Renji Ishibashi), the head of a rival gang. Kunisada's bloody act of revenge precipitates a bloody gang war that turns downtown Shinjuku into a veritable war zone. Kuzuya Nakayama and Sonny Chiba also appear.