AllMovie

Noboru Ando is a cinematic icon in Japanese film -- a real-life crime boss who became a wildly popular star of yakuza flicks. Now in his twilight years, the old rogue is featured in this film sporting an elegant grey kimono and reminiscing about his notorious past, in particular, the short life of one of his top lieutenants, Kei Hanagata, who died at age 32 after getting stabbed by a rival gang. The film opens during the lean years after the war with university student Hanagata (Sho Aikawa), who prefers street fights to books, valiantly taking on the cops in a gangland rumble. The youth catches the eye of Ando (Hiroyuki Watanabe), who asks him to join his gang. Hanagata quickly rises the ranks though his wild recklessness soon lands him in jail. When he gets out, he discovers that his wife has left him and that his former underlings have surpassed him. Soon, he finds himself the target of a hit issued by the person he least expected.