by Mark Deming
synopsis
Japanese filmmaker Takashi Miike directed this characteristically offbeat and hard-hitting crime drama. Seiji and Yoshifumi are a pair of yakuza (Japanese gangsters) who have sworn their loyalty to mob boss Muto. When Muto fails to pay his proscribed share of the fund for an upcoming gang battle, Muto tells the other leaders of the Date family that he will fight to make up his debt. Seiji, however, becomes concerned for Muto's safety, so he has his boss arrested and offers to fight in his place. This, however, leads to speculation about Muto's role in his recent misfortune.
