Matt Cooper Films

Gonin 2 (1996) by Takashi Ishii

When his wife dies by suicide after being raped by Yakuza thugs, Masamichi (Ken Ogata) sets out for revenge, attacking those responsible. Meanwhile, a group of women are caught in the middle of a jewellery store robbery, managing to make it out of the ensuing firefight with the loot. The women must decide what to do with their spoils while avoiding the repercussions from the gangsters who want to reclaim it.Their actions bring them into contact with Masamichi who is looking for one of the jewels he had promised to his wife before her death.

“Gonin 2” is a spiritual successor to the first film, with scant nods to the previous film. It brings the same mix of violent action and emotional backstories, with yakuza shootouts, rape and robbery. The main cast do a great job, from Ken Ogata’s broken widower, Masamichi, whose own guilt underscores his anger at his wife’s abusers. The women face every possible outrage perpetrated on the female sex, from victims of abuse, jilted lovers, and teenage prositutes; beaten and betrayed by the patriarchal world they inhabit, their rage is palpable. Shinobu Otake, Kimiko Yo, Mai Kitajima, Yui Natsukawa and Yumi Nishiyama bring the same blend of chemistry, heart and humour as the men in the first film, proving they are more than capable of handling themselves. This emancipatory tale sits alongside the exploitation elements of nudity, but largely steers clear of sexualising its protagonists, instead highlighting the dangers they face due to their gender. Exciting action sequences with a score by Goro Yasukawa that moves from frenetic to operatic, capturing the theatrical tragicality of the story. This is very much a larger-than-life story, not afraid to push credibility to the limits. Ishii’s talented direction captures striking shots and sequences with a natural flair.

More than a simple crime caper, “Gonin 2”, by treating the female protagonists with no less respect than the men in the first film, becomes a feminist piece highlighting the adverse circumstances they suffer under, everything from daily slights to serious abuse. The scene in which the women dance to an old jukebox emphasises their joy at being freed from societal constraits, now able to steer their own destinies. While it may be wish-fulfilment to believe that they would triumph under such circumstances, we are completely behind them as they variously evade and take on the evil gangsters that pursue them, with every victory a body-blow against the men who dismiss or underestimate them. A stunning sequel that captures the energy and emotion of the original, while delivering a poignant reminder of the inequalities still prevalent in society.

Matt Cooper Films

Bodyguard Kiba (1993) by Takashi Miike

After ripping off his fellow gang members, an ex-boxer hires a top bodyguard to help fend off his vengeful former associates. Junpei (Daisuke Nagekura) is driving the Soryu Family members, led by Yasunaga, to a meeting with a Chinese gangster. While stuck in traffic, the gangsters get out and walk leaving Junpei the opportunity to flee with 500 million yen. When he is later confronted, he stabs Yasunaga, leading to a five-year term in a North Kanto jail for attempted murder. On his release he hires the legendary bodyguard Naoto Kiba (Takeshi Yamato) to escort him back to Okinawa, where he intends to reunite with his girlfriend Yoko (Shinobu Tanaka) and avoid a confrontation with the members of the Soryu gang he betrayed.

Based on the comic by Ikki Kajiwara and Ken Nakagusuku, with a screenplay by Hisao Maki and Tetsuya Sasaki, and directed by Takashi Miike, “Bodyguard Kiba” is a fun action film with a straightforward plot, featuring karate, sex, double-crosses, and gang violence. The simplicity of the story means that it doesn’t get in the way of the action. Junpei is an entertaining protagonist and sympathetic in contrast to the aggressive mobster Yasunaga. Kiba is established as an almost unstoppable force, capable of taking out a room full of villains in well-choreographed fight sequences that retain a sense of impact. The film features an unecessary but entertaining scene at the end when Kiba takes on a police officer who also happens to be a karate enthusiast.

Despite being, for the most part, rather silly knockabout fun, the film manages to create tension and delivers an emotional punch in the central relationship between Junpei and Yoko. Centering themes of trust, loyalty, and betrayal, the script builds to a thrilling showdown in which their relationship is tested to the limit. For fans of fast-paced crime thrilers, “Bodyguard Kiba” certainly delivers.

Matt Cooper Films

The Killing Game (1978) by Toru Murakawa

Five years after he took out the head of Tozan Corporation, hitman Shohei Narumi (Yusaku Matsuda) returns from self-imposed exile. He meets up with a friend, Bunta (Kai Ato); and also happens to meet the wife and mistress of the man he killed five years prior. Narumi and Bunta set up collecting debts for hostesses, but things do not remain calm as two new jobs appear for the famed killer. First, he is tasked by Katsuta (Kei Sato) of the Kotobuki Yakuza family to take out Hanai, the head of the Hanai family. Then Hanai (Kojiro Kusanagi) requests that he assassinate Katsuta. Narumi must tread carefully as he attempts to play both sides.

Director Toru Murakawa returns to the character of hitman Narumi, with the film this time penned by Koji Hama and Susumu Saji. “The Killing Game” plays up the comedy more this time around, with humorous sequences involving Narumi’s debts and his interactions with the Yakuza, who he has little time for. The film’s central plot, of two rival gangs is well-handled, giving us a clear sense of danger and the possibility for various double-crosses. As with the first film, the drama is punctuated by frenetic action, aided by kinetic hand-held camerawork that follows Narumi as he takes out entire buildings full of gangsters. The jaunty score likewise feels as though the film is leaning into its over-the-top nature, fully aware that its protagonist is an over-the-top, almost superhuman creation. The comedy and drama often mix uneasily, but the humour helps offset the darker moments of brutality. The film ends with a humorous epilogue that seems to suggest to the audience that it shouldn’t be taken too seriously as an earnest expose of corruption or criminality.

“The Killing Game” is a fantastic follow-up to “The Most Dangerous Game”, reuniting us with Yusaku Matsuda’s charismatic hitman. It hits many of the same beats from the first movie, with beautiful women, shootouts, fight scenes, and even a training montage that would explain his exceptional stamina from the first film. “The Killing Game” knows exactly who it is for and wastes no time delivering on the thrilling action and tongue-in-cheek exploration of the darker underbelly of Japanese society.

Matt Cooper Films

Battle Royale 2: Requiem (2003) by Kenta Fukasaku

Three years after the events of the first “Battle Royale”, survivor Shuya Nanahara’s terrorist group ‘Wild Seven’ have declared war on the adults who forced them to fight. Students from Shikanotoride High School are recruited by the government to attack Nanahara’s group; sent to a remote island to assassinate the terrorists. However, things are not that simple as the fresh group of teens are collared and forced to fight with the threat of sudden execution; to add to the danger they are each paried with another student, with the proviso that if one dies or moves too far away from the other, both collars will explode. The teens set of to the island, cheered on by their teacher Takeuchi (Riki Takeuchi).

Following the death of Kinji Fukasaku, “Battle Royale 2” was directed by Kenta Fukasaku, who also wrote the screenplay for both this and the original. A sequel to the cult classic, it is in many ways trapped by association with that film and would have been stronger had it been a seperate film entirely. This is most apparent in the attempts to tie things together, by having the teens captured, collared and given various rules to obey, despite ostensibly fighting for the government. It makes little sense why the government would choose to hamstring their own assault force in such a way. The film is also not a ‘Battle Royale’ in the sense that presumably one or the other side is Expected to win. This nonsensical plot could be generously read as a black satire on incompetent military leadership, but this may be due more to accident than design.

This time around we have Taku (Shugo Oshinari) and Nao (Ayana Sakai), who are less well characterised stand-ins for Nanahara and Nakagawa of the first film (who also appear here), and Riki Takeuchi’s over-the-top performance as the teacher, distinct from Takeshi Kitano’s memorable turn in the original, but leaning a little too much into the pantomime villain role. Ai Maeda’s Shiori Kitano, the daughter of Kitano from the first film, has an interesting set-up with disappointingly little pay-off.

The film works to an exctent as a satire, featuring a fabricated conflict with a lose-lose situation for the front-line troops while the politicians and leaders are guaranteed to win whatever the outcome. The film lacks the memorable moments of the first, playing out like a generic war movie, which again could have worked as an exploration of child-soldiers and militarism as an inevitable consequence of authoritarianism; but it is hampered by attempting to cleave to the main conceits of the original. An emphasis on spectacle and histrionics fails to recapture the raw power of the first film. There are some strong character moments here and an attempt to create a more emotional story, buoyed by a plaintive violin score. While it pales in comparison to the first “Battle Royale” film, the sequel is not without its moments and its anti-American sentiments are a bold line to take. Worth watching as a curiosity, and more enjoyable if you can dissociate it from the first and appreciate it as an independent film about the destruction of youth at the hands of a corrupt elite.

Matt Cooper Films

Battle Royale (2001) by Kinji Fukasaku

A class of high-school students is sent to a remote island to engage in mortal combat in this dystopian satire on human society. In the near future a new law is enacted which sees a random school class selected each year to partake in a battle royale: pitting students against one another until only one remains. As a new high school class, on their way to a school trip, wake up to the horrifying realisation that they have been selected, the students are faced with a horrific choice: kill or be killed. Shuya Nanahara (Tatsuya Fujiwara) joins Noriko Nakagawa (Aki Maeda) in an attempt to find some way out of their desperate situation. Alongside transfer student Kawada (Taro Yamamoto), they must face off against the rest of the class, including the psychopathic Kiriyama (Masanobu Ando) who engages enthusiastically in the slaughter.

Based on the novel by Koushun Takami, “Battle Royale” features a simple premise which allows for a deep analysis of human psychology and relationships. Trapped in this life or death struggle, we see each student behave differently: some opt for suicide; others show surprising ingenuity and resistance to the indiscriminate cruelty of the authoritarian system; and others participate willingly; some attempt to band together; while others remain steadfastly independent. The cast of young actors do a great job, lending a believabilty to the outlandish premise. Direct Kinji Fukasaku (known for his “Battles without Honour or Humanity” series) does not shy away from the violence and bloodletting of the story, with brutal slayings being commonplace, but throughout maintains a sense of compassion for the participants, depicting their suffering in this callous world. The film is shot in a realistic style, plunging us into the dark nights and paranoid days as we witness the rapidly diminishing class. The classical score, featuring Bach and Verdi, echoes the elitist authoritarian tone along with the sense of epic, eternal struggle of humanity against its violent instincts.

“Battle Royale” is a powerful critique of totalitarian systems and societal violence. The random nature and needlessly cruel methodology of the government reflect the casual sadism of modern societies that have accepted authoritarianism. The children, and by extention the adults, no longer have any right to their own lives, instead being the property of the state. As the deaths, which occur frequently, are listed on screen, the audience is likewise in danger of becoming inured to the violence, powerfully reinforcing the central warning against just such indifference to human suffering. We see deception, cruelty, bullying, and selfishness on full display, as may well be expected when humans are forced into such a stark fight for survival; but the film balances this with notions of solidarity, friendship, and sacrifice: no less innate traits. Battle Royale is an ode to the best and worst of humanity and remains endlessly watchable for this reason.