After a traumatic childhood, the three Miwa brothers, Hideshi (Koichi Iwaki), Takashi (Kazuya Kimura), and the youngest Takeshi (Taishu Kase), become involved in a life of crime, the elder siblings working as underbosses for a major crime family, while Takeshi becomes a professional assassin. When Takeshi kills the leader of a rival gang it sparks a conflict that threatens to spiral into an all-out war.
“Family 1&2” features many of the usual tropes of Yakuza drama, but with very little impact. The film begins with a rape scene in which Haruko Miwa, the mother of the three protagonists, is assaulted after her husband is unable to pay his debts. As shocking as this scene and others like it are, they function as plot mechanics rather than having any real impact on the characters, and by extension the audience. The film continually swerves any moments of real drama, such as Hideshi’s wife confronting him about the danger they are in, or the brothers’ relationship with their mother; instead layering scenes that fail to develop the characters, but serve to showcase stereotypical gang violence. It feels like a series of subplots jumbled together without any central story or message. Usually, a Yakuza gang war would be the backdrop to a human drama, while here it is the whole point. There is a tonal inconsistency that makes it hard to take anything seriously and undermines what should be devastating moments. The sequence in which Takashi’s wife is being raped, while Takashi and his brother arrive in a tank to take on the gang is one example of this mismatch in tones, trivialising a horrifying experience. The film is based on a manga by Hisao Maki, which may account for some of the more bizarre elements and outrageous characterisation (Takeshi is a preternaturally gifted gunman), but it is a poor excuse for the lacklustre storytelling. Part daytime television drama, part hardcore Yakuza film. Miike’s direction shows signs of his usual creativity, until the strain of attempting to elevate the material becomes too much. Sadly, the film’s flashes of brilliance are outweighed by its meandering, emotionally-detached plot, and low-budget elements.