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.
