A yakuza thug gets out of prison after ten years. It seems that while he was incarcerated his entire gang was broken up and a newer and tougher one has taken its place (Daitokai). As a result, they have no territory and decide to relocate to Okinawa where they think it will be a lot easier to establish a base of operations. All they need to do is defeat the much smaller and weaker gangs of this southernmost Japanese island. Well, it's no so simple--as the local gangs aren't about to just surrender to the new blood from the mainland. So an all-out war between the gangs develops--with LOTS of killing and posturing. But, when Daitokai now appears in Okinawa, what are they to do? There is no place else to go.

The problem I had with this film is that I really had a hard time caring for who won--after all, they all were bad and you really didn't have a lot of connection to them. They all just seemed like nameless gangsters and nothing more. As a result, although the film is well made, it doesn't have a lot of depth or lasting value. The end, incidentally, is pretty ridiculous. Watchable but that's not enough.

By the way, if you look carefully, at the 73 minute mark, you can see the OTHER arm belonging to the one-armed guy! yes, it's hiding under his coat and the editor must have missed this brief glimpse.

need I say it?...Tarantino. Kinji Fukasaku in my opinion inspired Tarantino more than any other filmmaker; De Palma, Scorsese, Suzuki among them. The dialog beats, the action beats, even the music seems all vaguely familiar to Tarantino's filmography. Fukasaku is THE yakuza director. While I'm sure most yakuza fans will opt for Seijun Suzuki who came first and who, no doubt, inspired Fukasaku, I compare it to Ford vs. Kurosawa. Ford clearly inspired Kurosawa but Kurosawa took these inspirations and combined them with his own sensibilities to make something truly unique. The same goes for Suzuki and Fukasaku. Watch this and the Yakuza Papers films which are sold together in a great box set and tell me this guy isn't the best. The narrative of Sympathy is not particularly original, it's the age-old small gang vs. big gang which can be seen in this all the way to the recent Miike films. What makes this special is the feeling of the film. The dialog, acting, music, cinematography, style all combine for an unforgettable visceral experience. It's impossible to watch this film and not be drawn in by Koji Tsuruta's performance as the ultimate bad-ass. Fukasaka is also the same man that made the ridiculously entertaining and witty Battle Royale and who died in the middle of Battle Royale II in which his son took over. Home Vision Entertainment did a great job on this DVD and I recommend any yakuza or action fan pick this up immediately.

How not to think about Sam Peckinpah's masterpiece when you seee this tremendous Japanese depserate crime movie, very bloody, brutal, sometimes cheesy, I admit, but unforgettable for me. The ending is a homage to WILD BUNCH of course, and also SEVEN SAMURAIS as well. Koji Tsuruta and Noburu Ando carry the film on their shoulders, they are here at their peak, in such Melvillian - Jean-Pierre Melville - characters relationship. Only characters and not the graphic violence which the Rue Jenner studios master street would have certainly not approved. Don't miss this Kinji Fukasaku movie.