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Violent Streets
Hideo Gosha (director)
Eureka (studio)
15 (certificate)
99 min (length)
20 February 2023 (released)
21 February 2023
To say that director Hideo Gosha’s 1974 Yakuza exploitation movie lives up to its title would be an understatement! Drenched in sadistic violence from the get-go, there’s little left to ones imagination when, after a kidnapping has gone seriously pear-shaped, former Yakuza gangster Egawa is inadvertently drawn into a ruthless turf war between a rival gang and the a local gang he used to work for. Of course, it’s not quite as simple as that!
After years of being a member of a Yakuza syndicate, namely the Tokigu family which operates in the Tokyo region, former member Egawa (Noboru Ando) was caught and consequently did some time in the slammer. After his release the syndicate, now run by his old friend Yazaki (Akira Kobayashi), displayed their gratitude for him not giving out any names by allowing him to leave the gang and go straight. Not only that, but as a ‘thanks’ they presented him with his very own theme bar in Tokyo’s glitzy Ginza district, The Madrid, which explains why the film starts with authentic Spanish flamenco dancers and music. Really, VIOLENT STREETS is in all likelihood the only Japanese gangster flick featuring Flamenco artists! Unfortunately for Egawa, his days as a nightclub owner are numbered when the Kansai syndicate, a Yakuza gang from the Osaka region, tries to take over the Tokyo territory… and conducts an audacious kidnapping to set things in motion. The unfortunate victim is young female pop singer Minami (real-life singer Minami Nakatsugawa) who is brazenly abducted from a TV-studio just as she is about to perform live. At first, the incident looks like a straightforward “You pay us the money and we will release the woman” affair… but when one of the gang members tries to rape Minami (the sexual violence in this film is just as shocking as the fights between the gangs) and accidentally strangles her while she attempts to defend herself, they have to conduct a plan which sees them still getting the money while blaming the death of the singer on the Tokyo gang… and some of trouble begins in The Madrid of all places.
Soon, an almighty gang war between the rival factions breaks out and Egawa is in the thick of it before he knows it. However, it’s not just the Tokigu family against the Kansai syndicate but there’s infighting going on as well and secondary characters are also thrown into lion’s den.
What’s particularly intriguing in director Gosha’s film is his choice of settings, for example the handing-over of the ransom money takes places on a construction site (with a member of the Kansai gang wearing a Frankenstein monster face mask) while repeated fights and settings take place inside a chicken farm… talk about ruffling feathers! Just as interesting is the director’s choice of casting, for Noboru Ando (who portrays main protagonist Egawa) used to be a real-life Yakuza member (the scar on his face is proof) and spent several years in prison before carving out a new career as an actor (specialising in playing gangsters, naturally) after his release.
Another stroke of genius was the casting of real-life female impersonator ‘Madame Joy’ (who ran a bar with staff made up of cross-dressing hostesses, frequented by director Gosha) as a kimono-clad, razorblade-wielding assassin working for the rival gang.
Director Hideo Gosha is not exactly well known in the western hemisphere (unless you are an expert in Japanese cinema) and the same goes for VIOLENT STREETS which, it must be said, was not a box office success upon its initial theatrical release.
However, despite its relentless bloody violence and its somewhat convoluted plot, the film deserves to be better known - in particular Noboru Ando’s understated performance only serves to make everything look more authentic.
Eureka are releasing the film on Blu-ray in a 2K restoration, this by the way marks the world-wide debut. In addition, the first 2000 copies are presented in a Limited Edition O-card slipcase. Special Features include: Optional English subtitles / An introduction to Violent Streets by film critic Tony Rayns / Jasper Sharp on Violent Streets / Collector’s booklet.
After years of being a member of a Yakuza syndicate, namely the Tokigu family which operates in the Tokyo region, former member Egawa (Noboru Ando) was caught and consequently did some time in the slammer. After his release the syndicate, now run by his old friend Yazaki (Akira Kobayashi), displayed their gratitude for him not giving out any names by allowing him to leave the gang and go straight. Not only that, but as a ‘thanks’ they presented him with his very own theme bar in Tokyo’s glitzy Ginza district, The Madrid, which explains why the film starts with authentic Spanish flamenco dancers and music. Really, VIOLENT STREETS is in all likelihood the only Japanese gangster flick featuring Flamenco artists! Unfortunately for Egawa, his days as a nightclub owner are numbered when the Kansai syndicate, a Yakuza gang from the Osaka region, tries to take over the Tokyo territory… and conducts an audacious kidnapping to set things in motion. The unfortunate victim is young female pop singer Minami (real-life singer Minami Nakatsugawa) who is brazenly abducted from a TV-studio just as she is about to perform live. At first, the incident looks like a straightforward “You pay us the money and we will release the woman” affair… but when one of the gang members tries to rape Minami (the sexual violence in this film is just as shocking as the fights between the gangs) and accidentally strangles her while she attempts to defend herself, they have to conduct a plan which sees them still getting the money while blaming the death of the singer on the Tokyo gang… and some of trouble begins in The Madrid of all places.
Soon, an almighty gang war between the rival factions breaks out and Egawa is in the thick of it before he knows it. However, it’s not just the Tokigu family against the Kansai syndicate but there’s infighting going on as well and secondary characters are also thrown into lion’s den.
What’s particularly intriguing in director Gosha’s film is his choice of settings, for example the handing-over of the ransom money takes places on a construction site (with a member of the Kansai gang wearing a Frankenstein monster face mask) while repeated fights and settings take place inside a chicken farm… talk about ruffling feathers! Just as interesting is the director’s choice of casting, for Noboru Ando (who portrays main protagonist Egawa) used to be a real-life Yakuza member (the scar on his face is proof) and spent several years in prison before carving out a new career as an actor (specialising in playing gangsters, naturally) after his release.
Another stroke of genius was the casting of real-life female impersonator ‘Madame Joy’ (who ran a bar with staff made up of cross-dressing hostesses, frequented by director Gosha) as a kimono-clad, razorblade-wielding assassin working for the rival gang.
Director Hideo Gosha is not exactly well known in the western hemisphere (unless you are an expert in Japanese cinema) and the same goes for VIOLENT STREETS which, it must be said, was not a box office success upon its initial theatrical release.
However, despite its relentless bloody violence and its somewhat convoluted plot, the film deserves to be better known - in particular Noboru Ando’s understated performance only serves to make everything look more authentic.
Eureka are releasing the film on Blu-ray in a 2K restoration, this by the way marks the world-wide debut. In addition, the first 2000 copies are presented in a Limited Edition O-card slipcase. Special Features include: Optional English subtitles / An introduction to Violent Streets by film critic Tony Rayns / Jasper Sharp on Violent Streets / Collector’s booklet.
