not as good as all the hype

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Violent cop Kuroiwa is on an investigation on the rising tension between the Yamashiro and Nishida clans. After a couple run-ins with the local Nishida gangsters he begins to make his alliances. He discovers a secret police force posing as loan agents whom are watchdogs for the Yamashiro clan. He falls in love with Keiko, a mistress within the Nishida clan, and after proving his toughness in a 1-vs-20 man fight he becomes cool with the underboss Iwaki and swears brotherhood. His relations with the Nishida clan gets him expelled from the force (whom are secretly in Yamashiro's pockets), and the cops blackmail Nishida to sell out Iwaki and ally with Yamashiro. The secret task force kidnaps Kuroiwa and injects him with truth serum so he'll squeal on Iwaki whereabouts. When Kuroiwa snaps into reality he shoots up the cop station

Kinji Fukasaku, in my opinion one of the best directors in history of Japanese cinema, most known in the west for his movie Battle Royale (2000), but not many people know of his earlier work. In the 70's Fukasaku directed many movies which main theme is Japanese Mafia more known as The Yakuza. Every movie in that decade is pure gem. Yakuza Graveyard is also one of them. Everything in this movie is superb, directing, shaky camera work, acting and music, it is very moving and fast pace which is unique to Fukasaku, he was really ahead of his time. The most i love about his movies are main protagonists/antagonists and their rebellious attitude which is totally different from expectations in Japanese society. This time main character is played by fantastic Tatsuya Watari, also seen in Graveyard of Honor, even he is better in this one, such a great performance, also worth mentioning beautiful Meiko Kaji, only you can see such natural beauty in the east. Like previous movies, it is full of action, violence, sex, rebellion in Fukasaku's way. I also like how he portrayed police force, and their lack of honor and corruption and ties to organized crime. Definitely a gem in history of Yakuza cinema and Japanese cinema, must see if you are fan.

This is a frustrating film to watch, as some of it is quite interesting and some of it is awfully rough and certainly could have used improvement. With A LOT of polish, this could have been a much better film.Kuriowa is an insane cop. This is the only way to understand the guy. He is full of rage and angry at the world. While the rest of the police force doesn't seem very interested in doing anything other than accommodate the Yakuza (Japanese mobsters), Kuroiwa wants actions--and it means beating prisoners to get it, it's fine with him. Oddly, his superiors don't mind a little of his mindless violence...to a point. The bottom line is that the cops are happy to keep the status quo--to allow their friends to run their 'business' as they like as long as they follow some guidelines (i.e., don't make waves).Although it's obvious that the cops are in league with the mob, it's clear that they favor one of the Yakuza families more than the other. Here, it gets pretty weird. Although Kuriowa hate the mob, he begins to hate the cops even more. So, because the cops favor one family, suddenly Kuriowa pals up to their rival gang. Now, he goes from angry cop to loyal follower of this clan. Where all this goes next, you'll have to see for yourself.This is a film aching to be remade. While the basic story idea is good (especially the part about Kuriowa finding himself drawn to the one Yakuza leader), the way the film is made isn't. Too much of the film just looks amateurish--with shaky camera-work and MANY scenes where people are just screaming and look like they are ad libbing it. It looks very rough and the acting, at times, is pretty goofy. And, because the style is so rough, I could see the film alienating many viewers. An interesting failure that is worth seeing but far from a must-see.

This is a good movie. It's directed by Kinji Fukasaku who's a top director. There's lashings of style and substance to the film with a pace that never lets up throughout the film. It's like a gritty Pulp Fiction, but with the characters more low-key and more attention paid to the story line. Anyway, a good score, great acting and plenty of fights makes this a must see for anyone keen on the Yakuza or stories like The Limey. The story centers around an undercover cop, who is reassigned to a new precinct and sets out to put the mobsters behind bars. Along the way he gets involved with the people he is trying to put away, finding them to be the victims of fate rather than the villains they appear to be. This part of the story is offset around a larger picture of police corruption with the Yakuza pulling their strings. A cinematic masterpiece by a fascinating director.