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The Wolves (aka: Shussho Iwai) — dvd movie review

by Chris ⋅ October 3, 2008 ⋅ Comment now ⋅ Subscribe RSS

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dreamlogic.net's DVD REVIEW The Wolves

Director: Hideo Gosha
Starring: Tatsuya Nakadai, Noboru Ando, Tetsuro Tamba, Kyoko Enami
Genre: Yakuza

To be completely honest, I’ve about worn myself out on Yakuza films. In fact, I really had to push myself to finally sit down and watch The Wolves (aka: Shussho Iwai). Sure, I knew it was a Hideo Gosha picture, and starred none other than 60’s icon Tatsuya Nakadai, but the genre itself — its tendency for cliché and the depressing ugliness found in its tales of valor and honor, have found me opting for other entertainments in my limited free time. And still, in spite of this reluctance, I found myself surprised by The Wolves.

In terms of narrative, The Wolves isn’t going to win any awards for originality. Yet another tale of honorable rogues finding out the code of honor they hold dear has been violated by the ones they called brothers, this one features Tatsuya Nakadai (Kill!, Samurai Rebellion) in the chivalrous antihero role of Seji Iwahashi. Released early from an lengthy prison sentence (itself due to a gang-brawl that resulted in Iwahashi killing the head of the Kan’non gumi gang), the Enoki-ya member heads home to find the gang he knew under new leadership, old understandings on the verge of abandonment, and his clan’s longstanding code of honor in danger of subversion by the forces of greed and ambition. Pretty standard stuff.

What is interesting here is how Gosha handles the material. While most Yakuza pictures post 1960’s feature gangs comprised of relatively stupid, violent thugs, Gosha’s are more akin to the cunning animals of the picture’s namesake. These guys are sneaky, dangerous, and most important of all, intelligent. Scenes of political posturing have a palpable tension to them, and you’re never quite sure if our heroes will get out of a room alive. And though undeniably stylish, there’s a rawness to the proceedings that never fails to shock and surprise, whether it be the depiction of a gang-brawl, a covert assassination, or simply the awkward meetings of a young couple in distress. Another thing is how Gosha depicts underworld activities through visual metaphor. There are numerous sequences where gang activities go on right under the noses of oblivious citizens. A decent chunk of the film’s final, 20-minute-plus battle takes place in a quasi-split screen, with celebrating festival-goers in the foreground, and sword swinging yakuza in the back. Lastly, in trademark Gosha fashion, there are numerous subversive threads woven throughout the narrative. I’ll leave you to discover them yourselves, but suffice it to say they are intriguing.

Nakadai being the lead in any picture usually serves as an indicator towards that film’s caliber of acting, and The Wolves does nothing to violate that rule. You have quality turns by Tetsuro Tamba (Bohachi bushido) , Noboru Ando (Sympathy for the Underdog), and Kyoko Enami (of Woman Gambler fame). Nakadai gives a suitably nuanced performance, the conflict between clan loyalty and adherence to his code of honor evident in Iwahashi’s every emotion. Again, good stuff.

In closing, Hideo Gosha’s The Wolves was quite the good picture. I wasn’t looking forward to it initially, but now that I have seen it, I quite liked it. The Wolves is decidedly different than your run-of-the-mill Yakuza picture. Intelligent, emotional, hard-hitting, and philosophical, if you only see one Yakuza film on DVD this year, The Wolves is an excellent choice.

The DVD.
You can pretty much stub in any of my previous AnimEigo Disc reviews here. The film quality is good, the sound good, and the translation excellent. You’ve got the usual awesomely educational production notes, a gallery of production stills from the picture, a series of theatrical trailers, and an “interactive” map of the locations in the film. This last item isn’t that interactive beyond pagination, (at least, not on my laptop), but it still provides a good idea of the locales referenced in the film. Good stuff.

All in all, I quite liked this disc of The Wolves. In fact, I plan on pushing it on interested friends and family. Check it out.

About the Author

dreamlogic.net -- CHRIS NELSON

Chris Nelson has been a film fanatic for as long as he can remember. A former film and English major, he is now a Software Engineer and contract Technical Writer living in the Silicon Valley.