The Story of a Man Among Men(1984)

Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Deadly Fight in Hiroshima(ja)

Repeatedly beat to a pulp by gamblers, cops, and gangsters, lone wolf Shoji Yamanaka finally finds a home as a Muraoka family hitman and falls in love with boss Muraoka's niece. Meanwhile, the ambitions of mad dog Katsutoshi Otomo draws our series' hero, Shozo Hirono, and the other yakuza into a new round of bloodshed.

Graveyard of Honor(ja)

A barkeeper saves a Yakuza boss' life and thus makes his way up in the organization. However, his fear of nothing soon causes problems.

American Yakuza(en)

When Nick Davis leaves prison after one year in solitairy, he is hired to operate a forklift in a warehouse in the harbor owned by the Japanese Yakuza patriarch Isshin Tendo. The place is assaulted by the Italian Mafia lead by Dino Campanela and Nick rescues and saves the life of Shuji Sawamoto, who is the representative of Yakuza interests in America. Shuji hires Nick to work for Yakuza and becomes his godfather in the family after his oath to join Yakuza. However, Nick is a lonely FBI undercover agent assigned to penetrate the criminal organization. When the FBI discovers that Campanela is organizing a massive attack to destroy the Yakuza, Nick's boss Littman calls off the operation to leave the dirty work to the Italian Mafia. But the connection of Nick with Shuji and his goddaughter Yuko forces him to help his Japanese family.

Tokyo Drifter(ja)

After yakuza boss Kurata dissolves his own criminal empire, a rival kingpin offers a position to Kurata's top operative, Tetsuya "Phoenix Tetsu" Hondo. When the fiercely loyal Tetsu declines, Otsuka taps unstoppable Tatsuzo the "Viper", a ruthless gun-for-hire, to assassinate him. As the Viper trails his target through the countryside, the agile Phoenix Tetsu grows concerned that one of his former associates has betrayed him.

Rainy Dog(ja)

A Japanese assassin stranded in Taiwan must take work from a local crime boss to make ends meet when suddenly a woman from his past delivers a son to him.

The Outsider(en)

A former American G.I. joins a yakuza family after his release from prison in post-World War II Osaka.

Samaritan Zatoichi(ja)

Zatoichi is forced to kill a young man who owes a debt to a yakuza boss. Moments later, his sister Osode arrives with the money she earned (prostituting herself) to pay his debts. The bosses true motives are revealed and he attempts to steal Osode even though the debt is paid. Zatoichi realizes his grievous error and protects the girl from the gang. Osode and Zatoichi are caught in a dilemma as she must rely on her brother's killer for protection and Zatoichi wrestles with the injustice he has caused.

Agitator(ja)

When a young Yakuza torments the customers in a rival crime family's nightclub, it is not long before his dead body is found. Soon, inter-family retaliation follows, resulting in the death for a prominent crime boss. Devastated by this turn of events, the temperamental Kenzaki vows to avenge his boss's death and, as bloody violence ensues, the body count reaches excessive proportions.

A Family(ja)

Taken in by the yakuza at a young age, Kenji swears allegiance to his old-school boss, pledging to adhere to the family code amid ever-changing times.

The Tale of Zatoichi(ja)

The adventures of a blind, gambling masseur and master swordsman. Zatoichi targets a yakuza-controlled village, because war with a neighbouring town's smaller gang is brewing.

Branded to Kill(ja)

After botching his latest assignment, a third-ranked Japanese hit man becomes the target of another assassin.

The Tale of Zatoichi Continues(ja)

Returning to the village where a year before he had killed Hirate, a much-admired opponent, Zatoichi encounters another swordsman and former rival in love.

Bad City(ja)

Kensuke Sonomura directs the legendary Hitoshi Ozawa in this ultimate V-Cinema actioner. Kaiko City is plagued with poverty and crime. When a corrupt businessman decides to run for mayor and starts eliminating opponents from the rival mafia, a former police captain serving time for murder is secretly released and put in charge of a special task force to arrest him.

Outrage Coda(ja)

Five years after the all-out war between the Sanno and Hanabishi crime families, former yakuza boss Otomo works in South Korea for Mr. Chang, a noted fixer. When tensions rise between Chang and the Hanabishi, and Chang's life is endangered, Otomo returns to Japan to settle things once and for all.

Zatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally(ja)

Older, wiser but still a wandering loner, the blind, peace-loving masseur Ichi seeks a peaceful life in a rural village. When he's caught in the middle of a power struggle between two rival Yakuza clans, his reputation as a deadly defender of the innocent is put to the ultimate test in a series of sword-slashing showdowns.

Dead or Alive(ja)

Ryūichi and his small gang of Triad vie for control of the Japanese underworld in a crime-ridden Shinjuku quarter while Detective Jojima tries to bring it down.

Youth of the Beast(ja)

When a mysterious stranger muscles into two rival yakuza gangs, Tokyo's underworld explodes with violence.

Zatoichi's Pilgrimage(ja)

Zatoichi's trek through 88 temples to atone for his violent past is interrupted as he stumbles into a village terrorized by a violent yakuza boss.

Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman(ja)

Zatoichi is a blind massage therapist and swordsman who finds out that something troubling is taking place on the outskirts of town. After discovering who the guilty parties are -- an accomplished Chinese martial artist named Wang Kang and his youthful attendant -- Zatoichi finds them and discovers that the pair's mixed up with a dangerous bunch of terrorist samurai who murdered the boy's parents. Now, Zatoichi must step in to save the day.

Crying Freeman(en)

A lethal assassin for a secret Chinese organisation, who sheds tears of regret each time he kills, is seen swiftly and mercilessly executing three Yakuza gangsters by a beautiful artist. She is captivated by the grace of his kill and later falls in love with him. An intense power struggle for the leadership of the Yakuza Clans ensues as they seek vengeance for the death of their leader.

Brother(ja)

A Japanese Yakuza gangster's deadly existence in his homeland gets him exiled to Los Angeles, where he is taken in by his little brother and his brother's gang.

Dochinpira 4(ja)

Jin’s recent life as a gigolo had been going terribly. No matter how long he waited, he couldn't find any good-looking woman. When he did finally find one, she turned out to be in the same business as yakuza and ended up taking his money, and to make things worse, she was into sadomasochism. In the middle of this mess, Jin runs into Ranko, one of his ex-girlfriends and both begin living together again in a strange and unexpected arrangement. Ranko now wants to live a honest life with him, but Jin hasn’t changed at all...

The Pinkie(ja)

Since they were both five, Ryosuke has been stalked by Momoko - the ugliest girl in the village. Her love for Ryosuke is so boundless that she has her face surgically altered to suit his taste - but still he wants nothing to do with her. Ryosuke goes in for fleeting romance - for example, with the girlfriend of a gangster boss. But when he finds out about their affair, he has Ryosuke's little finger hacked off. Magically, the finger falls into Momoko's hands, and she uses it to clone Ryosuke, so she can finally have him (or almost him) for herself. And this is just the first five minutes of Lisa Takeba's short-but-powerful feature debut. Just like in her previous short films, the director - who cut her teeth in the advertising world and as the writer of a video game - throws a lot of genres and techniques into the mix: from science fiction to gangster films, from hospital eroticism to animation. Hectic and absurd, but with its heart in the right place. © IFFR

Dochinpira 3(ja)

One day, Shimoda of the Minato Shinkai gang, appears before Jin. He begs him to buy out his childhood friend, who works at a soapland, on his behalf. Although Jin refuses on the spot, Shimoda's unnatural behavior bothers Jin. Just then, a shooting happens involving the boss of the Hongo-gumi, which is in conflict with the Minato Shinkai. The gruesome image of the gunman, Shimoda, who was shot dead, is shown on television, along with an outline of the incident. However, behind this seemingly simple incident, an unexpected truth is hidden...

Kill Bill: Vol. 1(en)

An assassin is shot by her ruthless employer, Bill, and other members of their assassination circle – but she lives to plot her vengeance.

Dochinpira 10(ja)

Chased out of Shōnan for trespassing on gang turf, Jin Kaito flees to Yokohama. There he’s rescued by Makoto, a mysterious and seductive woman that runs the nightclub Southern Cross alongside other women, all sworn off men until their business becomes a hit. Their solution? Hire Jin as their exclusive sexual partner. Now, he lives the dream, satisfying a new woman every day, no strings attached. But things take a dark turn when Makoto’s ex-boyfriend returns, determined to steal control of the club by force.

Motorpsycho!(en)

A vengeful veterinarian and a grieving widow join forces to track down violent bikers after they commit heinous acts against their loved ones.

Overkill(en)

A Tokyo cop is sent to Los Angeles to help an LAPD detective break up a yakuza ring operating in the city.

Fireworks(ja)

Beleaguered police detective Nishi takes desperate measures to try and set things right in a world gone wrong. With his wife suffering from leukemia and his business partner paralyzed from a brutal gangster attack, Nishi borrows from a yakuza loan shark and then robs a bank to clear his debt.

Dochinpira 11(ja)

After being rejected by the beautiful woman Saeko, Jin approaches an office lady named Tomomi and "pleasures" her, but she turns out to be the mistress of a Shinryu-gumi gang. Meanwhile, he discovers that Saeko is the wife of the murdered underboss of the Issei-kai...

The Flower and the Sword(ja)

A dangerous mobster threatens the life of a businessman's mother in this thriller. As Ryuji oversees the building of a bridge in Japan, a powerful gangster plans to stop the project. By any means necessary.

Dochinpira 5(ja)

Jin gets kicked out of the Ranko's apartment and uses his gigolo skills to find a place to stay for the night. He meets an absolutely gorgeous hostess club girl and she offers a deal: if Jin "finishes" first, he becomes her kept man. Jin wants to be taken care of, but his pride won’t let him lose like that. In the end, though, he’s completely defeated. Now, while his new "owner" keeps Jin around, she’s also being pursued by two men: Toyama, a brainy yakuza, and Oba, the man who sold her to a brothel. As Jin watches the situation unfold, he ends up caught in a dangerous incident far beyond his expectations!

Naniwa Chūshingura(ja)

Dochinpira 8(ja)

Jin Kaito is back to his usual game: smooth talk, effortless charm, and a trail of lovers left behind. But everything changes when he meets Kumiko, a stunning, headstrong ex-biker girl who’s completely immune to his advances. Obsessed and intrigued, Jin refuses to give up and, when he learns Kumiko is desperate to help the man she loves pay off a crushing debt, he decides to step in, even if it means crossing the deadly Kuroiwa gang. With the clock ticking and the stakes higher than ever, Jin must risk everything to rescue Kumiko before she’s shipped out of the country.

Dochinpira 7(ja)

Jin Kaito returns to his womanizing ways, despite Ranko's worryings. His next conquest? Tomoko, a fiery beauty who just happens to be the mistress of a powerful yakuza boss. Frustrated by her lover’s impotence, Tomoko unleashes her desires on Jin. But passion turns dangerous and Tomoko, obsessed with him, orders an attack on Ranko. Jin barely saves her and things seem to calm down, when the danger strikes: Kuwata, an ambitious underling, plans to take control over the gang.

唄祭けんか道中(ja)

Black Rain(en)

Two New York cops get involved in a gang war between members of the Yakuza, the Japanese Mafia. They arrest one of their killers and are ordered to escort him back to Japan. However, in Japan he manages to escape, and as they try to track him down, they get deeper and deeper into the Japanese Mafia scene and they have to learn that they can only win by playing the game—the Japanese way.

Blue in Isezaki(ja)

Wasabi(fr)

Hubert is a French policeman with very sharp methods. After being forced to take 2 months off by his boss, who doesn't share his view on working methods, he goes back to Japan, where he used to work 19 years ago, to settle the probate of his girlfriend who left him shortly after marriage without a trace.

Dochinpira 6(ja)

Urged to quit the gigolo life, Jin sets out to prove he’s still got it. But his pride gets him into increasingly risky situations, including a disastrously public tryst. While fleeing a group of Yokohama punks, he hides in a car and meets Akiko, a fierce, beautiful woman who immediately becomes his new obsession. There’s just one problem: Akiko is the leader of a rival biker gang. And when Jin seduces the girlfriend of the opposing gang’s boss, he becomes the target of a dangerous vendetta. To make things worse... Ranko is kidnapped!