Wolves, Pigs and Men
Directed by
Kinji Fukasaku
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Three brothers find themselves pitted against each other as rivals in the Yakuza underworld. Jiro robs stolen loot from his younger brother, Sabu, and his gang. When their eldest brother, Kuroki, learns of this, he makes his own plans to conspire against both of them, resulting in a treacherous nightmare of unbridled violence.
Combining elements of French New Wave and film noir, this "ferocious, dynamic yakuza thriller" (Los Angeles Times) established Kinji Fukasaku (Battles Without Honor and Humanity, Violent Panic: The Big Crash) as a master of Japanese genre cinema.
Cast
- Ken Takakura
- Rentarô Mikuni
- Kin'ya Kitaôji
- "Wolves, Pigs and Men, which pitted three slum-dwelling gangster brothers against one another, established Fukasaku's pattern for contemporary action and crime dramas inspired by the French New Wave and American noir, featuring realistic portrayals of violence and often set in chaotic, working-class milieux."
- "Fukusaku's sixth film, Wolves, Pigs and Men broke the mold by taking the best elements from his earlier films and adding a biting commentary on the social problems endemic to Japan's transition from postwar defeated nation to economic powerhouse."
- "[F]erocious, dynamic yakuza thriller in which Rentaro Mikuni, then as now one of the Japanese cinema’s most distinguished actors, plays a sleek gangster who has risen from a shantytown to the big time. "
- "[O]ne of the best movies Kinji Fukasaku made, a film with genuine tension, drama, and emotional power."
- "[A]n explosive, nihilistic tale which qualifies as a rough-hewn, early masterpiece."
- "Weighing cold hard yen against filial bonds, no holds are barred as the three brothers rip up the streets to Isao Tomita’s amazing jazz/surf-rock hybrid soundtrack. Shot on the real-life mean streets of Japan’s slums, Fukasaku’s blood-soaked yakuza debut mixes social criticism, American noir, French New Wave influences, and hard men with a penchant for violence."
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