Wrongfully imprisoned yakuza? Check. Prison yard assassin? Check. This 1969 Japanese revenge flick pulls zero punches.
Set up to be the patsy by a rival gang, Furuta Makoto attacks the yakuza boss he thinks is responsible for his father’s murder. He then learns it was all a plot to take over his father’s turf and he seeks vengeance against the puppet master behind the entire conspiracy. His quest for justice leads him to prison where he must fend off the attack of a master assassin before he can make his escape and go after the true killer!
Practical Effects
Prison yard fight choreography that's brutal, not balletic.
Direction
Ikehiro's tight 86 minutes—no fat, just fury.
Acting
Matsukata's simmering rage barely contained behind a yakuza's mask.
Director
Kazuo Ikehiro
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Kazuo Ikehiro directed four Zatoichi films in the same era—he knew his way around blind swordsman AND prison yards.
This dropped during the ninkyo eiga boom, when studios churned out honorable yakuza tales weekly—this one's grittier than most.
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