Director Kinji Fukasaku began a string of memorable 1970s yakuza films with this newly restored gem. The film follows a veteran yakuza’s attempts to form a new crew and control his own destiny after being locked up for ten years. Striking out with his small gang, he turns his back on the Yokohama and Tokyo criminal underworld and sets off to stake a claim to turf in the untamed hinterlands of Okinawa.
Buy Sympathy for the Underdog Blu-rayLess lurid or over-the-top than other similar genre films of the era, such as Seijun Suzuki’s Tokyo Drifter, Fukasaku’s gritty, realistic approach heralds a shift in the genre paradigm. He treats the lead character development with utmost care, allowing star Koji Tsuruta to craft an indelible, well-rounded portrait of a mature man at a crossroads in his life. It doesn’t hurt that Tsuruta is effortlessly cool, bringing gravitas and laconic slow-burn intensity to the role of Gunji, with the character wearing shades in nearly every scene regardless of brightness.
Gunji’s small gang includes members totally committed to his cause, with a palpable sense of brotherhood permeating the performances. He’s not a greedy bad guy; he’s portrayed as highly intelligent and disciplined, more interested in long-term results than easy scores. With the full support of his crew, it’s a delight to watch him attempt to take over a new territory in spite of seemingly insurmountable obstacles in the form of local criminals.
The tale of a crook getting the gang back together isn’t all that original, but Fukasaku makes it remarkable by moving it from standard metropolitan yakuza haunts to Okinawa, an island so far south of mainland Japan that it’s actually closer to Taiwan. This atypical setting brings to mind a few other “crooks out of water” location changes, most immediately Johnnie To’s bravura jump from Hong Kong to the Portuguese colony of Macau for Exiled. While Fukasaku primarily keeps to locations in Okinawa’s urban settings rather than seaside vistas, there’s always the unsettling sense that Gunji’s crew may be out of their depth in a territory largely unknown to them. He also utilizes the location to comment on the impact of Okinawa’s lengthy U.S. occupation on the Japanese psyche, with American brands advertised in the streets, multiculturalism in the bars, and all currency transactions in U.S. dollars.
The Blu-ray presents the film in 2.35:1 aspect ratio, but even at that super widescreen aspect the image frequently appears a bit vertically stretched. The film was transferred in hi-def to Radiance from original studio Toei, so its subtle aspect variance from reality is likely due to the original lenses used during production. Film grain is firmly in place and colors are slightly washed out, giving it a fully authentic representation of its original theatrical release. The print and uncompressed mono PCM soundtrack are both extremely clean, with no noticeable flaws.
New bonus features have been crafted for this release, and they’re both highly informative. A nearly half-hour visual essay on Okinawa describes the mainland’s shifting attitudes toward the prefecture throughout the years, including its reputation as a seedy crime haven, a tropical vacation oasis (Japan’s Hawaii), and a low-class/low-intelligence backwater. Fukasaku biographer Olivier Hadouchi presents a scintillating deep dive into not just the director’s films, but dozens of associated films in the genre, providing a valuable resource for viewers looking to discover other similar and lesser-known films. The limited edition (capped at 3000 copies) also includes a booklet featuring a new appreciation by Bastian Meiresonne and an archival review of the film.
Fukasaku’s yakuza film transcends the genre to present a fascinating character in a strange new land. Anchored by Tsuruta’s incredible performance, the film lives up to its title by generating massive sympathy for its inspiring underdog.
