Popular reviews

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  Review by ALISTAIR LEACH ★★★★ 6

  So how angry would you get when your ignored at work and pass over for your promised promotion?

  Matsuda was meant to succeed as the leader of the Clan, but his imprisonment blocked this, his 1st Nakai, was offered the role but out of respect (and origins) he deferred. Ishido was chosen as the boss, he is the son-in-law of the clan leader but those around him find the nepo-baby, a little weak but a safe choice. Nakai respect this as this is what is best for the Family Clan and their choice.

  Fast forward a few years later, do you think Matsuda takes the line of succession and reasoning of what is best for business, well.

  Koji Tsurata is…

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  Review by Blake Bergman "Various Spaghetti" ★★★★½

  "Big Time Gambling Boss" is a 1968 dramatic crime feature directed by Kosaku Yamashita. The film is amongst the Ninkyo Eiga genre of films (or Chivalry Films), which give a deep look into the world and internalized workings of the Japanese Yakuza. There are other Yakuza features out there, but the particular generatic effort of Ninkyo Eiga is more focused on the dramatic context of life within, usually placing its protagonists in a role that has a focused energy of them coexistence with the code of honor and internalized conflicts in a very humanized way. As the overall genre of Yakuza itself would run parallel with the Hollywood Gangster based system, films such as this is very comparable to Mafia…

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  Review by Nathan Stuart ★★★★★ 19

  Tokyo, 1934. The Boss of the Tenryu group lies bedridden and names his successor, Nakai (Koji Tsuruta) who is to take over in his stead. But Nakai, who is originally from Osaka, refuses the position and instead nominates his sworn brother, Matsuda (Tomisaburo Wakayama) for the position according to seniority rules. But with Matsuda still serving a prison sentence, senior advisor Senba (Nobuo Kaneko) ignores the rules and manoeuvres the rest of the elders into nominating Ishido (Hiroshi Nawa) for the role, leading to a feud when Matsuda is paroled.

  Kosaku Yamashita's introspective masterpiece stands not just as one of the absolute finest Ninkyo's ever made, but one that deserves its position at the very highest echelons of the Yakuza…

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  Review by Gregor Kreyca ★★★★

  Wow, that was one hell of a good Yakuza movie. A thrilling drama about friendship, loyalty and betrayal. Excellently shot, directed and acted it is gripping and immersive from the first minute to the last. Never heard of this one before until Radiance Films released it on Blu-ray in the UK. Thanks you for that! I hope there are more gems coming on Blu-ray in the future. As the features on the disc show, there are still a lot of Japanese Gangster/Yakuza movies I have left to discover. Keep them coming. I’m also looking forward to exploring more of director Kōsaku Yamashita’s work. He appears to have been a damn fine director.

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  Review by JSlattery ★★★★ 9

  The battle for succession in a yakuza clan turns violent when the rightful heir,played by genre legend Koji Tsuruta,is forced to accept a decent but naive 'puppet leader' being installed instead by rightist plotters! Unusually dark,complex and downbeat ninkyo-eiga strips away the customary eccentric minor characters,comic relief and even cathartic violence associated with the genre..yes,this is a very rare 'chivalry' film that denies genre addicts the satisfaction of the hero's lonely walk to his violent destiny accompanied by a melancholy ballad..did I miss it? Yeah,to be honest I kinda did ! What this justly acclaimed film offers instead is a laser-like focus on the subtle nuances and intricacies of the 'ninkyo' code..Koji Tsuruta is like the proverbial 'frog in the…

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  Review by Brian Saur ★★★½ 3

  My first exposure to the curation of Radiance Films and I’m very impressed. This low key but highly potent Yakuza drama had me mesmerized very early and never let up. One of my favorite discoveries of 2023 so far.
  Blu-ray available HERE

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  Review by Chris Poggiali ★★★★½

  Mishima labeled this film a "masterpiece" when it was first released. A few years later it was called “thematically, the most complex and introspective of all the yakuza films” by Paul Schrader in his 1974 Film Comment article "Yakuza-Eiga: A Primer" (Check out the PDF on his website), and he arranged a showing of it -- under the title PRESIDENTIAL GAMBLING -- at the Museum of Modern Art soon after. Plot-wise, this is one of the simpler yakuza films I've seen; the complexities stem from the characters' actions and reactions, and the moments that deviate from genre conventions seem to flow from the direction rather than the writing. One thing's for certain: Koji Tsuruta is quickly becoming my favorite actor. A master at underplaying, this guy conveyed more with his eyes and jaw muscles than a lot of actors impart with their whole body.

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  Review by Pachinko Pop ★★★★½ 5

  I couldn’t help but watch this in the context of it being part of Radiance’s launch, their debut Japanese title, and a rare English release of a ninkyo ‘chivalry’ film. And what a choice! This one’s a whopper!

  It’s a great example of the genre with a lot of its key players at the top of their game. Of course you’ve got the stoic Koji Tsuruta in the lead role, the lovely Sumiko Fuji, Nobuo Kaneko being a hateful weasel, and even an interesting role for Hiroshi Nawa, often a villain, cast somewhat in type, but maybe as a bit of a smokescreen.

  However, this is Tomisaburo Wakayama’s movie, if you ask me. He plays the sworn brother to Tsuruta,…

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  Review by KD_ ★★★★

  BIG TIME GAMBLING BOSS, a ninkyo eiga set in Showa era Japan, contains one of the most interesting representations of the giri-ninjo (duty-humanity) conflict.

  The film’s plot premise is basic: the protagonist, Nakai (Tsuruta Koji) finds his clan fallen into the hands of an evil oyabun, Semba, first presumed to be scheming, later known to be scheming. The viewer, however, is informed of his intentions right at the start of the film. When the leader of the clan falls ill and dies, Nakai refuses the successorship as he isn’t an original member of the Tenryu Syndicate. He hails from Osaka and was with another gang first, thus, so he reasons, it is only appropriate to refuse the clan leadership. Matsuda…

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  Review by Dizzle_Sizzle ★★★★ 6

  What are you prepared to die for? Is it code, principle, honor, pride? Brotherhood defined as we've come to understand it, yet what power does it truly wield when faced with the utmost rigidity of clan construct and tradition? Ongoing instances entailing "With all due respect..." before sworn oath is conventionally, moreover simply maintained or heartrendingly broken, forgiveness begged for but all but guaranteed in this life or its ensuing, unavoidable absence. To obliterate longstanding order in the name of something deemed "small" or "silly," casting aside false promises of solidarity and lifelong security that hold strong as long as you're willing to play ball, however some things can't be walked back, forgotten, broken or incinerated. Going straight's not in the cards for those dedicated to the lives they've led, and to collide headlong over what you do will or won't grant you the repose you desire or deserve in whichever form it's dealt.

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  Review by Grant McLanaghan ★★★★

  A code of honour in a dishonourable profession; an oxymoronic edict, conceived with absolute obeyance in mind – or to be disregarded, should you possess not one iota of integrity.

  I very much enjoy this brand of modulated melodrama, a romanticised and sincere thug-life yarn; an investigation of character rather than a depiction of out-and-out Yakuza savagery.

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  Review by Justin LaLiberty ★★★★

  makes perfect sense that this is praised by Paul Schrader as you can see its DNA on nearly every script he wrote from the mid-70s on, teeming with testosterone, murky politics and moments of jarring violence -- what's most surprising about this is how aesthetically and conventionally subdued it is, feeling more like a theatrical exercise than a cinematic one, albeit never to its detriment