Violent Streets
Directed by Hideo Gosha
Written by Masahiro Kakefuda, Hideo Gosha, Nobuaki Nakajima
Starring Noboru Ando, Akira Kobayashi, Isao Natsuyagi
Runtime: 1 hour, 36 minutes
Now available on Blu-Ray from Film Movement

by Ryan Silberstein, Managing Editor, Red Herring

Synopsis of Violent Streets per Letterboxd:

With a Kansai syndicate setting their sights on Tokyo, a former yakuza boss gets dragged back into a world of violence.

What features make it special?

Tattooed Director: Hideo Gosha an interview with Tomoe Gosha (Hideo’s daughter)
A Street That Can’t Be Beat video essay by TokyoScope author Patrick Macias
16 page booklet including a new essay by Japanese film expert Mark Schilling

Why you need to add it to your video library:

I haven’t seen many yakuza movies before Violent Streets, and Hideo Gosha’s take is so glorious, it may have spoiled me for many other films in this subgenre. From the first moments to the last, Violent Streets is steeped in intrigue and complicated relationships. And yet, alongside that is a pulpy story featuring kidnapping, Halloween masks, and a themed nightclub. Gosha does a great job making this world seem thrilling and sexy, but never glamorous; the vibe here is more about enjoying the ride while it lasts, because you can never really get out. I also think John Woo might have been inspired by the nightclub here for the Spanish musical influence on his Mission: Impossible entry. Violent Streets is a colorful, kinetic, and thrilling movie, worthy of inclusion on anyone’s shelves.

Violent Streets is now available on Blu-Ray here.