Awards and festivals

Film description

A hot summer of 1988, shortly after the introduction of laws radically restricting organized crime. A young, law-abiding police officer is partnered up with a seasoned detective who navigates through the brutal dealings with yakuza with the cunningness of an experienced predator. The detective's methods and close relations with the mobsters raise the suspicions of his superiors, and put the young man's idea of justice to a test. The world he discovers in the dark alleys behind old villas' soundlessly sliding doors, and in the exclusive cathouses, will leave a bloody mark in his memory.

Shirashi reboots the classic gangster cinema of Kinji Fukasaku, whose "Battles Without Honor and Humanity" was a direct reference point for the film. In "The Blood of Wolves" we also are thrown right in the middle of the battle between two rival gangs on the streets of Hiroshima, which is portrayed through Takahiro Haibara’s saturated frames and dynamic shots. From the very beginning, the expressive editing, fast-paced action sequences, and the unwavering cruelty leave the audiences breathless. But the real strength of the film lies in its brilliant narration, black humor and, most of all, in the undeniable charisma of the main character played by Koji Yakusho, whose cynical harshness is more powerful than the flying bullets.

Jagoda Murczyńska