Underworld Chronicles: Three Yakuza Fables Takashi Miike/Riki Takeuchi/Kenichi Endo

The late nineties and early 00s saw director Takashi Miike make the transition from his origins in direct-to-video 'V-cinema' to one of the most critically and commercially successful Japanese directors on the international stage. A multi-talented director who would come to work in almost every established genre, it was his often outrageous takes on the gangster genre that first brought him attention outside of Japan. Three of his most notable Yakuza films from this period are collected here, in a landmark new box set. FUDOH: THE NEW GENERATION: Riki Fudoh (Shosuke Tanihara) is a high school student juggling academic work with a secret life operating as an underworld boss. As the leader of a group of larger than life, school-age assassins, Fudoh is waging a campaign of violence against the entire criminal underworld, as part of a revenge plot against his own father (Toru Minegishi), a high-ranking Yakuza in his own right who was forced to murder Fudoh's brother Originally planned for release as a direct-to-video V-cinema title, Fudoh was granted a theatrical release after producers viewed the film, leading to it becoming a festival favourite around the world, and establishing Miike on the world stage as one of film's great provocateurs and a key figure in 'extreme' cinema. AGITATOR: A yakuza (played by Miike himself in a cameo) is murdered after violently assaulting a hostess on rival turf, providing the catalyst for a gang war between a number of factions seeking a redistribution of power. In this densely-layered gangland drama, the backroom manoeuvring of the senior figures in the yakuza, overseen by Mr. Kaito (Rapacious Jailbreaker), are juxtaposed against the actions of the street-level mobsters, as the two sides head towards an inevitable collision. Written by Graveyard of Honor scribe Shigenori Takechi, Miike directed Agitator in arguably the most productive year of his career in 2001, alongside Ichi the Killer, Visitor Q, and The Happiness of the Katakuris. Epic in scope, the film is presented here in its original theatrical version, and in a two-part 200 minute extended version, until now only available on Japanese VHS. DEADLY OUTLAW: REKKA: Kunisada (played by V-cinema legend Riki Takeuchi) has his world turned upside down after learning of the death of his mentor Sanada (Yuya Uchida, lead singer of the Flower Travellin' Band, who also provide the film's hard-rocking psychedelic soundtrack). Pairing up with his best friend Shimatani (Kenichi Endo, Visitor Q), Kunisada embarks on a rampaging road trip to avenge his fallen father figure, leaving a trail of bullets, blood spatters, and bazooka fire in his wake. A typically bizarre and extreme take on the Yakuza genre, Deadly Outlaw: Rekka is Miike at his most deliriously entertaining.