is a 1968 Japanese

yakuza film is a popular film genre in Japanese cinema which focuses on the lives and dealings of ''yakuza'', Japanese organized crime syndicates. In the silent film era, depictions of ''bakuto'' (precursors to modern yakuza) as sympathetic Robin Hood-l ...

directed by

Yasuharu Hasebe was a Japanese film director best known for his movies in the "Violent pink" subgenre of the ''Pink film'', such as '' Assault! Jack the Ripper'' (1976), ''Rape!'' (1976), '' Rape! 13th Hour'' (1977) and ''Raping!'' (1978). Earlier genre films d ...

Cast

Akira Kobayashi is a Japanese actor and singer. His nickname is . Biography Kobayashi attended Meiji University but left before graduating. He became an actor at Nikkatsu and made his film debut with "Ueru Tamashii" directed by Yuzo Kawashima in 1956. He s ...

as Jiro Sagae *

Jo Shishido was a Japanese actor most recognizable for his intense, eccentric yakuza film roles and his artificially enlarged cheekbones. He appeared in some 300 films but is best known in the West for his performance in the cult film '' Branded to Kill'' ...

as Hino *

Hideaki Nitani was a Japanese actor. Career Born in Kyoto Prefecture, Nitani attended Doshisha University but quit before graduating. He first worked as an announcer at Nagasaki Broadcasting Company, but in 1956 made his debut as an actor at Nikkatsu. Gaining ...

as Hakozaki * Tamio Kawaji as Naruse * Meiko Kaji (credited as Masako Ota) as Saeko Hayafune *

Tatsuya Fuji is a Japanese actor. He was born in Beijing and raised in Yokohama. In 1962, Fuji joined Nikkatsu Company and began his acting career with small roles in Nikkatsu film. In 1968, Fuji married actress Izumi Ashikawa. He gained popularity throug ...

as Shinjo

Production

''Retaliation'' was Hasebe's third film as a director. It was filmed in

Marunouchi Marunouchi () is a commercial district of Tokyo located in Chiyoda between Tokyo Station and the Imperial Palace. The name, meaning "inside the circle", derives from its location within the palace's outer moat. It is also Tokyo's financial di ...

and

Sakura, Chiba is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 173,740 in 78,483 households and a population density of 1700 people per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Sakura is located in northeastern ...

Release

The film premiered on October 5, 1968. It was re-released in 2012 as part of the

Kawasaki Shinyuri Film Festival Kawasaki ( ja, 川崎, Kawasaki, river peninsula, links=no) may refer to: Places *Kawasaki, Kanagawa, a Japanese city ** Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki, a ward in Kawasaki, Kanagawa ** Kawasaki City Todoroki Arena ** Kawasaki Stadium, a multi-sport stadium ...

on 8 October 2012.

Arrow Video An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers ca ...

released the film 2015 first time on Blu-ray Disc and

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

Reception

Chris D., author of ''Outlaw Masters of Japanese Film'' described ''Retaliation'' as "a decent programmer" and that "staging is effective but occasionally it results in cluttered compositions that contribute to narrative confusion". The review concluded that 'Hasebe takes his story seriously, because the performances and realistically downbeat situations save the picture".D. 2005, p. 127. ''

Sight & Sound ''Sight and Sound'' (also spelled ''Sight & Sound'') is a British monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute (BFI). It conducts the well-known, once-a-decade ''Sight and Sound'' Poll of the Greatest Films of All Time, ongoing ...

'' compared the film to those of

Seijun Suzuki , born (24 May 1923 – 13 February 2017), was a Japanese filmmaker, actor, and screenwriter. His films are known for their jarring visual style, irreverent humour, nihilistic cool and entertainment-over-logic sensibility. He made 40 predo ...

who Hasebe had worked with previously as an assistant director. The review stated that ''Retaliation'' was "never be quite as visually or conceptually wild as Suzuki's, but they share something of the same breakneck cutting and tumultuous approach to staging action."

Notes

Sources

External links

* Films directed by Yasuharu Hasebe Nikkatsu films Films shot in Tokyo Yakuza films 1960s Japanese films {{1960s-Japan-film-stub