Battles Without Honor and Humanity: The Complete Collection

Director Kinji Fukasaku's violent post-WWII Japanese gangster saga opens with "Battles Without Honor and Humanity" (1973), as ex-soldier Shozo (Bunta Sugawara) joins the local Yakuza and finds his code of ethics at odds with his new cohorts. Shozo's loyalties are torn in "Hiroshima Death Match" (1973) as rival Yakuza clans battle in the war-ravaged city; with appearances by Sonny Chiba and Meiko Kaji. Then, with gang war spilling into the streets of Hiroshima, Shozo and his fellow Yakuza discover that betrayal and death are the order of the day, in "Proxy War" (1973). In "Police Tactics" (1974), citizen groups and the law begin fighting back, but the bloody mob rivalry reaches a climax that could cost Shozo his life. And a new Yakuza faction rises out of the ashes, as Shozo and a group of gangsters are released from prison ready to reclaim Hiroshima's underworld, in "Final Episode" (1974). 12 1/2 hrs. Total on five discs. Widescreen; Soundtrack: Japanese; Subtitles: English; audio commentary; featurettes; image gallery; theatrical trailers. In Japanese with English subtitles.