Jitsuroku gaiden: Osaka dengeki sakusen

Dozens of these yakuza films are churned out every year. Some are wonderful, many are entertaining but unexceptional, but most are mediocre or just plain crap. This film belongs to the latter category.

I acknowledge that I watched this film without subtitles, and therefore missed out on a lot of fine detail, relying on the resident translator. This film follows the standard structure of gangster films i.e. lots of guys sitting around talking tough to each other, followed by outbursts of violence, followed by tough talk and so on.

There are frequent changes of location, each of which is titled on the screen by location and time, which seems to indicate that the film is based on the true story of a particular turf war in Osaka.

The cast is quite good, and they count for the only interest I could see. It is acted and directed without flair, wanders all over the place, and fails to hold interest.