Shinjuku Outlaw is a direct-to-video gangster movie directed by legendary Takashi Miike. This is only his eighth movie early in his career and the film doesn't have the content, effects and flow of later Yakuza masterpieces such as Shinjuku Triad Society one year later. However, it's obvious that some of the director's trademarks such as complex ties between gangster families, the feeling of alienation regarding immigrants and ultra-violent action sequences are already present in this film.
The movie revolves around the son of a dying Yakuza boss who decides to kill the boss of another family to prevent a possible attack on his own group. The young man brutally murders the man in front of his grand-daughter in a bowling alley but gets shot multiple times himself and falls into a coma. He awakes ten years later in a prison hospital and realizes that quite a few things have changed in his absence. Rejected by former colleagues and friends and controlled by a corrupt police officer, he is forced to work for two elderly gangster bosses and must defend himself against foreign mobsters as well. The protagonist plans on starting a new life with a prostitute from a foreign country but he must steal money and deal with those controlling his destiny to break free.
This gangster movie convinces on several levels. The story has a few interesting twists and turns that keep it interesting throughout its running time of ninety-four minutes. The film convinces with gloomy atmosphere and the feeling of alienation. The action scenes are brutal, emotional and visually stunning.
However, the film also has a few flaws. The story is quite complex and it's at times complicated to understand who is doing what and why. Lead actor Jun Jung-il, also known as Hakuryu, only seems to have one facial expression which some people might find cool but which seems rather limited to me. The chemistry between the male and the female protagonists is weak and their partnership and relation simply isn't believable.
Despite a few flaws, Shinjuku Outlaw is a typical V-cinema gangster film for genre fans. It's entertaining from start to finish but doesn't leave a deeper impression. In times of confinement and quarantine however, this movie is quite a treat.
