Ice-Cold Ambition in a Ruthless Underworld

Read Time:4 Minute, 57 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
Hokuriku Proxy War (Hokuriku dairi sensô)
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Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
Year Released: 1977, Radiance Films Blu-ray 2025
Runtime: 1h 38m
Director(s): Kinji Fukasaku
Writer(s): Kôji Takada
Cast: Hiroki Matsukata, Yumiko Nogawa, Sonny Chiba, Mikio Narita, Kō Nishimura, Takeo Chii, Gorō Ibuki, Hajime Hana, Sanae Nakahara, Tatsuo Endō, Ichirō Nakatani
Where To Watch: available February 25, 2025; pre-order your copy here: www.radiancefilms.co.uk, www.mvdshop.com, or www.amazon.com

RAVING REVIEW: A gangster film can be many things—stylized, dramatic, brooding—but few capture the sheer brutality of criminal life with the same precision as this one. The film transports organized crime into an environment that mirrors its cutthroat nature by trading gambling dens and neon-lit backstreets for snow-covered battlefields. Every scene feels like a fight for survival against rival factions and the relentless cold itself. The setting reflects these characters' worlds, where morality erodes and survival belongs to the most ruthless.

At the film's heart is Noboru Kawada, a yakuza lieutenant whose hunger for power makes him formidable and reckless. He’s not the kind of gangster bound by old-school loyalty or honor—his ambition is his only allegiance. His rise is anything but smooth, with shifting alliances and betrayals stacking the odds against him. The one person standing in his way is Yasuhara, who sees Kawada’s ambition as a threat. Rather than face it alone, Yasuhara enlists the help of an outsider, a move that disrupts the balance of power and ignites a full-scale war. But in this world, alliances don’t last long, and betrayal is just part of the job description.

Hiroki Matsukata delivers a performance that is all raw energy and volatility. Kawada isn’t a gangster who plays by the rules—he barely acknowledges them. He’s a force of nature, unpredictable and reckless, which makes every decision feel like it could explode at any moment. Then there’s Sonny Chiba, effortlessly suave in every scene. He commands your attention. There’s a slyness to his character, an understanding that power isn’t just about brute force; it’s about control, deception, and ensuring no one ever sees the next move coming. The tension between these two characters is electric, as both men circle each other like predators, knowing that only one can come out on top.

The film’s action is relentless, but not in a mindless way. Kinji Fukasaku’s direction is sharp, using fast cuts, stylized camerawork, and freeze frames to throw the audience into chaos. But what makes it stand out is how the violence is presented. It isn’t glamorized. It’s raw, ugly, and, at times, uncomfortably real. Some of the methods of intimidation and execution are as inventive as they are horrifying, reinforcing just how vicious this world is. There’s no honor among these criminals—only survival, and that survival comes at any cost.

Beyond the bloodshed, the cinematography gives the film a unique, almost oppressive atmosphere. The contrast between the endless snow and the characters' brutality creates an eerie juxtaposition. If there’s one thing that holds the film back, it’s the sheer density of its story. The tangled web of rivalries double-crosses, and shifting allegiances can sometimes feel overwhelming. It’s a film that demands attention; without it, it’s easy to get lost in who’s betraying who and why it all matters. Additionally, while the male characters are fully fleshed out, the female characters feel underutilized, often fading into the background of a story that could have benefited from their perspectives.

This film arrived at an interesting time for the genre. By the late 70s, the once-groundbreaking style of gangster films began to feel familiar. What was once fresh and shocking was at risk of becoming formulaic, and while this film still delivers its punches with force, it also marks the moment when the genre needed to evolve. The film thrives in its execution and highlights why audiences were beginning to move on, searching for something new beyond the blood-soaked power struggles of organized crime.

Even with its dense narrative, the film delivers a raw, uncompromising look at the world of the yakuza. Its setting alone makes it stand out, but its characters and performances push it further. It refuses to soften the edges of its world or offer easy resolutions. Instead, it drops its audience into a harsh, unforgiving battle for power, where only the most ruthless survive. There’s no room for sentimentality here—only strategy, ambition, and the cold, hard truth that hesitation is another way to die.

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[photo courtesy of RADIANCE FILMS, MVD ENTERTAINMENT]

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