Graveyard of Honor

Rikuo washes dishes in a bar and nobody notices him. One night he happens to stop an assassination attempt on a yakuza boss. The organisation rewards him and takes him in. He rises quickly because he fears nothing: not the hierarchy, not punishment, not death. For the same reason he becomes dangerous to the organisation. Answering to no one makes him first superior and then a problem. Takashi Miike's film is a remake of Kinji Fukasaku's 1975 film of the same name. The narrative builds no story of ascent; Rikuo has no aim and the film says so plainly. The violence is sudden, disorderly, and never made impressive. Goro Kishitani plays Rikuo. The production counts among Miike's more measured works, but the final section is extremely harsh. Who it's for: Viewers who like Japanese crime cinema, Miike, and narratives of personal collapse. Who it's not for: The violence and drug scenes are very harsh. The protagonist has no motive at all, which leaves the narrative empty for some.