Excerpt from The Sound View. Review of BIG TIME GAMBLING BOSS
Initially released as Bakuchiuci: S?ch? Tobaku, Big Time Gambling Boss is a story of pride and conspiracy set in Japan’s 1930s underworld. The Tenryu clan faces a crisis when their boss suffers a stroke from which he does not recover. The yakuza gang’s leadership gathers to discuss who should be the successor. Several names are tossed around and first among them is Shinjir? Nakai (K?ji Tsuruta). He stoically declines, as he feels it improper for someone from Osaka to run Tokyo’s biggest gambling gang. Next, Nakai’s sworn brother Matsuda (Tomisabur? Wakayama) is mentioned, but several members refuse outright because he is serving a prison sentence. The decision is made that the boss’ son-in-law, Ichido (Hiroshi Nawa), will be the new boss through primogeniture. Sometime later, Matsuda is released on parole and is far from happy when he learns his subordinate has taken a position over him. The powerful lieutenant swears revenge at any cost.
Big Time Gambling Boss has it all: A stellar cast, outstanding costume and set design, and brilliant cinematography. The winding and bloody crime story is the cherry on top. Anyone who enjoys mob movies in any language will love Big Time Gambling Boss. Some viewers will notice the typical stylings of a Studio Toei film, but this film reaches far beyond Studio Toei’s typical yakuza flicks. Kosaku Yamashita’s masterful use of staging and color places him among the likes of Akira Kurosawa. The drama unfolds in the hands of veteran actors: K?ji Tsuruta was featured in over 260 films during his life-long career, Tomisabur? Wakayama is famous among samurai film fanatics for his starring role in the acclaimed?Lone Wolf and Cub?movies, and Hiroshi Nawa was featured heavily in Studio Toei’s samurai and yakuza flicks with 130 films to his credit. The conspiracy behind Ichido and Matsuda’s rivalry is intriguing and adds an element of mystery to the film’s second half.
Whether you’re looking for drama, violence, intrigue, or beauty, Big Time Gambling Boss will deliver again and again.
Highly Recommended. - J. Zimmerman for The Sound View
领英推荐
Foreign Action (Japanese) / Radiance / 760137115564 / Release date: 1/17/23 /?ORDER THE BLURAY
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Read our entire March 2023 issue at THE SOUND VIEW
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------