Rating: **
Review Date: 8/18/25
Cast: Hiroki Matsukata, Sonny Chiba, Atsushi Watanabe, Yayoi Watanabe
Essentially a remake of "The Great Okinawa Yakuza War" (1976), except that Hiroki Matsukata and Sonny Chiba have switched roles and Sonny Chiba isn't an unhinged lunatic. The handover of Okinawa back to Japan in the early 1970s creates a power struggle as mainland Yakuza want to take over the local gangs and establishments. Tensions and bloodshed escalate, which ultimately puts friends and rivals Kinjo (Hiroki Matsukata) and Choyu (Sonny Chiba) in charge of opposing gangs, where killing each other is the only solution. Meanwhile, the mainlanders simply stoke the internal conflict and take advantage of the chaos.
It's a lesser film than "The Great Okinawa Yakuza War," but both Hiroki Matsukata and Sonny Chiba give excellent performances. The action and violence are toned down in favor of drama, romance, and politics, and there are so many characters and plot threads that it's hard to keep track of who's who and what's going on. I also struggled to follow the history and cultural aspects of the film, and it's not clear what the "ten years" in the title actually refers to. The abrupt ending offers no resolution or closure and makes you question the entire point of the movie. Its main message seems to be, "Don't join a gang!" It's a well-made and good-looking production with a talented cast, but it's just not very interesting or entertaining. The music score is noteworthy only because of its unusual electronic sounds.
I wouldn't consider it a film worth seeking out unless you're a Hiroki Matsukata or Sonny Chiba completist, or if you just like Yakuza dramas. I'm not a fan of the genre myself, but the film was included in a Sonny Chiba collection, and I finally got around to watching it.