Rating: **
Review Date: 6/30/24
Cast: Sonny Chiba, Reiko Ike
"I'm happy to die for you."
As is often the case in Japanese cinema, this is a sequel in name only and has nothing to do with the original "Yakuza Wolf" (1972). This is made immediately clear when Sonny Chiba shows up as a clean-cut arms dealer named Ibuki Toru, who is nothing like Gosuke Himuro. When a deal goes bad, his partner is killed and Ibuki goes to jail for five years. After his release, he assembles a team of criminals to help him get revenge and recover his stolen money and guns, but it turns out to be much more difficult than expected. Ibuki and his crew aren't especially smart or skilled, and the sadistic bad guy is very clever, resourceful, and ruthless. Ibuki's team also has to contend with a group of expert (and silly) assassins. Reiko Ike shows up briefly as Ibuki's ex-sweetheart, who fell into the bad guy's clutches during Ibuki's incarceration. It's a thankless and demeaning role that only involves screaming, toplessness, and being slapped around a bit.
Despite an impressive cast, it's not a very good film and it failed to hold my interest. The characters aren't particularly likable and they don't invite any sympathy with their violent and not-so-bright behavior. Boys will be boys, right? The action is weak, and the film's centerpiece involves a stunt where Sonny Chiba crosses a gorge on a wire. While physically impressive, it's visually uninteresting, goes on way too long, and fails to generate any dramatic tension. I do wonder how difficult and dangerous it was, though, especially since the trailer shows him losing his grip and falling. There's actually a lot of stuff in the trailer that isn't in the film, which is always confusing and unsettling. Regardless, unless you're a diehard Chiba fan, there's little reason to bother with this easily forgettable film.