Last Days of the Boss

Bunta Sugawara plays Nozaki, a laborer who swears allegiance to a sympathetic crime boss, only to find himself elected his successor after the boss is murdered. Restrained by a gang alliance that forbids retributions against high-level members, Nozaki forms a plot to exact revenge on his rivals, but a suspicious relationship with his own sister taints his relationship with his fellow gang members.

This film is the end of a trilogy, which itself was a sequel to an earlier series. And it is a fine end, with one more yakuza story in the books.

The Arrow Video collection is packed full of delicious gems. There are two interviews with writer Koji Takada about the second and third films. Biographer Sadao Yamane offers a very nice video appreciation. We even get a book with six new essays, including one by Tom Mes, who is quickly expanding his expert status from Takashi Miike to Japanese cinema at large.