a review of 无仁义之战5：完结篇

Feb 26/28 To be absolutely honest, I was pretty disappointed with this one. As noted in my review for the fourth film, the series structure is kind of tricky, starting with two "prelude" chapters, the first setting up eventual series protagonist Shozo Hirono, the other a cautionary tale of the loose-cannon gunsel Yamanaka. The series then adopts a serial tone for the last three films, forming an epic-length trilogy detailing Hirono's attempts to navigate the 1960s Hiroshima underworld. Unfortunately, the film sees fit to sideline Hirono in prison for most of its running time, focusing instead on the growing pains of the yakuza organizations transitioning into "legitimate" political committees and corporations. There's a curious lack of tension going into the final minutes, because most of what transpires basically amounts to office politics with occasional bouts of violence and it just isn't as compelling as it could be. It perks up quite a bit when Hirono reappears in the story, but it's not the epic conclusion I was hoping for.