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Released by: Artsmagic
Released on: 7/26/2005
Director: Rokuro Mochizuki
Cast: Sho Aikawa, Yoshio Harada, Reiko Kataoka, Ko Kitamura
Year: 1987
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The Movie:
Made two years after his masterful yakuza/drama, Another Lonely Hitman, Rokuro Mochizuki's Onibi - The Fire Within is an adaptation of a novel written by Yukio Yamanouchi, who served as a real life legal advisor to the Yakuza. In short, the man who wrote the book that this film is based on has some pretty serious credentials, and definitely knows his stuff.
Yoshio Harada plays a hitman named Kunihiro who was once given the nickname 'ball of fire' and who has, like the central character in Another Lonely Hitman, just been released from prison. Upon his release, his old pal Tanigawa (played by Takashi Miike regular Sho Aikawa of Audition and Dead Or Alive) is there to welcome him and as they get to talking, Kunihiro learns that his old gang would be only too happy to allow him back into their fold. Kunihiro has other plans for his life though, and he intends to go legit and stay out of the Yakuza now that he's finally out of jail.
Of course, as is par for the course with Yakuza films or mobster films in general it seems, the harder Kunihrio tries to stay on the straight and narrow, the harder the forces that be seem to work to pull him back in. As the movie progresses, he meets and quickly falls for a cute little night club singer named Asako (Reiko Kataoka of Takashi Ishii's excellent Black Angel films), which only serves to complicate his dilemma further as he not only has himself to think of should he turn and head back to a life of crime, but he has this woman that he cares about in some bizarre manner as well.
Story-wise there isn't a whole lot to differentiate this film from the hundreds of other Yakuza movies that Japan has been steadily pumping out in one form or another since the 1950s and 1960s. While it lacks the kinetic handheld camera work and over the top nihilistic violence that made Kinji Fukasaku's entries in the genre, such as Yakuza Graveyard or Graveyard Of Honor, such a visual treat, it's still got just enough action in it to keep the story moving along and from delving into a sappy romance.
The characterizations aren't as strong here as in Another Lonely Hitman, but that doesn't make the performances any less interesting. Yoshio Harada, a genre veteran of such films Fukasaku's Sonny Chiba vehicles Triple Cross, and The Yagyu Conspiracy, really shows just how damn cool grizzled and older Yakuza's can be on film. He's got his softer side, sure, and he's not without feeling or emotion but there's definitely an innate streak of 'bad ass' rooted deep within him wanting to get out. Sho Aikawa is also, as always, fantastic in his part. He's got to be one of the coolest men working in front of the camera in Japanese cinema today, his turn here is just another one of many shining examples of why.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Onibi gets a pretty darn nice 1.78.1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. While there is some mild edge enhancement and line shimmering I didn't notice any compression artifacts and print damage is never a problem. At times, and not surprisingly, some of the colors are a little on the flat side but those accustomed to the look of certain Japanese movies shouldn't notice anything wrong. All in all, this is a very nice transfer indeed.
You've got the option of watching the film in either a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound mix or a Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo mix, both in the film's native Japanese language and with optional English subtitles. Dialogue is clean and clear and there are no problems with hiss or distortion present in the mix. The subtitles are clear and easy to read and don't contain any typographical errors. While the 5.1 mix isn't overly aggressive (nor does it need to be) it does do a nice job of filling in the background, so to speak, providing plenty of ambient noise that gives the mix a more realistic feel.
Japanese cinema expert Tom Mes of Midnight Eye is on hand for another full length commentary track, and it's another worthwhile listen. Mes talks in quite a bit of detail about the director's history, some of the significance of a few specific scenes in the film and delivers plenty of background detail on most of the key performers.
A lengthy interview with director Rokuro Mochizuki clocks in at almost a half an hour in length as he discusses the genesis of the film, the origins of some of the ideas, some of the inspiriations that played a part in coming up with the idea, and how certain parts of certain characters were based on some real life Yakuza. It's a pretty interesting interview and it does a nice job of filling in some different areas that the commentary track doesn't cover - the two compliment each other quite nicely.
Rounding out the extra features are biographies and filmographies for Mochizuki, Aikawa and Harada.
The Final Word:
Artsmagic is consistently putting out some of the nicest Japanese cinema releases on the market right now. Onibi - The Fire Within is an excellent example of how an interesting drama can be told within the context of a hard-hitting crime film. Audio and video are very nice and the extras, as usual, are a cut above. Mes discusses the book that the film was based on a bit and also provides some interesting comparisons to a few other notable Japanese crime/Yakuza films.