Trailer Link

Release Date:

January 3, 2014

Synopsis:

From IMDb: “As the police launch a full-scale crackdown on organized crime, it ignites a national yakuza struggle between the Sanno of the East and Hanabishi of the West.”

Poster: D

Review: Action films need to try a lot harder to sell themselves to a mass audience. In the U.S., the lead actor isn’t exactly a household name, so focusing on his stature to carry the design is a mistake and limiting the thrills of the film in the design doesn’t guarantee much interest.

Trailer: C-

Review: A tedious, lugubrious trailer that tries to ramp up the action as it plays out, but everything feels too subdued to be interesting and having a bunch of aged Japanese actors doing subdued action sequences isn’t likely to sell tickets. The producers really need to ratchet up the excitement in the trailer to reach beyond the handful of fans of director Takeish Kitano.

Oscar Prospects:

None.

Revisions:

(December 29, 2013) Original