The Wolves

Japanese director Hideo Gosha may be unknown to most Americans, since few of his films have crossed the Pacific, but if 1971's The Wolves is any indication, Gosha may be the next filmmaker to earn a belated cult following. Set in 1926, the film opens with a general pardon of 400 prisoners following the ascension of Emperor Hirohito to the imperial throne. One of the pardoned, Seiji (Tatsuya Nakadai)—a henchman serving time for murder—discovers a very different landscape upon his release: his former gang has been absorbed into a larger syndicate with whom Seiji formerly tangled. Complicating matters is the fact that the union will be sealed by a marriage between the daughter of Seiji's former boss and the head of the newly enlarged organization. Gosha frames this character drama with bold, colorful scene compositions and a sense of moral ambiguity reminiscent of the 1930s U.S. gangster classics. Nakadai, best known for his starring roles in Akira Kurosawa's Kagemusha and Ran, is a strong screen presence in the Cagney-Raft mold, and he anchors the film with a memorably rugged performance as a man at odds with a world he no longer recognizes. DVD extras include program notes and an image gallery. Highly recommended. (P. Hall)