8/10
Yakuza Papers Pt. 7 - Kuroda, the Wandering Yakuza
22 April 2018
Warning: Spoilers
The return of Kinji Fukasaku's envisioned gangster franchise. Kôji Takada is taking the screenwriting reigns - and brought the old-school calculated violence mixed with a love for lower society women. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wanderer Shuji Kuroda leaks information to Tetsu, a Owada member, about a hit on Boss Kyoei. After Tetsu gets high and unable to perform, Kuroda does the hit and gets 7 years behind bars. He's promised 5 million upon his return. He saves inmate Shimura from getting raped and Shimura becomes Kuroda's new henchman.

When he gets out he discovers Tetsu drugged out and kicked out of the Owada clan. He threatens to take Tetsu's bar by force but Tetsu devises a way to get Kuroda his money. They kidnap Boss Owada and his mistress and threaten to bury them alive and Owada coughs up the money. He sends Captain Aihara to pay Kuroda , but Aihara has other plans.

He gives Kuroda a bunch of heroin and tells him to sell it in Akamatsu's territory. Akamatsu is at odds with Aihara (who is having affair with his barhostess) and sends flunkies to rob Kuroda. Kuroda's henchman kills Akamatsu at the expense of his own life, and now the Owada clan is under police surveillance.

Boss Owada informs the clan he is taking in Kuroda, fore he is a wanderer who has assisted their climb in power. This puts Aihara in an uneasy spot, who was hoping to either blackmail or get Kuroda killed during his affair with Akamatsu. After the Boss overhears Aihara talking about seccession before he considers retiring, Owada makes a drastic decision of appointing Izeki (the longest standing member) as the new Chairman and Kuroda as his trusted enforcer. These recent changes foils Aihara's scheme of taking over the family.

Meanwhile Tetsu has a withdrawal episode and storms into the club attacking members of Owada. Kuroda and Aihara rivalry thickens as Kuroda dances with Aihara's mistress on the night of their ceremony. Aihara uses the opportunity of Tetsu's crazed attack to blackmail him into killing both Kuroda and Boss Owada to save his own life. Tetsu lets Kuroda live, but kills Boss Owada , sending the clan down a path of leadership uncertainty.

At Owada's funeral, Aihara's supporters bully Izeki into dropping rank and appointing Aihara as the new Chairman. Kuroda decides to kill Aihara to fulfill Boss Owada's dying wishes. Izeki sends his henchmen to kill Kuroda but he escapes disappearing without a trace.

Aihara starts his path to visit all the Yakuza Families of Japan, and Kuroda devises a plan to ambush him along the way. After a few botched attempts Kuroda finally gets his wish after staging a police arrest to get Aihara and gang to drop their guard. Aihara and gang celebrate the good news in the club. Shimura sneaks past security and kills Aihara and his gang kills Shimura. As everyone in the Owada family surround Aihara hospital bed they get a call from Kuroda, congratulating Izeki for becoming the new Chairman of the Owada clan. The movie ends with the yakuza tradition crowning Izeki new Chairman, and Kuroda is back in attendance.
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