Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Proxy War
Even for hardened bosses of criminal empires, balancing what you want to do versus what you have to do is a choice that must be made, and even avoiding tough decisions is itself a choice. Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Proxy War continues the story of Shozo Hirono (Bunta Sugawara) and his acrimonious relationship with Yoshio Yamamori (Nobuo Kaneko), both key players in the organized crime scene in Japan in the 1960s. When Yamamori becomes the unexpected successor to the Muraoka clan, and Hirono is forced back into his new guarantor's hand, Hiroshima becomes the flashpoint for a proxy war of two larger rivals from Kobe: the Akashi and Shinwa groups.
|
|
Proxy War is the third part in the five film Battles Without Honor and Humanity serial of movies, a series of films loosely adapted from true events beginning after World War II and continuing for many years to come. They are the stories of the assorted power plays and brutal acts of violence perpetrated by the yakuza in a series of internal feuds and vendettas, as the key players all vie for superiority in one form or another. Proxy War is specifically concerned with the massive radiation of violence and mayhem emerging from the rivalry between two greater powers, the Akashi and Shinwa groups, who use the varied factions they press into loyalty to fight the eponymous proxy wars on their behalf. The opening of the film draws a direct parallel to this behavior and that of the two superpowers in the international community at the time--the United States and the Soviet Union--and how they engaged in the same sort of practice during their "cold war", notably in Asia. Taking a cue from these mighty empires, the underworld of Japan adopts similar tactics; but what Proxy War really shows us is how this kind of global game of dominance--not unlike an all-too-real game of Risk--affects those who are continually used as pawns by the power elite. Proxy War is a film with a far more complex narrative than its predecessors; as such, there is significant narration throughout the film to give context and background to the multitude of feints and decisive strikes in this war of alliances. The arrangements between various clans, the subsequent shifting of fealty, and sudden betrayals has encouraged comparisons between the Battles Without Honor and Humanity series and HBO's adaptation of George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire", called "Game of Thrones". The density of upheavals and climactic moments in Proxy War suggests that it would likely be fair game to be adapted into a long running cable series of the same sort given the chance.
In Proxy War, Hirono is once again in the center of events, the proverbial fulcrum in the criminal machine in Hiroshima, even though he is once again begrudgingly under the thumb of the sinister and cagey Yamamori. Yamamori knows that by forcing Hirono back into his house, he can prevent him from acting against him; more so, he can make things appear as though Hirono were acting dishonorably if he did. As a result, Hirono is in a place as a leader that he had hoped to avoid, where his decisions are not wholly his own, and have an effect on his (mostly) devoted men. Hirono has managed to inspire a good deal of trust in his clan, so much so that when he takes an initially flippant young man named Takeshi Kuramoto (Tsunehiko Watase) under his wing, the young lad is so overzealous to see honor restored to Hirono, he attempts to assassinate Yamamori's sniveling and conniving second, Masakichi Makihara (Kunie Tanaka), without his master's knowledge--which unfortunately only serves to complicate things for Hirono. This instance and other similar ones, show that Hirono is forced to appreciate why those in power--even those like Yamamori--make selfish decisions and deprive their underlings of agency and freedom, even if it goes against his personal beliefs. Hirono is someone who doesn't want to get involved in the escalating war that is lurking throughout the film; but by remaining largely uninvolved, he only ends up incurring the wrath of virtually everyone. His initial attempts to try to weaken Yamamori's claim over the Muraoka clan is to back a spineless successor named Noburo Uchimoto (Takeshi Katō), who unabashedly tries to curry favor both with his clan in Hiroshima and the Akashi group in Kobe. His is a milquetoast, lukewarm effort which only proves his disloyalty and weakness to all, something easily exploited by Yamamori to make it appear that Hirono betrayed him. And this in turn leads to a vendetta that is constantly pulling at Hirono for the whole of the film, a betrayal which leads to Hirono being forced to proclaim in his error that it is better to stick close to the "angel" (Yamamori) he knows than the devil he doesn't. Interestingly enough, this is a phrase which echoes one proclaimed by Michael Corleone in The Godfather Part II about keeping your friends close, but your enemies closer, which underscores the oft-made comparisons between the Battles Without Honor and Humanity series and The Godfather films.
In Proxy War, most of the action of the film is handled through backroom deals and meetings, where the tension of surprise betrayals of fealty are the real power plays. Prior to these series of meetings, there is often a scene prefacing it, intended to give dramatic irony, and showing us just how dishonest and scheming men like Yamamori or Makihara truly are. Virtually every one of these meetings is really a farce, a staged event for the benefit of a few to create a record of proclaimed alliances and issue commands, like an elaborate game of chess. What Hirono discovers is just how savvy his former (and again) boss is at displaying crocodile tears when he needs to do so, something he pulled on Hirono in the first film, and now implements to can exploit his newly acquired underbosses like Hiroshi Matsunaga (Mikio Narita). The generously thick patina of lies and falsehoods is so commonplace in this cesspool that when the truth is expressed, it is often perceived as offensive, garish, or provocative. Hirono is often dragooned into complying with Yamamori--or his newly appointed captain, the loyal-to-a-fault Akira Takeda (Akira Kobayashi)--because he has an old-fashioned sense of honor. Hirono doesn't have any aspirations to move beyond Kure, but with the swell of a full-on war between the Akashi and Shinwa groups forcing even comparatively smaller outfits to pledge their affiliation, Hirono constantly finds himself confronted with the ultimatum: "You're either with us or against us." Men like Uchimoto are used as puppets by the larger groups to goad the families into allying themselves, amassing numbers in an arms race of bodies. Even Yamamori, who is himself being exploited in this capacity, in turn exploits men like Shiro Hamazaki (Masataka Iwao) in a twin effort to gain favor with the Shinwa group he's trying to ally with, and also obtain a resource he can later use should he need to against Hirono. The irony with this whole complex scheme--this literal proxy war--is that it in turn forces escalations by parties not otherwise predisposed to fight. As a result, the whole dynamic of consolidating power and provoking conflicts without first-party accountability is a commentary on the world stage at the time, a valuable lesson in any age where nations put their political interests over those of its citizens.
Recommended for: Fans of a complex and detailed narrative about deception and power plays, as well as a metaphor for the Cold War, set against the backdrop of a yakuza crime drama, itself adapted from real-world events. The depth and frequent twists in the plot make for a riveting story of underhandedness in the criminal underworld of Japan, where trust comes at a premium.
In Proxy War, Hirono is once again in the center of events, the proverbial fulcrum in the criminal machine in Hiroshima, even though he is once again begrudgingly under the thumb of the sinister and cagey Yamamori. Yamamori knows that by forcing Hirono back into his house, he can prevent him from acting against him; more so, he can make things appear as though Hirono were acting dishonorably if he did. As a result, Hirono is in a place as a leader that he had hoped to avoid, where his decisions are not wholly his own, and have an effect on his (mostly) devoted men. Hirono has managed to inspire a good deal of trust in his clan, so much so that when he takes an initially flippant young man named Takeshi Kuramoto (Tsunehiko Watase) under his wing, the young lad is so overzealous to see honor restored to Hirono, he attempts to assassinate Yamamori's sniveling and conniving second, Masakichi Makihara (Kunie Tanaka), without his master's knowledge--which unfortunately only serves to complicate things for Hirono. This instance and other similar ones, show that Hirono is forced to appreciate why those in power--even those like Yamamori--make selfish decisions and deprive their underlings of agency and freedom, even if it goes against his personal beliefs. Hirono is someone who doesn't want to get involved in the escalating war that is lurking throughout the film; but by remaining largely uninvolved, he only ends up incurring the wrath of virtually everyone. His initial attempts to try to weaken Yamamori's claim over the Muraoka clan is to back a spineless successor named Noburo Uchimoto (Takeshi Katō), who unabashedly tries to curry favor both with his clan in Hiroshima and the Akashi group in Kobe. His is a milquetoast, lukewarm effort which only proves his disloyalty and weakness to all, something easily exploited by Yamamori to make it appear that Hirono betrayed him. And this in turn leads to a vendetta that is constantly pulling at Hirono for the whole of the film, a betrayal which leads to Hirono being forced to proclaim in his error that it is better to stick close to the "angel" (Yamamori) he knows than the devil he doesn't. Interestingly enough, this is a phrase which echoes one proclaimed by Michael Corleone in The Godfather Part II about keeping your friends close, but your enemies closer, which underscores the oft-made comparisons between the Battles Without Honor and Humanity series and The Godfather films.
In Proxy War, most of the action of the film is handled through backroom deals and meetings, where the tension of surprise betrayals of fealty are the real power plays. Prior to these series of meetings, there is often a scene prefacing it, intended to give dramatic irony, and showing us just how dishonest and scheming men like Yamamori or Makihara truly are. Virtually every one of these meetings is really a farce, a staged event for the benefit of a few to create a record of proclaimed alliances and issue commands, like an elaborate game of chess. What Hirono discovers is just how savvy his former (and again) boss is at displaying crocodile tears when he needs to do so, something he pulled on Hirono in the first film, and now implements to can exploit his newly acquired underbosses like Hiroshi Matsunaga (Mikio Narita). The generously thick patina of lies and falsehoods is so commonplace in this cesspool that when the truth is expressed, it is often perceived as offensive, garish, or provocative. Hirono is often dragooned into complying with Yamamori--or his newly appointed captain, the loyal-to-a-fault Akira Takeda (Akira Kobayashi)--because he has an old-fashioned sense of honor. Hirono doesn't have any aspirations to move beyond Kure, but with the swell of a full-on war between the Akashi and Shinwa groups forcing even comparatively smaller outfits to pledge their affiliation, Hirono constantly finds himself confronted with the ultimatum: "You're either with us or against us." Men like Uchimoto are used as puppets by the larger groups to goad the families into allying themselves, amassing numbers in an arms race of bodies. Even Yamamori, who is himself being exploited in this capacity, in turn exploits men like Shiro Hamazaki (Masataka Iwao) in a twin effort to gain favor with the Shinwa group he's trying to ally with, and also obtain a resource he can later use should he need to against Hirono. The irony with this whole complex scheme--this literal proxy war--is that it in turn forces escalations by parties not otherwise predisposed to fight. As a result, the whole dynamic of consolidating power and provoking conflicts without first-party accountability is a commentary on the world stage at the time, a valuable lesson in any age where nations put their political interests over those of its citizens.
Recommended for: Fans of a complex and detailed narrative about deception and power plays, as well as a metaphor for the Cold War, set against the backdrop of a yakuza crime drama, itself adapted from real-world events. The depth and frequent twists in the plot make for a riveting story of underhandedness in the criminal underworld of Japan, where trust comes at a premium.