Bohachi Bushido: The Villain (1974)
The Bohachi Clan, the most vile, corrupt organization with ties deep in the Shogunate, have controlled the flesh trade in Japan for generations. When threatened by a competitor, they employ Saburai, a nihilistic ronin on the verge of self destruction. Blood gushes and limbs fly for anyone who stands against Saburai as he instills the Way of the Bohachi.
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Takashi Harada's effort is neither a sequel nor a prequel to Teruo Ishii's but renders a nevertheless similar, sometimes parallel storyline. Although one may easily see this as an intrinsic disadvantage and possible turn-off, the film proves to be a major work since the outcome is remarkably different from Ishii's film. Goro Ibuki plays a nihilistic ronin who is bored of his life, Reiko Ike plays a Bohachi operative and nympho, Bin Amatsu plays a Bohachi boss who is ready to sacrifice everything and everyone for his own sake. Even though these main characters make the film sound more like a copy of Ishii's film, the depth characters are depicted proves just the opposite. Furthermore, whereas Ishii often resorts to 'sleaze' and gratuitous female nudity, Harada presents a coherent story without missing both simple and subtle aspects of cinema albeit it is certainly darker and bloodier. While Ishii's film may claim to be the 'porno jidaigeki' mentioned in its title, Harada's film well deserves to have the claim to being the 'film noir jidaigeki'.