Hell to pay
I really enjoyed this one, but not in the same way I usually enjoy these kinds of films.An ex-cop turns revenge killer and he's given an option: go undercover or... well, it was never clear if the handler would bump him off on the spot or just toss him into prison forever - and straight away, I knew that this film would keep me enthralled!
The lead then partners up with a bona fide psychopath, who seems like a skinny boy faking a hard -man image - he's just too sweet until he snaps! Both men are actually psycho's, but one is the emotionally confused child of a suicide cult and the other is an almost emotionless thinker, on a path to accomplish his real mission, which he's using the yakuza to accomplish.
Some viewers may say the action is too violent, others may say it's stylish, while others still may say it's realistically brutal but, to me, the action scenes served the plot - as well they should in any good film!
The dialogue in this was excellent - I really enjoyed the scenes that took a much slower pace, because this is when the characters all really came to life and, ultimately, showed us the depth the film was striving to attain. And with its multiple layers, characters all working towards their own agendas and us never really knowing who's the good guy in this very grey world, there's a lot to be lost in the minutia, hence my giving this such a high rewatch value, when I seldom watch anything twice!
Is this a film for everybody?
Absolutely not! But for those who like character-driven dramas disguised as action-thrillers, this is superb!
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A solid yakuza movie
The plot is nothing new – driven by revenge, a former cop decides to go undercover and gradually climbs up the ranks of the Yakuza.What really makes this movie entertaining, is not the story, but the action scenes. They are bloody, violent and well choreographed.
This movie has its problems, especially with the pacing. There are some dialogue-heavy scenes, rapid changes of the locations and new characters introduced every five minutes, especially in the first half of the movie. It might not be easy for the viewers to keep the track of what's happening, and the over two-hour runtime doesn't help. Halfway through the movie, I started wondering if it would work better as a short tv-series.
From such a stellar cast, I was expecting at least good acting, and I was not disappointed.
Okada Junichi once again shows off his top-notch fighting skills, so if you're a fan of his, or if you simply enjoy yakuza movies, I think this movie is a must-watch.
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"Deep is the dark"
A vigilante mad dog is roped into becoming an undercover agent. In the powerful and ruthless world of the yakuza he teams up with another mad dog teetering on the brink of sanity to become members of the feared Hell Dogs.Kanetaka Shogo aka Idezuki Goro was a young cop on the beat when several people were murdered in a robbery. When justice is not served Goro spends 10 years hunting down the perpetrators and executing them. After the last one he turns himself in and is quickly recruited to become an undercover agent as a yakuza in a notoriously dangerous and powerful gang. He takes the name Kanetaka “Tak” Shogo and teams up with the unstable Muro. The two make a name for themselves as assassins. Goro has to watch his back as he is continually tested all while he attempts to climb the ranks and move closer to the crime family’s boss.
This film was a familiar take on the tight rope UCs must balance. Goro was called upon to do heinous deeds to keep his cover with the end game of taking down the crime family. The money and adrenaline could be enticing, a real temptation when the police department proved itself to be scarcely better than the yakuza. There were of course, the double dealings and big “reveals” as the story progressed. Will any of them be shocking? Not particularly if you’ve watched many crime films. Despite the lack of innovation, Harada Masato pulled me into the world he created, no small feat when there were few characters to care about.
The acting was strong for the most part relying heavily on Okada Junichi’s massive screen presence despite being surrounded by much taller men. Goro’s personality was such that he was not intimidated by anyone. Being based on a book there were enough characters and plot elements that they could have made this into a short drama to expand on the different players. As it was, it ran a little long for a yakuza film.
For the most part, Hell Dogs balanced narrative with action with more of the former in case you are expecting non-stop thrills. The ending rushed through at breakneck (pun intended) speed dissolving much of the built-up tension. Yet I still enjoyed this film largely due to Okada’s performance and Goro’s ability to hammer, slice, and shoot his way to the top.
18 December 2025
Trigger warnings: There was lots of slicing and dicing, shooting, and other blood spattering activities. Sexual content.
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Lot of Guns, Blood, and Killing and an Utterly Lazy Plot
To begin, the Japanese authorities wiped out the Yakuzas years ago, just as the FBI wiped out the Italian Mafia years ago. But the Japanese film industry keeps making Yakuza movies like this just as Hollywood keeps making Mafia films as if it were the era of The Godfather. That's fine, I don't mind a movie with fantasy images of the Mafia or the Yakuza. But for god's sake, give us a plot. This was just a lot of guns, blood, fighting and killing and a plot that made no freaking sense.The plot gives us an undercover cop who infiltrated the Yakuza, and he's portrayed as a mad dog on a quest to kill everyone who wronged innocents in the past. His motive is played as a big secret throughout the film, and when it's finally revealed, wow, what a big nothing. As for the undercover bit, well, I don't want to give spoilers, but when a film keeps revealing this one and that one in the Yakuza to also be an undercover cop, the dramatic tension is reduced to nil. After all, none of them are risking anything when they've essentially got half the police force undercover to protect each other. I groaned at the first revelation that a Yakuza was actually an undercover cop, groaned at the second revelation, and began to laugh as the number of undercover cops kept mounting. Half the cast end up being undercover cops. In short, this is a bad film. But hey, there are lots of hot men. At a certain point, that's the only reason I kept watching.
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Good FX, Lame Plot
LIKES:Location settings, lighting, colour palate were decent.
FX: the blood, vomit, fight wounds, etc.
Music was fitting, but notting stood out.
CAST: well selected for their roles (and Miyavi was great)
Choreography of the fight scenes was good.
As an action movie it was okay.
DISLIKES:
WRITING: the plot was the usual trope, with the usual stereotypes. But they wrecked what little story there was with too many “reveals”, so the final one lost it’s impact. Also the reason as to “why” was lame too, the main character needed a deeper connection. Also not too much “crime” other than the killing.
PRODUCTION: shaky camera moments, (use a FILM STABILIZER like WTF that’s filming 101). Strange editing, so that some parts felt disjointed. Also sometimes the music was too loud and you couldn't hear what the actor/actress was saying. It was very distracting, even if you read subtitles.
DIRECTING: there were moments where the camera lingered too long and was unnecessary as the scene had finished. [That could also be due to bad editing.]
OVERALL:
It was a decent watch, but didn’t need to be so long if editing had been done right. If you like little plot and just action with blood and fighting, this is a good choice. For a film made in 2022 it’s a bit disappointing. I won’t watch it again.
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