Sympathy for the Underdog

Category: Blu-Ray

Returning from a ten-year prison sentence, former gang leader Gunji (Koji Tsuruta, Big Time Gambling Boss) finds that his turf has been taken over by his former enemy, now a large crime syndicate with a legal corporate front. Looking for new opportunities, he gathers his old crew and heads for the island of Okinawa, a legal grey zone ripe for the taking. Made just before Kinji (Yakuza Graveyard) Fukasaku’s 1970s streak of yakuza movie masterpieces, Sympathy for the Underdog is a key film in the development of this director’s unique style and themes.BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURESHigh-Definition digital transferUncompressed mono PCM audioAudio commentary by yakuza film expert Nathan Stuart (2024)Interview with Fukasaku biographer Olivier Hadouchi (2024)Visual essay on Okinawa on screen by film historian and author Aaron Gerow (2024)TrailerNew and improved English subtitle translation