Kikoku

Infobox_Film
name = Kikoku
caption =
director = Takashi Miike
producer =
writer = Shigenori Takechi
starring =
music =
cinematography =
editing =
distributor =
released = 2003
runtime =
country = Japan
language = Japanese
imdb_id = |

"Kikoku" (distributed as "Yakuza Demon" in USA) is a Japanese yakuza film directed by Takashi Miike. The film reunites Miike with Riki Takeuchi is the main character.

Plot

Seiji (played by Takeuchi) grew up as an orphan who was raised by Boss Muto, whom Seiji considers his father. The Muto family is comprised of only Boss Muto, Seiji and Yoshi. However they are part of the Date syndicate. A rival syndicate, the Tendo, attack the Date family, which leads to a meeting in which Boss Muto was required to pay money to help finance the impending war. However Muto does not have enough so offers an assassination instead. To stop his boss from serving a sentence for murder, Seiji informs the police where Muto hides his gun. Boss Muto gets arrested and sentenced to serve 2 years in prison. Seiji and Yoshi rob the financier of the Tendo group and buy weapons from a Taiwanese dealer. The two then attempt to murder the head boss of the 15,000 member strong Tendo group. They nearly succeed as the boss is in critical condition. The act has compromised the future of the Date family. The Tendo family respond quickly with a wave of brutal murders. Seiji and Yoshi return to the Taiwanese dealer and tell him the two plan to attack the number two man of the Tendo family. Boss Muto is expelled from the Date clan, while in prison, because of Seiji's actions. Yoshi gets killed by an assassin squad under the order of the Tendo family, while visiting his girlfriend. After hearing of his bosses expulsion Seiji returns to the Date headquarters and shoots the first person who yells at him. A member of the Date clan explains boss Muto was expelled because he went to prison as when he was supposed to commit an assassination, so they think Boss Muto himself in to police. Seiji readily explains it was him who told on the boss. Seiji carries out the assassination of the number two boss and is shot shortly after. Seiji then goes to the bar of Boss Muto's wife, who takes him to a doctor. Soon after, Boss Date is assassinated. The Taiwanese arms dealer shows up at Boss Muto's wife's house with weapons. Before he leaves he tells her that Seiji must love her because of his actions. Boss Muto is murdered in prison. Seiji then retaliates by killing boss Muto's killer on the way to his trial. Seiji and boss Muto's wife plan to escape to the Philippines. As their boat begins to arrive boss Muto's wife throws Seiji's gun into the water with hopes of a peaceful future. As they turn to get their luggage they notice a police man, who had provided information to Seiji, hanging from a crane nearby. The two become aware they are cornered at the end of the dock and their boat turns around when it sees trouble. The assassin squad closes in on them and open fire as Seiji blocks all the shots from hitting Muto's wife. As Seiji lies dead the leader of the assassin squad tells him that he's "way too cool" and walks off without harming boss Muto's wife. The ending is somewhat similar to "Rainy Dog".

Cast

*Mickey Curtis as Mikkî Kâchisu
*Kenichi Endo as Ken'ichi Endô
*Renji Ishibashi
*Kouichi Iwaki as Kôichi Iwaki
*Hiroshi Katsuno
*Ryôsuke Miki
*Yasukaze Motomiya
*Kazuya Nakayama
*Yôko Natsuki
*Gorô Oohashi
*Mikio Ôsawa as Mikio Oosawa
*Hideki Sone
*Riki Takeuchi as Seiji
*Tetsuro Tamba as Tetsurô Tanba
*Columbia Top, Millionaire as Koronbia Toppu

External links

* [http://imdb.com/title/tt0376706/ imdb page]