Yakuza Papers, Volume 1: Battles Without Honor and Humanity is the first installment in Fukasaku's epic five film depiction of a bloody yakuza war in Hiroshima. Inspired by the real Hiroshima gang war that lasted over twenty years, the film series is adapted from a serialized two-volume novel by Koichi Iiboshi. Bunta Sugawara leads an all-star cast as Shozo Hirono, a ex-soldier living in Hiroshima after World War II. When Shozo finds himself in prison after killing a man, he becomes blood brothers with Wagasugi (Tatsuo Umemiya), and finds himself indoctrinated into the violent world of organized crime. Shozo finds himself caught up in the deadly battle waging between his gang and its rivals, who are all vying for power on the streets. Betrayal, murder and duplicity are all the order of the day, as Shozo fights to stay alive in a ruthless world without honor or humanity.

Fukasaku had broken new ground with his brilliant 1972 film Street Mobster, which also starred Sugawara. That film helped to establish both director and actor as major players in the yakuza genre – a genre that was beginning to wane in popularity. With Sugawara as an unconventional anti-hero, Street Mobsterhelped to breathe new life into a tired genre. But it was Fukasaku and Sugawara's next collaboration, 1973'sBattles Without Honor and Humanity(a.k.a.Jingi naki tatakai) — a film considered by many to be the director's best – that would change everything. Just as Sam Peckinpah and Sergio Leone helped redefine the western, Fukasaku's film—which spawned four more films in the series, and an additional four, unrelated sequels—helped to redefine the yakuza genre. Where yakuza films once portrayed gangsters as honorable anti-heroes, Fukasaku painted portraits of ruthless killers, sniveling cowards and doublecrossing scumbags who obeyed no real code of honor. Fans of Fukasaku's work will not be disappointed with Battles Without Honor and Humanity, as it features all the stylish flourishes that define his work. The nearly non-stop action, brutal violence, brilliant camera, and editing that made Street Mobstera chaotic masterpiece is more fine tuned here, as if Fukasaku had already proven what he was capable of visually, and now he was just determined to reinvent the wheel – which he does brilliantly.

Video:
Like the other films by Kinji Fukasaku that have recently been released on DVD (Street Mobster, Graveyard of Honor), Yakuza Papers, Volume 1: Battles Without Honor and Humanityfeatures a beautiful transfer that is flawless. The film is presented 2.35:1 aspect ratio, enhanced for 16:9 televisions.

Audio:
Yakuza Papers, Volume 1: Battles Without Honor and Humanityis presented with 2.0 monoaural sound with the original Japanese language track and optional English subtitles. The sound transfer is good, but there is a minor hum that can be occasionally heard when some subtitles are on screen. I only noticed the sound towards the end of the movie, and not all the time. I've never encountered a problem like this before, so it may just be the disc itself.

Extras:
Light on extras, Yakuza Papers, Volume 1: Battles Without Honor and Humanityhas a collection of trailers showcasing other Fukasaku films available on DVD, including the other films in the Yakuza Papers series. There is also a pull out booklet, "The Yakuza Wars of Hiroshima", which is especially helpful in understanding what is going on in the film. All five films in the series are available in one box set that includes a bonus sixth disc of supplementary material.