Tachibana (Ryo Ishibashi- Audition, The Grudge) does his duty for his clan. After numbing himself with heroin, he impassively performs a hit on the leader of a rival gang and accepts the jail time (10 years) that he is sentenced. But, upon his release, he is a different man in a different (under)world. While he has achieved the status of a respected old timer for his actions, they also proved to be futile- while incarcerated his gang is still in the shadow of larger groups and his much anticipated monetary reward for his hit is kept from him for "safe keeping."

He is assigned a young underling, Yuji (Tatsuo Yamada), and basically told that the old way of doing things just doesn't work anymore. Once, you could defend yourself physically when transgressed; now, every action against a rival gang must be evaluated first and the preferred means of settling a score is a payoff instead of bloodshed.

Tachibana shacks up with an escort, Yuki (Mami Sawaki), who is young and energetic, but also addicted to heroin. Tachibana doesn't sleep with her, though, and he makes it his cause to force her into kicking her habit by chaining her up in her bedroom and enduring her tantrums as her body weans itself from the drugs.

Tachibana's tattoo is still uncompleted and serves as a fitting symbol for how he feels inside. He is no longer fully in step with the gang world, yet he knows no other life and it is his actions as a gangster that define him. If he were to abandon the gangster life, the tattoo is a haunting brand that will not let him forget what he was and what he did.

I've always drawn the comparison between Japanese yakuza films of the late 60's and 70's to the classic gangster films the US produced in the late 30's and 40's in that both drew upon the unsteady economic times (like Japan's post-war reconstruction) and social movements (like prohibition) to create anti-hero portraits out of underworld figures, who's efforts to prosper in downtrodden decades no doubt seemed appealing. As times change, so do the films, and by the time the 90's hit, the Japanese yakuza film took a different form, one that explored more internal issues of the criminal mentality and group structure. The genre, in effect, took a turn inward and wasn't so much about the eternal pressures of keeping your gang or reputation alive, as it was the internal, keeping your self sane and somehow both moral and criminal at the same time.

Predictably, Another Lonely Hitman slogs to final act denouncement, which isn't a negative thing really, just a product of the story and the tone set by Rokuro Mochizuki. This methodical structure is perfect, and no scene feels out of place or wasted. Ryo Ishibashi is delivers a great performance which bears weight and stands out as more than just another yakuza role. Another Lonely Hitman is an engaging, somber struggle of a man out of his element but refusing to give up or give in, sticking to his own personal code, though in the end he will be damned for it.

The DVD: Artsmagic

Picture: Anamorphic Widescreen. Now, fair warning, I'm going to be a tad kind and give this transfer some leeway. Mid-90's low budget Japanese films tend to have middling quality control when it comes to getting good transfers (I'll site Dead or Alive as an example). So, this one is pretty rough and has some compression artifacts affecting the background details as well as some telcine wobble. All, things considered, while not exactly an eye-popping affair, it is acceptable. Other elements, like sharpness and good color details (intentionally muted and cold, which is highlighted in a drug scene where the colors get more vibrant), look better than some transfers from the same genre/era.

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 or 2.0, Japanese language with optional English subs. Pretty good, though the 5.1 track is more punchy it is not exactly that much different mixwise. Dialogue and score are clear, with the latter being some weepy sax and lounge piano that is used ad nauseam.

Extras: Bio/Filmographies— Interview with Director Rokuro Mochizuki (26:34). Rokuro Mochizuki casually discusses his start in film making, the film, and his general thoughts on Japanese genres and his future projects. — Audio Commentary by author/Midnight Eye contributor Tom Mes. While Mes gives some good background info on the genre and actors, he does admit to not commenting on the director because he did that on another commentary (Onibi: The Fire Within- coming soon). Decent commentary, though unlikely to warrant a repeat listen, and Mes does fall into the pitfall of describing onscreen actions (one of my personal peeves about audio commentaries) as if the commentary was for the blind.

Conclusion: An engaging yakuza picture of the more pensive variety. It definitely sparked my interest in Rokuro Mochizuki's other films. Decent transfer with some worthwhile extras makes this one a good purchase for fans of the genre.