Two ex-thugs are attempting to lead clean lives. When they are subpoenaed as witnesses for a murder they witnessed years ago, their responses are quite different. The stronger one (Yujiro Ishihara) refuses to cooperate with the police but just wanting to be left alone, he also refuses hush money from the gang responsible for the crime. The weaker one (Akira Kobayashi) accepts the money and plans to blackmail the gangsters for more. This crudely made yakuza film, directed by Toshio Masuda, is strongly influenced by those Warner Bros. gangster films of the 1930s. One could easily see, say, James Cagney and George Raft in the Ishihara and Kobayashi roles. But the characters, with the exception of Mie Kitahara as the murdered man's daughter, are unlikable. Not only that, they're not very bright either so rather than get involved, we watch with a thin veneer of contempt for them. Unfortunately, Ishihara makes the mistake of grinning several times during the film but, alas, he has the most hideous teeth I've ever seen in a leading man! Masaru Sato did the intrusive score and Kurataro Takamura is responsible for the well composed NikkatsuScope images.
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