Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Aftermath (1979)

BWH&H 9: Unexpected Redemption

You don't hear much about this one, which is both surprising and not. For one, it's the only movie in the series (not including the 2000s duology) that wasn't officially brought over for English audiences, so it's not like a lot of people have seen it. However, it's a lot better than what I've read.

We only have 2 old cast members this time (and for the first time, no Bunta either), and all new characters. It follows 3 friends with different loyalties, and spins out of control as it gets going. At over 2 hrs, this is the longest one yet, and the first 40 mins are pretty slow. It gets pretty good from there though, if a tad predictable at times. It has a very different feel from the previous 8 films, having different crews and music for the tone, so don't expect it to feel like the same series. That said, I feel that's exactly what it needed that the New Battles trilogy was lacking.

It's kind of sad that this hasn't been given the love it deserves, and I hope Arrow eventually brings it over to us. I'd love to have it in my collection, especially as it washes away the bad taste left in my mouth from the previous film. All in all, not a bad way to finish off the series, even if it is almost entirely unrelated.

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