Yakuza gangbanger Riki Takeuchi gets all bent out of shape when his boss (and father-figure) is assassinated. He gets even further bent out of shape when his gang starts talking to the rival gang (the ones secretly behind the assassination) about a truce. He gets even
further bent out of shape when he's double-crossed by his own gang and blamed for some murders he didn't commit (...although earlier he did actually murder 3 rival yakuza for talking shit to him). So now he and his best friend are hellbent on revenge against the traitors in their gang and the people in the rival gang who are responsible for their boss' death. "Rekka" means “raging fire” in Japanese.
Although there are a few surreal Miike moments (especially towards the end), DEADLY OUTLAW REKKA is a pretty straightforward yakuza film and very enjoyable. High energy,
fantastic editing, awesome soundtrack, great camerawork, quick pace and a impressive cast full of familiar faces including the legendary Renji Ishibashi who gets so upset at one point he
throws his toupee at Riki Takeuchi!!!
Highly recommended and worthy of repeat viewings. Double feature with
YAKUZA DEMON.
