Sympathy for the Underdog
1969, NR, 96 min.
Directed by Kinji Fukasaku, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Noboru Ando, Tomisaburo Wakayama.

This series is a 12-film retrospective of the 40-year-long career of this Japanese master of the violent yakuza film, whose work is little known in the West. Moral issues among the gangs become apparent when a recent parolee finds life in the newly allied corporate yakuza to be faceless and heartless

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

Marjorie Baumgarten is a film critic and contributing writer at The Austin Chronicle, where she has worked in many capacities since the paper's founding in 1981. She served as the Chronicle's Film Reviews editor for 25 years.