Onibi: The Fire Within

After spending over half his life in prison, ex-hitman Kunihiro is determined to go straight. But the shortcomings of the new gangs mean that he is soon having to call on his old-school yakuza talents. And when he falls for Asako, a beautiful piano player, she unknowingly ignites a fire within Kuni that will immolate everything and everybody around him. Regarded by many as his masterpiece, Onibi has all the hallmarks of a Mochizuki film, with the gangster elements tightly compressed and controlled to allow space in which a subdued romance can bloom. Coming from a background in porno cinema, this master of sexual relations injects a fresh passion and tension into the macho world of the yakuza film.

Director: Rokurō Mochizuki

Cast: Yoshio Harada, Reiko Kataoka, Show Aikawa, Kazuki Kitamura, Ryushi Mizukami, Hiroyuki Tsunekawa, Yoshiaki Fujita, Ei Kawakami

Audience-only score — full critic data not yet in the ReelXO vault.