Sympathy for the Underdog

Returning from a ten-year prison sentence, former gang leader Gunji (Koji Tsuruta, Big Time Gambling Boss) finds that his turf has been taken over by his former enemy, now a large crime syndicate with a legal corporate front. Looking for new opportunities, he gathers his old crew and heads for the island of Okinawa, a legal grey zone ripe for the taking. Made just before Kinji (Yakuza Graveyard) Fukasaku’s 1970s streak of yakuza movie masterpieces, Sympathy for the Underdog is a key film in the development of this director’s unique style and themes.

LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES:

• High-Definition digital transfer
• Uncompressed mono PCM audio
• Audio commentary by yakuza film expert Nathan Stuart (2024)
• Interview with Fukasaku biographer Olivier Hadouchi (2024, 27 mins)
• That Distant Territory - A visual essay on Okinawa on screen by film historian and author Aaron Gerow (2024, 26 mins)
• Trailer
• New and improved English subtitle translation

Year: 1971
Cert: 15
Format: Blu-ray
Region: AB
RAD058BD
EAN: 5060974681112
Release date: 08/12/2025