is a Japanese film directed by

Yasuzo Masumura was a Japanese film director. Biography Masumura was born in Kōfu, Yamanashi. After dropping out of a law course at the University of Tokyo he worked as an assistant director at the Daiei Film studio, later returning to university to study ph ...

. ''The Hoodlum Soldier'' was the first of a series of nine films that followed two soldiers, Kisaburo Omiya (Shintaro Katsu), a former yakuza who has become a soldier, and Arita (Takahiro Tamura), an intellectual from a good family who has deliberately failed the officer examination.

Plot

The story is presented as a voiced-over narrative by Arita (

Takahiro Tamura was a Japanese film actor. He appeared in 100 films between 1954 and 2005. He and his younger brothers Masakazu and Ryō were known as the three Tamura brothers. They were sons of actor Tsumasaburo Bando. Biography Tamura graduated from Dosh ...

), speaking long after the events of the film. In a remote army base in Manchuria, near the Soviet border, long-serving corporal Arita hates the military and looks forward to the day he may leave. Although a university graduate, he has several times deliberately failed the exam for promotion and thus remains a corporal after four years' service. The base commander asks him to take charge of Omiya (

Shintaro Katsu was a Japanese actor, singer, and filmmaker. He is known for starring in the ''Akumyo'' series, the ''Hoodlum Soldier'' series, and the ''Zatoichi'' series. Life and career Born Toshio Okumura (奥村利夫 ''Okumura Toshio'') on 29 Novemb ...

), a soldier who responds poorly to military discipline. Discipline at the camp is imposed through beatings, with non-commissioned officers being able to freely punch and kick the lower ranks for infractions and failings. Former

yakuza , also known as , are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media, by request of the police, call them , while the ''yakuza'' call themselves . The English equivalent for the term ...

member Omiya proves to be very much tougher than the other soldiers and often responds to the beatings with violence. Arita tries to obtain fair treatment for him, for example refusing to let him be beaten with a wooden bar. Omiya forces his way into a brothel for officers and befriends a prostitute (

Keiko Awaji was a Japanese film actress. Notable highlights of her career were an appearance in Akira Kurosawa's '' Stray Dog'', and a role as Kimiko in ''The Bridges at Toko-Ri'', in which she appeared alongside William Holden and Mickey Rooney. Her firs ...

) there. Arita becomes friends with Omiya and helps him survive a training forced march, in which Omiya's feet become covered with sores. After another infraction, Arita is ordered to beat Omiya. He hits him once with a

shinai A is a Japanese sword typically made of bamboo used for practice and competition in ''kendo''. ''Shinai'' are also used in other martial arts, but may be styled differently from ''kendo shinai'', and represented with different characters. T ...

, but cannot bring himself to hit Omiya more. To save Arita from being disciplined, Omiya hits himself in the face with bricks, drawing blood. After a soldier is beaten by the catering soldiers, and then escapes from the camp and commits suicide, Omiya picks a fight with the catering soldiers. They trick him by pretending to befriend him then attack him in a secluded part of the camp. Arita rescues Omiya. Omiya is to be sent to the front on a suicide mission to fight the Soviets. Arita and Omiya steal officers' uniforms and pistols with the help of the prostitute. They make an escape by decoupling the engine of the train they are travelling on. The film ends with them speeding away. In the voice-over, Arita says that every man on the train was killed in battle.

Release and availability

A subtitled version of ''The Hoodlum Soldier'' was released in the United States by Altura Films International. It is not currently available on video in the US.

Reception

Film critic Tom Mes opines: "In Hoodlum Soldier army life becomes a miniature of version icJapan itself. Men's lives are lived in daily repetition, lives in which duty and loyalty to the group mean everything, and hierarchy is an omnipotent force."

Series

The films in the "Heitai Yakuza" series are: * (1965) Directed by

* (1965) Directed by

Tokuzō Tanaka was a Japanese film director. He is well known for directing Zatoichi series and Nemuri Kyōshirō series films. Biography Tanaka graduated from Kwansei Gakuin University. In 1948, he joined the Daiei Film, Daiei studio and started working as ...

* (1966) Directed by

Kazuo Mori , also known by his street name , was a Japanese film director who primarily worked in popular genres like the jidaigeki. Mori directed over 100 films in his life. Career Born in Ehime Prefecture, Mori graduated from Kyoto University before jo ...

* (1966) Directed by

* (1967) Directed by

* (1968) Directed by

* (1972) Directed by

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hoodlum Soldier 1965 films Japanese war drama films 1960s Japanese-language films Films directed by Yasuzo Masumura Films set in Manchukuo Films produced by Masaichi Nagata 1960s Japanese films Japanese action drama films