"Shinjuku Triad Society" (1995) is the intensely violent first part in Takashi Miike's acclaimed "Black Society Trilogy" crime saga centering on a corrupt cop who gets caught up in the bloody turf war between a Chinese Triad gang and the Japanese Yakuza while trying to keep his brother, a lawyer working for the Triads, out of danger. Takeshi Caesar, Kyosuke Izutsu, Ren Osugi star. Then, in "Rainy Dog" (1997) a low-level Yakuza hit man (Sho Aikawa) is forced to re-evaluate his life in the criminal underworld when a woman he had an affair with years before suddenly arrives with a mute child she claims is his son. Stylish and oddly poignant second entry also stars Lianmei Chen, Ming-Jun Gao, Jianqin He. Finally, seeking to escape their mundane suburban lives, a trio of disenfranchised teens heads for the bright lights of Tokyo where an encounter with a Chinese gang leader draws them into a seedy world of drugs, violence, and prostitution. Naoto Takenaka, Dan Li, Ren Osugi, and Sho Aikawa star in final film in the trilogy, "Ley Lines" (1999). 5 hrs. total on two discs. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1; Subtitles: English; audio commentary; interviews; biographies; filmographies; theatrical trailer. In Japanese with English subtitles.
