Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time 4K 2012

To be honest, I watched this film solely because of its high rating, as I would describe this type of cinema as ‘shocking Asia’—it is equally likely to feature dramatic depth and absurd nonsense. Incidentally, I would place Russian cinema in the same category, recalling ‘The Devil's Flower’ with a shudder.

The genre of the film is totally Hollywood—in the tradition of Cocaine and Once Upon a Time in America, the plot, poster, and trailer are tailored to the same American standards—in general, except for the slanted eyes and unfamiliar names, the resemblance is complete.

The key to a good gangster movie is good actors, the negative charm of the main character, blood, sex, drugs, and corruption. The filmmakers did an excellent job—the result is a deep crime drama, unembellished by romanticism. There are no flying daggers here—a martial arts master who has won medals on the tatami is defeated by a street kid who is used to fighting every day. The main character is vain, sometimes stupid, cowardly—he wins because he wants to be first and never stops. The yakuza, with their code of honor, lose to simple human meanness.

Another pleasant surprise was that there was no sophisticated dismemberment—no severed tongues in silk-wrapped boxes, no cut-off fingers, and no bodies torn to pieces. In this film, the fighting is to the point, rough, and effective.

Of course, there is the clichéd walk of the main characters - stern, armed men in slow motion walking down the street in expensive suits. This is definitely a classic gangster drama.

But the main character is not a gangster.

He has a gun, but it's not loaded. He has a gang of armed guys, but they despise him. He has personal security, but it has never helped him. He climbs to the top like a dung beetle; he knows how to give bribes. His power is his address book. He wants to live, he wants to live beautifully. And no yakuza can stop him.