Program Note
Prior to the enactment of the Anti-Organized Crime Law, Hiroshima was at odds with the Yakuza organizations, that was in 1988. Hioka, a new detective, goes into the crime scene with his senior, Ogami. Hioka’s behavior is suspicious. Is he a corrupt detective? Ogami does not cooperate with his colleagues, he prefers to handle cases on his own. Ogami looks like he is corrupt, but he does what he needs to do. Maybe Ogami is not choosing sides between the Yakuza and the police. Shiraishi Kazuya depicts the landscape of detectives and Yakuza in a classic style. It does not describe the beauty of Yakuza, but it shows lowlife and the virtue as it is. They are human, but not the same as other people. Ogami is like the title, a solitary wolf. Even though he is a police officer, he does not believe in the organization. Everyone is a friend and an enemy to him at the same time. He goes on his own way. There is a lot of violence and sex scenes, yet not too much. If the Yakuza’s classic movie, Battles Without Honor and Humanity (1973), is remade in the 21 century, it would be The Blood of Wolves . The age has changed, and the director drawsYakuza hound street with a new sense, he does not follow the old style. (KIM Bong-seok)