Pale Flower (1964)

Emerging from the iron bars of imprisonment after serving a three-year sentence for a fatal clash with a rival gang, Maraki, the hardboiled, stoic yakuza, finds himself reluctantly returning to the familiar haunts and wearisome rituals of Tokyo's underworld. This middle-aged gangster, despite his self-loathing and distaste for his life of vice, finds himself inextricably drawn back to his old ways, a testament to his unwavering loyalty to his gang, the Funada, and his enigmatic girlfriend, Shinko, who yearns for a commitment he is hesitant to give. As Maraki resumes his place in the Funada gang, now merged with their one-time rivals in a bid for peace, and revisits his old gambling dens, he soon discovers that his world has subtly shifted during his incarceration. In the murky, smoke-filled corners of his usual illegal card den, a new player has emerged - Saeko, a seemingly innocent, young, upper-class woman, the only female presence in this testosterone-drenched underworld. Saeko, with her lust for thrilling stakes and high-risk gambles, adds a splash of vibrant color to the otherwise monochrome world of masculine rituals and codes. Intrigued by this enigmatic woman, Maraki takes on the role of her mentor, introducing her to an even riskier illegal card den where the stakes are as high as her desire for thrill. As he spends more time with Saeko, he begins to unravel her true nature, far from the innocent facade she presents. The discovery of her fascination with Yoh, a pitiful, drug-addicted punk lurking in the shadows of the gambling den, forces Maraki to confront Saeko's potentially self-destructive path and reevaluate his own entrenched life in the process. In the stark juxtaposition of Saeko's reckless thrill-seeking and Maraki's ritualized existence, 'Pale Flower' paints a compelling portrait of life on the fringes of society, exploring themes of loyalty, self-destruction, and the relentless search for meaning amid the ceaseless ebb and flow of power within the underworld.

Pale Flower is an action movie featuring Ryō Ikebe.

Pale Flower is currently streaming on Criterion Channel.