Japan Underworld Ley Lines (Nihon kuroshakai) (1999).avi

Ley Lines is the third and final part of Miike's Black Society Trilogy - the other two being Shinjuku Triad Society and Rainy Dog. More a collection of films centered around a common theme than a flat-out trilogy, each is a self contained story with its own characters and events. As such, if you enjoy one, it doesn't necessarily follow that you will like the other two. The three tend to share a similar cast – Ren Osugi and Tomorowo Taguchi, for example – but, even though there's not one extended story arc running through the three movies, they are closely enough thematically linked for the trilogy to gel together.


Ryuichi is a mixed-race teenager desperate to leave Japan . We meet him while he's trying to get a passport but, unsurprisingly given his attitude, he is swiftly booted from the office empty-handed. He heads home and tells his brother Shunrei that if he can't leave the country, he may as well go to the big city. The two brothers are polar opposites; Ryuichi is a small-time bully with hopes of making it in the criminal underworld, while Shunrei on the other hand, studies hard in the hopes of getting a proper job. Despite these differences, Shunrei looks up to his older brother.