Korou no Chi: LEVEL 2 is a dark, engaging and overall glorious sequel.

 

Korou no Chi was a fantastic old school Yakuza genre throwback movie released back in 2018. Naturally, after thoroughly enjoying it, there was a sequel released 3 years later that I just had to see. My expectations were quite high to say the least and only heightened upon seeing one of my favourite actors being listed in the cast, that being Ryohei Suzuki. I was not disappointed. 

Korou no Chi: LEVEL 2 is set 3 years after the events of the first movie. Following the death of hardboiled detective, Ogami, his former partner, Hioka has taken his place. Gone is the straight-laced, rule following, clean cut Hiroshima University graduate. Hioka now has implemented his mentors tactics in order to maintain peace between the Odani-gumi and Irako-kai. He's changed in appearance with his hair being cut shorter and now sports some solid facial hair that makes him appear more badass. He also drives a similar car to the one Ogami did. Unfortunately for Hioka, he finds himself once again at odds with Saga, one of the higher ups that are corrupt and now the truth behind Ogami's death. On top of that, the release of a particularly violent and perhaps even psychopathic Irako-kai member threatens the shaky peace between the Yakuza families. 

Seeing Hioka's evolution into becoming much like his mentor Ogami is one of the many highlights of the sequel. He adopts a lot of the same nefarious and yet successful tactics in order to maintain the peace. What's really fascinating though is the fact that he's the least corrupt out of the entire Hiroshima police force. Hioka finds himself with very few allies as he cannot rely on nor trust the police force as they are able to be bought. Saga has it out for Hioka as he knows that Hioka has Ogami's documents that are a log of the corruption of the higher ups, showing what crimes they're guilty of. 

You could also see something of a parallel between Hioka and Uebayashi. Both mean have lost a mentor and boss figure. They also don't play by the rules set for them by their peers. As seen with Hioka clashing with his co-workers and Uebayashi simply operating on a level on his own, murdering on a whim. The major difference between the pair is of course the fact that Hioka is genuinely trying to do good and keep the peace. In contrast, Uebayashi wants to avenge the death of his boss and assume power. 

Once again, Kohei Kato's cinematography is on point. The world of Kurou no Chi is visually bleak in a realistic manner. There's also the great use of a variety of both static and moving shots that highlight the reactions, both straightforward and subtle. The action is also well framed as every hit and shot can be clearly seen. My particular favourite shots are found in the alleyway beat down drenched in rain and in the epic final showdown. There's some cinematic poetry found in the latter specifically that made me smile. 

Tori Matsuzaka really sold Hioka's transformation from idealistic, naïve rookie to hardboiled, take-no-prisoners, veteran detective tremendously well. He handled the drastic change with the poise of an industry veteran and comes across as rather cool and badass. He even handled the action scenes with a polished precision. 

Ryohei Suzuki had the stand out performance and that came as no surprise to me as I'm a huge fan of his work. Every moment on screen, he oozes an unmatched charisma and gives Uebayashi a volatile energy. He always comes across as being a dangerous threat and scenes with him always remain incredibly tense, yet fun to watch. If nothing else, see the movie for his performance alone. He's that good. 

Overall, Korou no Chi: LEVEL 2 is a fantastic sequel to its' predecessor and is a fitting conclusion to the story. It's well acted, well directed and well edited to the point where it breathes life into the Yakuza genre of movies. If you're a fan of the genre or a fan of action movies in general, I'd heartily recommend it as it's a super fun time!