After the assassination of Tokyo's Governor by Yakuza members, the CIA bureau chief for Tokyo puts out a call to an agent that had been raised in Japan and trained by ex-Yakuza. Using his former ties, he quickly determines that a war is brewing between old-guard Yakuza members and a young, crazed leader with ties to the Chinese Tong.

The opening bust-shot, with its frequent use of cut-away shots and blurred dialogue, is like a campus version of Ozu's films. As the story progresses, however, the film itself breaks away from a style that was as borrowed (but still very fitting) as the protagonist. The way the film acquires its own rhythm and flavour is more than just a pleasurable experience, it is a cinematic pleasure.