The silence of the past A fishing village where life goes on for years. Who would think of moving here to live? Only those who have something to hide. Such is Shuji, a former Yakuza gangster. Once he was actively involved in dirty affairs, but then decided to quit the game. He married a local girl, moved to the village and now leads the life of an ordinary fisherman. Meanwhile, a new owner of a local bar appears in the village. Her friend, also a gangster, came to the village, quickly found many friends. Wives of fishermen wonder why their husbands began to bring less money home, and all begin to blame the young mistress. But the fault of her friend, decided here to do dirty business. Shuji declares war on him, but at the cost of revealing his past. It is not clear who will emerge victorious in the fight, for both opponents are very formidable.
“The Demon” tells about the complex transformation of a former bandit into an almost righteous man. There is no doubt for a second about Shuji’s decency, especially against the backdrop of his opponent, played by Kitano, who truly looks like a monster and a moral pervert. In fact, for Shuji, the path of overcoming the sins of the past continues. He is not perfect, for example, can easily cheat on his wife, but paradoxically stands guard over order and even morality. Many people turn their backs on his yakuza tattoo, but it underscores the classic path of the lone Japanese warrior. Shuji is a victim of her image and her path. If he makes a glimpse of something, he may then risk his life over that word. All this “coolness”, however, is cemented by the vitality of the story, primarily the tedious and harsh everyday life of fishermen, so the film can not be called either a thriller or an action movie. Rather, it is a specific psychological drama, and not only about bandits, but also ordinary women.
The “demon,” since it deals with the subject of a person with a past, unwittingly addresses the question of whether the past can be overcome. Shuji on this way reached about half: he broke with the gangster world, and can easily return to it. There is no Christian repentance here. Instead of Christianity, there is silence about the past. The past is not so much redeemed as worn out. In essence, this is a very Japanese decision: Shuji has a certain life height of views, he comes to humility, but does not abandon his former self. It is very difficult to judge such a person, perhaps the film is also partly about this.
8 out of 10