Gonin Saga (Japan)  

This latest installation of this yakuza series, which began with the 1995 neo-noir tale Gonin, won't necessarily win over many new viewers but will mostly appeal to those who have followed the previous two films. The initial summary of what happened in the previous films—with its dense flurry of names, faces, and places—is dizzying. Things date back to when a former rock guitarist Bandai borrowed money from the Ogoshi-gumi gang to open a disco but fell into massive debt when the Japanese economic bubble burst. In order to pay it off, he organized a successful heist to steal money from the gang, but they were all gunned down by two hitmen from Ogoshi-gumi's affiliate, the crime-syndicate Goseikai. A counterattack is launched and the Ogoshi-gumi gang is wiped out. Okay, got that? Flashforward to 2014 when a reporter visits the surviving family members with research about the original attack, and a new plan is launched to seek revenge. With uneven acting among the cast (often veering off into melodrama and overacting); TV-grade production qualities; repetitive, unimaginative acts of violence; and challenges in following the plot and multitude of characters, there's not much in this neo-noir tale for those unfamiliar with it.   

Playhouse, September 28 (9:15 p.m.); International Village, September 30 (12:30 p.m.)