Even at the height of his popularity, Kinji Fukasaku never forgot what put him there in the first place, he can populate a frame like no one else and tackle an unflinching view of society with lines unclear and blurry. Cops vs. Thugs doesn't need a summary, its summary is its title. In Fukasaku's world, there's no honour among thieves or lawmen alike and the only thing that matters is personal honour and duty between friends. It plays like some of the great crime films of Sidney Lumet and Jean-Pierre Melville but with the fabulous additions of Kazuo Kasahara's shattering screenplay and Fukasaku's dynamic dedication to supporting an all-star ensemble cast of likeable undesirables with Bunta Sugawara once again leading from the front.