Red Peony Gambler 3: The Flower Cards Game

Maestro of Japanese cinema Tai Kato simultaneously satiates and transcends genre tropes in his masterful direction of the celebrated third film in the Red Peony Gambler series. From its classically melodramatic opening set piece involving an oncoming train, the stage is set for a visually rich tale of good versus bad yakuza. While traveling in hopes of reestablishing her own clan, Oryu (Junko Fuji) finds herself in Nagoya, where she takes up residence with the noble Nishinomaru family just as they are preparing to host their traditional gambling competition. Naturally, their dishonest rival gang tries to usurp the event and sabotage its proceedings. It’s up to Oryu to step in on the side of righteousness. Meanwhile, she must also contend with a card shark who is impersonating her, rescue a pair of star-crossed lovers and other quotidian travails of a legendary wandering female yakuza. Ken Takakura returns to the series as a mysterious stranger who allies with Oryu. It is arguably, "the darkest, most complex and ultimately also the best part of the series" (Nippon Cinema).