
The ‘Prison Hotel’, managed by the father of Shigeru—the leader of a bōsōzoku gang—is staffed entirely by yakuza, from the owner right down to the employees! To top it all off, the guests are a motley crew of characters, including families contemplating suicide and couples on the brink of divorce. Amidst such an abnormal daily routine, Shigeru grows as he encounters a variety of human dramas. And now, the time has finally come for Shigeru to prove himself as a man. It’s a fateful softball showdown against the Kansai yakuza. Will he hit a home run, or will he strike out?
Directed by Yoshiho Fukuoka, Prison Hotel leans on a strong ensemble — Daiki Mikami, Satomi Hirose, Show Aikawa — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.
The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about screen titles of 1996.
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In the teeming black markets of postwar Japan, Shozo Hirono and his buddies find themselves in a new war between factious and ambitious yakuza.
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