The Wolves is set in 1926, when 373 criminals convicted of murder were granted amnesty upon the death of the old emperor and the ascension to the throne by Hirohito. Following the amnesty, brutal gang warfare breaks out between rival groups of knife-wielding yakuza. David Owens of the Japan Film Center calls The Wolves “one of the most remarkable action films ever to come from Japan: lustful, colorful, brash and brawling. The gang wars are brilliantly photographed against a lurid Carnival backdrop for a finale that is unforgettable... A great yakuza picture with a touch of Black Orpheus.”
For admirers of the popular Japanese cinema, the Yakuza (gangster) film is fast eclipsing the Samurai movie as the genre with the best formula for supplying quick-paced entertainment, violence Japanese style, and the peculiar kind of loyalty/revenge based morality that usually underlies the structure of dramas of clan and gang warfare. While Yakuza films are not noted for high production values or artistic quality, The Wolves, an expensive Toho production starring Tatsuya Nakadai (Sanjuro, Buraikan, Sword of Doom, etc.) is an exceptionally polished example of the genre.