Alternating between humour and irony, Takeshi Kitano's hard edged look at disaffect­ed youth follows the life of two high school fail­ures, Shinji and Masaru, and their fate in the unyielding system that is modern Japanese soci­ety. Shinji progresses from school bully to a mem­ber of the lower levels of the Yakuza, while Masaru drifts, almost by accident, into boxing. Other school mates are also trying to realise their dreams - two attempt a life in stand-up comedy, while another pair try a career as salesmen before descending into the grind of cab driving.

But it is to Shinji and Masaru that the narra­tive keeps returning as both struggle to prevail, having slowly realised the difference between teenage expectations and the reality of the adult world. Numerous peripheral, though fully round­ed, characters appear along the way and there is a touching romantic subplot, but despite the humour and eccentric detours, Kitano's depic­tion of the hopelessness and lack of choice fac­ing Japanese youth is powerfully conveyed right up to the bittersweet final sequences.