This is so sad. Less than two weeks after the biggest icon of 1960s yakuza films, Ken Takakura, dies, the biggest icon of 1970s yakuza films follows him. I just watched Cops vs. Thugs on 35mm yesterday, and then I got the news today.
When Takakura died, I thought that at least I still have a chance of seeing Sugawara live some day, but that hope died faster than I expected...
Yeah, it's sad. But what can you do? The old-timers are disappearing. The 'Out-of-the-Ruins' generation is getting really old, and time flies by very quickly. It's bound to happen, unfortunately.
Can you imagine Sugawara being like 40 years old when starring in 'Battles Without Honor and Humanity' in 1973? The man lived a long and healthy life, working pretty much all the time. 81 years of age is really not too bad, you know. 81 is quite impressive, in my opinion.
R.I.P. Bunta Sugawara
All them old-timers of the glory of the 20th century are gonna go. I admit, I get nervous when thinking about guys like about Ennio Morricone and Noam Chomsky. They're so old, man!