I find Ishii, along with compatriot Shinya Tsukamoto to be among the most interesting of directors in the past 30 years or so. Both are absolute masters of technique. In fact this one actually reminds me of some of Tsukamoto's jittery, anxiety inducing films. The story isn't particularly anything worth talking about. Typical gangster/criminal stuff. But the framing, the editing, the brutal violence, the speed of the film. All combine to make it a superior example of the genre.