Shintarô Katsu plays a lone Robin Hood against the Yakuza and some lesser menaces to society in 1963 Japan. He is an everyman who is fiercely unafraid to stand up for himself and for any other innocent he sees being pushed around. Never looking for trouble but always finding it as he tries to muddle through but will not run away from a fight. This playful film has a cartoon quality that has such moments as our hero facing down half a dozen bodyguards to the big boss who back away from him. However unlikely that sounds, we root for him even as we know there will be a price to pay. In this case, the costliest thing he loses is closeness to a sort of double agent / informer and would be girlfriend. The plot has some complex turns and you have to pay attention but it is coherent and unpredictable, two excellent criteria for success. A bit dark and grainy at times in an early effort at cinemascope (1963), still lots of fun to watch. A lovely score reminiscent of Bernard Hermann.