In the 1970s, Mitsuo Yanagimachi embedded himself directly into the Black Emperors, one of Japan’s biggest, most violent biker gangs. Filming in grainy 16mm—often at night, mounted onto a speeding motorcycle, using only street lamps and headlights—Yanagimachi creates a visceral sense of immediacy while also exposing the Emperors’ rigid, fascistic organizing structure.‍God Speed You! Black Emperor has not shown in New York in more than a decade and is difficult to find in high quality, making this a rare opportunity to view the definitive boots-on-the-ground (or up-on-the-footpegs) documentary of ‘70s bosozoku culture.‍Special thanks to Mitsuo Yanagimachi, Koichi Mori, and Karen Severns.