The Triple Cross 1992

Kanzaki Ken’ichi Hagiwara, Shiba, and Imura Renji Ishibashi form a tight-knit trio of robbers who pull off a string of bank heists, netting hundreds of millions of yen. They lay low for a year until Imura falls into serious debt and begs to join another job, hoping to cover what he owes and keep the crew moving.

Shiba and Imura are introduced to Kadomachi, a young owner of a rock club, who lays out a fresh plan to strike a high-value target. The trio agrees to hijack an armored car believed to be transporting 200 million yen from a hotel near Lake Tōya on its way to a bank in Sapporo, believing this score could cement their future. Kadomachi’s bold blueprint promises a near-mythic payoff, and the group moves to make it a reality.

The reality, however, hits hard: the armored car is carrying only 50 million yen. In a moment of panic and guilt, Imura hesitates, drops his gun, and is swiftly shot by Kadomachi, who then grabs the weapon and takes all the money, blowing up the safe house to cover their tracks. The betrayal and the blast redefine the stakes, leaving Kanzaki and Shiba wounded as Misato, Kanzaki’s girlfriend, arrives to pull them out of danger and push the group toward their next moves.

Kadomachi then infiltrates Shiba’s home and reconnects with Shiba’s young girlfriend Mai, with whom Kadomachi had planned to share the loot. But Mai, unhappy with the smaller-than-expected haul, betrays the plan and steals the money, hiding it away from Kadomachi to keep her own cut intact.

Kanzaki ventures to Yoshida’s office, where the loan shark who backed Kadomachi’s debt realizes the money’s origin after a televised report about the armored-car robbery. Yoshida, determined to seize everything, hires Tatsuo to kill Kanzaki and Kadomachi so he can grab the cash and take over the club. Meanwhile, Kanzaki turns to Dr. Sakagari, a questionable plastic surgeon, to remove the bullet near Shiba’s heart, adding another layer of scheme to the gang’s already tangled web.

Imura’s widow contacts Kanzaki, prompting a tense exchange that shows the human cost behind every payday. Misato later gives Kanzaki 1 million yen to help with a loan payment and is dropped off at a resort, where two bikers attempt to mug her; she fights back with a razor, slashing their faces and sending them into the water. Kanzaki then visits Imura’s widow again to deliver the 1 million yen for the loan, and she reveals that Imura was actually a Korean named Kim before leaving for an appointment.

Mai phones from a payphone to lure Kanzaki outside, and a gunfight erupts between Mai, Kanzaki, and Kadomachi. Mai uses Kadomachi’s flashy red car to ram Kanzaki into the water, while Kadomachi fires into the depths and then leads the police on a chase, hijacking a bus in the process. Tatsuo shoots the bus driver, and Kadomachi crashes the bus into a construction site. Kanzaki and Yoshida arrive on the scene, but Mai is shot by Tatsuo; Kadomachi and Kanzaki kill Tatsuo and Kadomachi carries Mai back to his car, driving away as Yoshida and his men search the bus and find only Mai’s clothes before being arrested.

An up-and-coming band performs at the club’s opening night, drawing a hopeful crowd. Mai dies in the car during a final confrontation, and Kanzaki responds by ramming his car into the vehicle, turning it over. A young policeman asks Kadomachi who stabbed him, and Kadomachi simply tells him to be ashamed for wearing a policeman’s uniform. Kanzaki then rams his way through the police barricade and crashes into the water, letting the money float to the surface. The next day, Kanzaki and Misato ride a bus through a new city, smiling at the possibility of future heists as they pass bank after bank, the thrill of crime still alive in their eyes.