All around the world, anti-immigration movements are on the rise, and director Ilha Lee’s documentary, Counters, looks at the people who oppose them. Namely, Takahashi, a former Yakuza tough guy who’s dedicated himself to silencing right-wing bigots.

Takahashi’s story sounds like something ripped from an outlandish Jason Statham movie. He’s a self-proclaimed gangster with a heart of gold. The former Yakuza member struggled with shaking down innocent people. He’s a brute, a chain-smoker, and a guy who wears sunglasses indoors, but he isn’t a bully. Takahashi took his thuggish instincts and channelled them into something good(?). He’s part of an organization of Counters, anti-hate groups who show up at right-wing extremist rallies and counter them with peace, love, and tolerance. Except when they don’t. Takahashi believes in physically laying the smack down on right-wing blowhards so bad that they quit. It should go without saying, not every Counter agrees with his logic.

A popular phrase during the 2016 election was, “If they go low, we go high.” That didn’t work for liberals. Going high doesn’t always win since you can’t argue with fake news or provide rational answers to irrational fears. Takahashi isn’t afraid to go low. Actually, he revels in it. Watching him try and out-asshole the assholes, is if nothing else, an interesting political experiment.

This documentary isn’t the smoothest watch. It presents lots of shaky-cam footage, annoying music, and low-grade video that looks ripped from VHS tapes. Similar footage plucked from rally after rally starts melting into an indistinguishable blob of chaos. Still, Counter is worth a watch for the up-close look at how other nation’s political fears and insecurities mirror our own. Seeing another country treat its immigrants with so much vitriol adds perspective to the Muslim banning, family separating, border-wall building movement preoccupying our southern neighbours.