A ruthless crime boss chooses as his protege and successor a young man whose family he has had killed. 

If the premise of French playwright Laurent Gaude’s dark urban drama, "Battle of Will" — on stage this weekend at Paliku Theatre — sounds familiar, that could be due to its similarity to a classic Charles Bronson thriller. Or maybe you remember University of Hawaii faculty member Markus Wessendorf’s production of Gaude’s play at Kennedy Theatre in 2005.

Be that as it may, director Taurie Kinoshita and an expressive cast of Windward Community College students make their staging of Gaude’s work a very different experience. Paliku’s high ceiling and steeply stacked rows of seating bring the audience closer to the action while also looking down upon it.

Another important difference: The crime lord’s one act of inexplicable folly seems more understandable than it did in 2005. 

Only one of the characters has a personal name. The others are known for their place in society or the service they provide.

Boss is the wealthy head of a vast criminal organization. His base of operations is in a luxury hotel; a vast "wasteland" behind the hotel holds the bodies of his enemies. Boss is sometimes rude, sometimes philosophical, reminiscent of dangerous and powerful characters in "Blue Velvet," "Pulp Fiction" and "Scarface," with touches of Donald Trump as well. 

A bungled hit — Boss’ arm is grazed by an inept sniper’s bullet — starts things rolling. Heads start rolling shortly afterward.

Kinoshita gets vivid, animated and fully committed performances from her cast. Jonathan "Fenix" Saavedra (Boss) makes the crime lord a surprisingly sympathetic figure. Jonathan David Cannell (Killer) is an awkward bundle of explosive energy as the tortured soul who must choose between personal vengeance and the immense power and wealth his would-be adoptive "father" is offering him. Benjamin Nelson and Michael Drzymkowski, playing bodyguards, expressively articulate a rigid code of honor and loyality. 

Brandon Anthony DiPaola (Brother) has two memorable scenes as a fast-talking, opportunistic pimp. Jessica Kincaid (Girl) makes a complicated character believable with her portrayal of the prostitute who sees Killer as the way out of her situation.

Eybelle Nevins-Rosado and Domina Arroyo contribute most of the play’s fleeting comic content as a pair of bickering gravediggers, but Cannell is also an effective comic actor. Watch for the scene in which Killer is introduced to Girl, his would-be adoptive father’s favorite prostitute, and told that it’s his turn to use her. 

Dramatic lighting effects and imaginative use of sound add impact. Kinoshita and sound designer Toby Carvalho evoke memories of "A Clockwork Orange" when a particularly brutal beating is accompanied by Tommy Edwards’ 1958 hit "It’s All in the Game." 

Be prepared for a long and leisurely journey through this film noir netherworld. Act 1 runs almost 90 minutes. It’s almost another hour after intermission before the last graves are filled and some of the survivors anticipate a brighter future.