The Yakuza (1975)

Good - but not so much.

I like certain elements of this film, however, this movie moves at a rather slow pace and some of it is more than a little bit cheesy. It does have a good tone and setting. Ken Takakura is great in this movie. I am a Robert Mitchum fan (Out of the Past is one of my all-time favorite movies) but, although he is ok in this movie, this is not his finest hour by far. That being said, if you can get this movie for less than 10 bucks it would be worth your time. June 25, 2008

wow! I'd give it 10 stars.... Brilliant movie.

I am really puzzled as to how i could have possibly overlooked such a classic movie all these years. After a long time, i have seen a movie that has really overwhelmed me like this one.

The Yakuza tells the story of Harry Kilmer (Robert Mitchum) a PI, who goes to Tokyo to get back his friend Tanner's daughter from the Yakuza. The Yakuza had kidnapped the girl as a part of a financial deal gone wrong between Tanner and Tono Toshiro, one of the Yakuza oyabun(boss)
To do so, Harry instills the help of Tanaka Ken (played by the amazing Ken Takakura) , an ex-Yakuza, whose sister Eiko is loved by Harry, but due to certain circumstances Eiko cannot reciprocate his love to Harry and does not agree to marry him. The rest of the story involves a very heart wrenching plot twist and an ending that will leave you in tears. It explores in great detail, the interpretation of giri, what it means to the Japanese and what it should mean to people in general about a person making good on his debts.

Whatever happened to movie making like this, i sometimes wonder. The fight/ sword action sequences are so believable and realistic, not this idiotic flying across the room and slashing a 100 villains etc..
I believe the best aspects of this movie are the unspoken emotions and facial expressions among the actors (Robert Mitchum, Ken Takakura) who deliver amazing performances, very well directed by Sydney Pollack.

In my opinion, this movie should be added to your collection, as it is in mine. It is that good.

Some of my fav scenes are
1. The opening scene, where the Yakuza Kato bends down and delivers his introduction to Tono and tells him, his position is higher, so Kato will to deliver his introduction first.

2. The last scene, i cannot go into the details as it would be a potential spolier, but it really moved me to tears.
May 26, 2008

top notch action, thriller...a pure gem..

A gem of a film, made in 1975, directed by Sydney Pollack. Robert Mitchum is superb as a retired PI going back to Japan in post WWII. Mitchum and his buddy who he is doing a favor for (Brian Keith) were MP's in Japan during the post-war occupation. When an arms deal with a Japanese syndicate boss goes awry, Brian Keith's daughter is kidnapped and Mitchum goes to see if he can find her. He enlists the help of the brother of his ex-love. The plot is thick, the action intense in this superb film. It is full of conflict between East and West culture but the intrigue never slacks off and builds up to an amazing conclusion. One twist after another builds up the suspense with some jaw dropping revelations and great action. Highly recommended. Takakura Ken is superb. May 22, 2008

Vintage Mitchum in Japan

This belongs in Robert Mitchum's filmography as one of the best films he did in his later years. Granted he went back to the westerns that he did in his earlier years with little success, this genre-breaking off beat film noir reestablished his flagging film career for a long while longer. Along with "The Friends of Eddie Coyle", Big Mitch could still show us he had the vinegar to be a fine film actor. Definitely recommended for Mitchum fans and action buffs, Mitchum blends well with Japanese superstar, Ken Tarakura, who would later star in another noir film, "Black Rain". But this is the better of the two thanks to sensitive direction by Sidney Pollack and a great script by the Schrader brothers. April 29, 2008

America meets Japan.

Great drama where east meets west. One of Robert Mitchum's best stories.
A story of honour. April 10, 2008

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