Leofwine_draca
THE YAKUZA is the best film about Japanese gangsters ever made in America – because the filmmakers go above and beyond the call of duty to provide a literate, mature, and realistic depiction of those feared mafia gangs who lurk in the shadowy recesses of Asian life. This is old-fashioned film-making at its best, without a reliance on outlandish special effects or action to move the story along. Of particular interest is Paul Shrader's script, which is undoubtedly of superior quality. It's hard to see how a bad film could have been made out of it, but with veteran director Sydney Pollack calling the shots that was never going to happen.Robert Mitchum is the big draw, providing a lovable, grizzled lead through whose eyes we witness the dark side of Japanese culture. He's given quite wonderful support by the man he's partnered with – Ken Takakura, the epitome of the Japanese 'stone face'. There's a supporting cast of strong character actors too, including James Shigeta, the guy who played the boss in DIE HARD. I recognised his voice immediately although not his appearance.Don't go in expecting this to be an action film, because it's not. There are a couple of shoot-outs, yes, but for the most part this is a slow, mannered film exploring themes of honour, redemption, loyalty, and justice, all from the distinct Yakuza perspective. Saying that, there is an extended climax in which our two heroes attack the enemy base – Mitchum wielding a shotgun, Takakura a samurai sword – and proceed to wreak havoc on the bad guys in long, breathtaking, stylised scenes of violence that always keep realism to the fore. It's a great end to what is an assured and developed piece – not a film to get excited about, perhaps, but one to enjoy and feel nonetheless.
Martin Bradley
Sydney Pollack produced and directed this very classy and somewhat unusual gangster picture set in Japan. Robert Mitchum is the hard-boiled American who goes to Japan to help secure the release of the kidnapped daughter of friend Brian Keith. For most of its length it's a slow moving, intense movie beautifully shot in widescreen by Okazaki Kozo and with a cracking script by Paul Schrader and Robert Towne from a story by Leonard Schrader. It isn't as well known as some of Pollack's other pictures and isn't much seen now which is a pity as this is the kind of gripping and intelligent thriller we would welcome in our multiplexes these days.
Murtaza Ali
Here is a terribly underrated "Yakuza" classic starring the great Robert Mitchum in one of his most iconic screen appearances. In the movie, Mitchum plays a WW - II veteran, Harry Kilmer, who reluctantly returns to Japan after a gap of over two decades in order to retrieve an old friend's daughter abducted by a Yakuza outfit.Mitchum plays Kilmer with his characteristic on screen charisma. Here is a tough, no nonsense, chivalrous man who wouldn't think twice before sticking his neck out for a friend. But, there is an element of tenderness and vulnerability to him which Mitchum brilliantly succeeds in evoking. To his credit, Mitchum makes Kilmer look more human than a caricature like this one has ever looked on the celluloid. He adds finesse even to the all-hell-breaks-loose action sequences. Ken Takakura plays the part of Ken Tanaka (described as a man who never smiles) with scalpel-like precision and complements Mitchum really well. In fact, the chemistry between the two great actors is the movie's real highlight. Sidney Pollack's direction is absolutely topnotch; Pollack succeeds in bringing an element of realism to a Yakuza tale. Overall, The Yakuza is a magnificent work of cinematic art that certainly deserves more attention than what it has received over the last four decades or so. The movie features one of Mitchum's all- time great performances. It's also one of the best films directed by the legendary Sydney Pollack. Watch it now, if you haven't already!
Robert J. Maxwell
Like the highly acclaimed "The Godfather," released two years earlier, "The Yakuza" takes us into an exotic milieu dominated by honor, ritual, and violence.Mitchum is Harry Kilmer, once part of the occupation army in Japan, who had a girl friend, Eiko. Mitchum's friend, Brian Keith, owes the Mafia -- I mean the Yakuza -- a lot of money that he doesn't have, and the Yakuza have kidnapped his daughter and are holding her until payment is made. He begs Mitchum to return to Japan with a young companion, Richard Jordan, and see if he can straighten things out.In Japan, they seek out an ex Yakuza member, Ken Takakura, known as "the man who never smiles." At the moment he's teaching kendo -- that where masked opponents bat each other over the head with sticks -- and making zen-like statement. "Do not expect to win. Do not expect to lose." Takakura is honor-bound to never take up arms of any sort against the Yakuza but things get complicated, too complicated to explain in detail. If you liked "The Godfather," you may like this, although the plot is more sketchy and the characters less human. There are family intrigues, yes, but we don't get to see them at familiar tasks like gobbling down spaghetti. Sidney Pollack is not Francis Ford Coppola.The film is rather slow and detailed, interrupted by bursts of outrageous brutality. The final shoot out, or slice out, has everyone splattered with blood but it's not as shocking as the shootings in "The Godfather" movies.I rather enjoyed it, despite its overall depressing quality. It's winter in Japan, cloudy and dark, and so is the imagery. And self-amputation adds little verve to the goings on. It's worth seeing, though, because the social setting really IS alien to Americans. When the Japanese cut something with a knife, they draw it towards them. They drive on the wrong side of the road. Their screws tighten in the wrong direction.They're shamefully honest. An acquaintance of mine, while in the Navy, visited a Japanese bawdy house. When he left, he was halfway down the street when one of the girls came running after him, shouting, and waving the wallet he'd forgotten.Put THAT in your pipe and smoke it, Yank!
AD
