User Reviews

I have to agree with the preponderance of viewers here who rate this as a neglected classic of the 70's. All aspects of the film - performances, script, and direction - raise this to the level of greatness. This is certainly among Mitchum's greatest performances - his subdued, world-weary toughness undergirds the movie. The story as has been noted, is a rich and multilayered one with a sadness that aspires to and quite nearly reaches the level of tragedy. It also must be noted that this is one of the most effective portrayals of Japanese culture on celluloid. The movie does not shrink from violence; the various scenes of assassination and slaughter could have been done by Peckinpah. The movie deserves a restoration and should be brought to tv in letterbox mode. (Are you listening, Turner Classic Movies?)

Harry Kilmer is a retired detective whiling away his days at the beach in Malibu. An old friend named George Tanner contacts him with a problem: his daughter has been kidnapped by the Yakuza, with whom Tanner was conducting business. Harry is dispatched to Tokyo to get her back, and while there rekindles his relationship with Eiko, a woman he once loved. For help with his mission, Harry calls upon Eiko's estranged brother Ken, who has an obligation to him- or giri- for coming to Eiko's aid years before. As they battle the Yakuza, Harry comes to realize that Ken and Eiko's relationship is more complicated than he realized, and that he has his own giri he may never be able to repay.

Directed by Sydney Pollack, 'The Yakuza' is a stylish crime drama that entertains, though suffers from tonal and pacing issues galore. Originally written by Paul Schrader, it was intended as a vehicle for Lee Marvin under the direction of Robert Aldrich; though that film was never made. Instead, Pollock was hired to direct and Schrader's original script was considerably altered by Robert Towne. The end result is a film of contrasting styles, attempting- largely in vain- to balance Schrader's hard-edged original material with the romanticism of Pollock and Towne's approach.

Perhaps with Schrader's script in hand, a director like Aldrich- well versed in the art of making action pictures- could have captured the violent sequences in 'The Yakuza' with style and verve. With Towne's, Pollock doesn't, seeming more comfortable with dialogue heavy scenes and wistful set-pieces. More often than not, these feel ponderous and overly-expositional, with too much talking and not enough movement. In contrast, the way Pollock captures the violence seems rushed and cursory.

While we do empathize with the central three characters- Harry, Eiko and Ken- the rest are ill-defined, blurry caricatures one can't help but forget. The film does contain powerful moments, and arrives at a sensational conclusion, but the journey there is one fraught with issues. It is a shame the narrative and Pollock's approach to it is so muddled and uncertain, as there are brilliant sequences in 'The Yakuza'- and it's a triumph in many other respects.

Kôzô Okazaki's cinematography, for one, is exceptional. He shoots the thoroughfares of Tokyo strikingly, in a manner which heightens the city's neon-streaked coldness. Watching Harry somberly stalk the city's side-streets or graveyards is arresting, while the intricate lighting in interior shots captures one's attention and keeps it held. Dave Grusin's jazzy score is also worth mentioning, as it lends to proceedings an ambience of film-noir that feels most appropriate and atmospheric.

'The Yakuza' also boasts impressive performances from the cast that one would be remiss not to mention. Robert Mitchum stars as Harry, delivering one of the finest performances from the latter half of his career. Arguably one of the most naturalistic actors of all time, he never resorted to theatrics or seemed anything less than fully authentic. His performance here as Harry is thoughtful, powerfully understated and proof that less really does mean more when it comes to acting. How the Academy never recognized his greatness is frankly scandalous; as whether in 'The Yakuza' or anything else, Mitchum was always perfect.

His co-star Ken Takakura subscribes to the same playbook as he does, delivering a restrained, masterful performance of great subtlety and style. Starring as Ken, Takakura has a magnetic screen presence and an enigmatic gravitas; ensuring you'll be staring his way anytime he's on screen. Richard Jordan also does strong work as an associate of Harry's named Dusty, and Keiko Kishi is utterly beguiling as Eiko; sharing with Mitchum a very warm, seemingly authentic chemistry.

Sydney Pollock's 'The Yakuza' is an entertaining film, though it may have been better in the hands of a different director. While it has tonal issues and the dialogue is a little stilted in places, the cinematography from Kôzô Okazaki is captivating, and Dave Grusin's score is atmospheric. The performances are routinely brilliant too, with Mitchum and Ken Takakura doing especially fine work. Taking all that into account, while the saga of blood, love and honor that is 'The Yakuza' is well worth seeing; it is not a masterpiece.

I stumbled across this movie, back when I was in college, on late night television. At the time, I wasn't a Robert Mitchum fan. I always thought Mitchum had a way of sauntering through film roles, not always giving his best. The Yakuza, made when Mitchum was 58 years old, utilizes his style and persona to its maximum potential. He's world-weary, he's been through the mill and he's come out wiser, but not necessarily harder for it.

Written by Paul Schrader and Robert Towne, The Yakuza shows us a different side of the Gangster world than we have been privy to before. This is not a movie of good vs. bad; it's a movie about loyalty and honor to friends and family. We follow Mitchum as Harry Kilmer on a mission to save a friends daughter. For most movies made these days, that premise would be enough, but The Yakuza is deeply layered and far more interesting than that. It turns out that Harry had been in Japan after WWII and had fallen in love with a beautiful woman, Eiko. 30 years later Harry is back in Japan, much has changed, but his feelings haven't.

Harry teams up with Ken Tanaka, Eiko's brother, to find the kidnapped girl. Samurai swords slash and guns blaze, adding intense, well-choreographed action as the plot thickens and Harry realizes that this is no ordinary rescue. We learn a lot about the characters in the movie, from Harry and Eiko to Ken Tanaka and Harry's buddy George, but more than that we learn about Japan and its infamous and historic gangster world. This is a classic movie in every sense of the word and should be viewed as such. And if you're not a fan of Robert Mitchum before seeing this movie, you will be afterwards.

The strongest point of this film is the writing. It's the first Paul Schrader script ever to be filmed, written with his brother Leonard (who also worked with Paul on Blue Collar & Mishima) and Robert Towne (Chinatown, Marathon Man, Bonnie & Clyde). It seems we have the best of both Schrader's here; Leonard really understands the Japanese culture and Paul is a very cerebral and thematic writer who almost always raises a number of interesting issues.

The film, which is very respectful of it's foreign culture and tries to be as true as possible to it, first and foremost shows the differences between American and Japanese culture. However, there are so many themes in this movie though that it becomes tiresome to list them. The key ones include honor, loyalty, burden, duty, friendship, love, loss, obligation, and the differences between the men of pre and post war Japan.

Although Robert Mitchum was approaching 60 when made the film, he still possessed enough of his trademark grace to be credible enough against much younger men in the action scenes. He always exudes so much casualness and weariness, but his work here shows he was obviously fired up by the material.

The other standout actor is Ken Takakura. He plays an honorable man that everyone respects, but his honor and old ways also often make him intolerable to anyone around him. He hides the deep wounds of his character behind his stone face, but that doesn't in any way prevent him from conveys that he's a miserable man from another age who lives by his code but not for anything. As he's the native that used to be in the Yakuza and Mitchum is the gaijin that doesn't have to follow their honor system (although as the movie progresses, he subscribes to their codes and honor system more and more), Takakura gets to do all the skilled swordplay. His fighting won't thrill those who want a lot of stunts, but is great if you enjoy the psychology and strategy of the craft.

The film is it has a drab, low budget kind of look, mainly as a way to maintain the mood and tone of the piece. Some of the scenes really bring the material to life, particularly through some excellent camera work, but sometimes the look is indifferent and the soundtrack seems to be trying too hard. Aside from staying true to the material and getting strong performances, I wouldn't say that Sydney Pollack has done a great job here. This is not the kind of movie you watch if you are looking for John Woo action though, and for the most part the flaws are overshadowed by the strength of the script and performances. 8/10

A neglected classic of 70s film-making, this is perhaps the most "Japanese" movie ever made by a non-Japanese. The story is rich and multi-layered, featuring not one but two sets of star-crossed lovers in a brilliant and melancholy examination of contrasting themes of memory, secrets and betrayal, friendship, honor and obligation. The script is both literate and intricate; the characters' motives are almost always obscure until another layer of deception is stripped away.

Only Robert Mitchum could have done justice to the role of Harry Kilmer, a retired detective returning to Japan for the first time in many years to rescue his old Army friend Tanner's daughter, who has been kidnapped by the Yakuza in a dispute over a debt Tanner owes them. When Kilmer arrives in Japan, he seeks out Ken, the brother of his ex-lover Eiko (played by the astoundingly lovely and talented Kishi Keiko). Ken is a lone wolf, an ex-Yakuza who now runs a martial arts school, and though there is obviously no love lost between the two, Kilmer knows Ken carries an obligation to him for rescuing Eiko and her infant daughter in the early days of the Occupation.

Kilmer is still bitter about the past, deeply wounded by his love for Eiko, who would not marry him even though she loves him deeply. This was the reason why he left Japan and never meant to return.

Now, with Ken's reluctant help, he rescues Tanner's daughter, but this only leads to an intensifying spiral of tragic consequences, because nothing is quite what it seems. Only when Kilmer begins to understand the truth of the situation is he able to act constructively.

Everyone in this film, from Brian Keith to Herb Edelman to Richard Jordan (in one of his first starring roles) turns in a first-rate performance. James Shigeta and Christina Kobuko also deserve honorable mention. But it is Mitchum and Takakura Ken who make this movie.

This is not an action film in the sense of later -- and far inferior -- efforts like "The Challenge" and "Black Rain", though there are scenes of intense and graphic violence. Nor does it have a happy ending, although some of the characters do ultimately find redemption and a hope of reconciliation.

"The Yakuza" is a work that deserves a much larger audience, one which will totally engage a thoughtful viewer with its universal themes worked out against the background of a very different culture, with its own mindset and traditions. I give it my highest recommendation.

George Tanner (Brian Keith) is in trouble with The Yakuza. He's been gunrunning for them and is forced to travel to Japan for a meeting in person to answer for his failure. He recruits his old friend private detective Harry Kilmer (Robert Mitchum). Harry was a soldier during the occupation and he had a relationship with black marketeer Eiko. He seeks help from Eiko's brother Ken (Ken Takakura) who is part of the Yakuza and owes Harry a life debt.

While I appreciate the specificity of the Japanese culture, the story is a little confusing. It probably would help if Harry and Ken become a duo right from the start. They could talk and deliver expositions at the same time. It's also very slow. It's as if director Sydney Pollack is trying to talk his way through an action thriller. He does try to have some style to his action although it is not quite kinetic enough. The pacing is slow for a modern action sequence. It does have interesting brutality and visual angles.

This is just so good I can't believe that not only had I not seen it but not even heard of it. Screenplay by Paul Schrader (and his brother) just before he did Taxi Driver should have drawn attention but then maybe the Scorsese film took all the attention. Sydney Pollack's direction is assured and he gets great performances from everyone, but I reckon it is the script thats the thing. Moreover it is the only US film I have ever seen that seems to have the vaguest notion of Japan and it culture. So much of this rings true that it tingles with the excitement. The 70s streets of Tokyo and Kyoto are something to behold and the believable interaction between the main characters quite fabulous. There is bloody action here but for a film with such a title nothing like as much as expected, and all the better for it. Love, memory, betrayal, loyalty and repayment of debts both financial and emotional are all here - oh and Robert Mitchum and ken Takakura are great.

Fascinating moody thriller reminiscent of Blade Runner in a variety of aspects from the score, to sound design, and the fashion in which setting/architecture almost plays a character in the film. Infrequent but intense action scenes punctuate the film. Would make a fascinating double billing with Blade Runner. Mitchum and cast deliver solid performances. Though I doubt the film will reveal as many layers as BR does upon repeated viewings, it is still quite worth seeing and seems to have gone unnoticed or underrated. Still not available on DVD. Mitchum fans, noir junkies. and BR fans are bound to find this a rewarding experience. Highly recommended.

The Yakuza introduced we occidentals to the term the Japanese use for their various crime families. Probably after the wide acceptance of both the Godfather films, the American public was ready to see what organized crime looked like in another culture.

La Cosa Nostra, the Mafia, all those phrases we use for Italian organized crime certainly had their rituals and traditions. But as we learn in watching this film they have nothing on the Yakuza.

Robert Mitchum plays a private detective who works both sides of the law back in the states and he's hired by crime boss Brian Keith to rescue his daughter who was kidnapped by one of the Yakuza crime families in lieu of a shipment of weapons Keith was supposed to deliver. Coming along with him is young Richard Jordan whose father was a friend of both Mitchum and Keith as backup.

The mission is accomplished, but Mitchum and Jordan find the situation is a whole lot more complex than they were led to believe. In addition Mitchum gets involved with an old girl friend from the days when he was a military policeman during the postwar American occupation. She's the key to getting help from a former Yakuza member in their quest.

The American actors perform well here and oriental players James Shigeta and Japanese film star Takakura Ken are well cast as feuding Yakuza brothers. You will not question why Takakura Ken is known as the Japanese Clint Eastwood after seeing The Yakuza.

Director Sydney Pollack shows a real reverence and respect for the traditions of another culture. The Yakuza is both entertaining and informative and should not be missed.

The Yakuza (1974) is a movie I recently watched for the first time on HBOMAX. The storyline follows a private detective with a history in Japan that has been hired to rescue a kidnapped girl from the yakuza. He will leverage his old relationships in Japan to try and maneuver his way into the yakuza, find the girl and bring her home.

This movie was directed by Sydney Pollack (Tootsie) and stars Robert Mitchum (The Night of the Hunter), Ken Takakura (Black Rain), James Shigeta (Die Hard), Brian Keith (Young Guns) and Richard Jordan (Logan's Run).

The cast in this is pretty awesome, though Mitchum and his dialogue was a bit stiff and cliché at times. The storyline was kind of bland and drags in places. The love story elements unfold well and the ending was tremendous and the best part of the movie...it just feels like it takes forever to get there.

This was a fairly average movie with a great premise and ending. I would score this a 6/10 and recommend seeing it once.

Robert Mitchum shines in another of his private eye roles; he plays Harry Kilmer, who's hired by an old friend (Brian Keith) to retrieve the friends' daughter from a Japanese crime family. Arriving in Japan with Keiths' bodyguard (Richard Jordan) as a backup, Kilmer meets up with an old flame (Keiko Kishi). He has to convince her brother (Japanese star Ken Takakura), who himself is ex-Yakuza, to help him in his mission. He will find that things are seldom as they seem in this rich, engrossing crime fiction scripted by Paul Schrader and Robert Towne.

Directed by Sydney Pollack, this film can take some credit for introducing North American cinema goers to the concept of Yakuza, shortly after "Godfather" 1 and 2 had proved how popular this sort of story could be with the public. It can be bloody and visceral at times, but fundamentally it's a good story that is interesting largely because of its setting and depiction of Japanese culture. The story delivers its twists and turns in style, and some of them may even catch the viewer off guard. For one thing, Keith is playing a VERY shady character. And it carries a genuine poignancy, as it deals with the themes of honour and friendship. Harry ultimately realizes what his presence has done to Tanaka Kens' life.

Mitchum is ideal for the kind of lead role that he plays here; he's tough without being flashy about it, and that "quiet cool" of his is ever-present. This viewer can see why people would refer to Takakura as the "Japanese Clint Eastwood", as he has a low-key but effective screen presence that matches well with Mitchums'. The excellent supporting cast also includes Herb Edelman, Eiji Okada, James Shigeta (Mr. Takagi in "Die Hard" 14 years later), and a sexy and luminous Christina Kokubo as the old flames' daughter.

Films like "The Yakuza" just give further evidence to the superior quality of filmmaking in the 1970s. It's a must-see, whether you love films about Yakuza, crime fiction in general, or this well-chosen cast.

The score by under-rated composer Dave Grusin is wonderful.

Eight out of 10.

During the 1980s, our national TV channel used to show vintage Hollywood movies every weekend and Saturday night fare generally consisted of 1970s action flicks. This had been one of them and, although my father did tape it, I didn't catch the film back then and no tangible opportunity to watch it had presented itself over the years until now (the film is included in Warners' "Robert Mitchum: The Signature Collection" 6-Disc Box Set). For this reason alone, therefore – but also in view of Mitchum's involvement, the noir trappings of the plot and the exotic locale – THE YAKUZA is a title which has long intrigued me.

Sydney Pollack may seem a very odd choice for director here, especially considering how in the last 30 years or so, he has become more than anything else renowned as a director of glossy, conventional dramas; as a matter of fact, Robert Aldrich was first intended to direct Lee Marvin in it and, at some point, even Martin Scorsese's name was banded about. Even so, Pollack was much more adventurous as he was starting out – never more so than when making the eccentric, existentialist war movie CASTLE KEEP (1969; another film I caught up with fairly recently), with THE YAKUZA itself coming pretty close in terms of stretching his talent. For the record, he quickly followed the latter with his finest movie of the decade, the superb espionage thriller THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR (1975) – which I really ought to acquire on DVD despite its being a bare-bones disc.

The enthusiastic DVD Savant review of THE YAKUZA mentions how co-writer Paul Schrader was inspired by the latter-day John Ford Western masterpiece THE SEARCHERS (1956) dealing as it does with a similar kidnapping of a girl and the perilous odyssey to retrieve her. The hand of Robert Towne, the other scriptwriter, is most evident in the final revelation (which is as jaw-dropping as the one for his previous work – coincidentally also a noir with allusions to the Orient, CHINATOWN [1974], and which eventually won him an Oscar). By this time, Western audiences had become well-versed in the Samurai and their code – but The Yakuza was a novel concept, which was perhaps seen as topical vis-a'-vis the re-emergence of gangland dramas in the wake of THE GODFATHER (1972). The film, in fact, has profound things to say about Honor, Obligation and Family (with a remarkably harsh way of demonstrating one's penance). On top of it all, then, is a magnificent lyrical score by Dave Grusin.

For an action movie, it is very deliberately paced but this only serves to make the handful of fight sequences all the more electrifying. Pollack's direction is admirably stylish throughout the film's 112 minutes (though the Japanese version is said to be even longer and, in fact, the promotional featurette which is part of the DVD supplements does depict the shooting of a couple of scenes which aren't in the finished film as presented here!) and remarkably balances superbly choreographed action sequences with thoughtful passages – particularly concerning Mitchum's place in this environment (while typically understated, the performance by the star in this case allows emotion to seep through his bulky exterior and tough persona). It's worth mentioning here that Mitchum's career was going through a renaissance itself around thus time, primarily through such films as THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE (1973) and FAREWELL, MY LOVELY (1975), but subsequently he also got to kick some ass in Hong Kong for THE AMSTERDAM KILL (1977; which I'd love to get a chance to watch now).

The rest of the American cast is compact but carefully chosen: Brian Keith (as an opportunistic businessman, the father of the girl abducted for his having slighted The Yakuza, as well as Mitchum's best friend and old war buddy), Richard Jordan (quite good as Keith's young underling who tags along with Mitchum to Japan, ostensibly to keep an eye on him, but who didn't count on the pull of the Orient and, more specifically, the presence of a beguiling young girl – daughter of Mitchum's old flame) and Herb Edelman (as another war veteran who has stayed on and cultivated his knowledge of weaponry, extending to a fascination for Japanese swords). The 'native' actors are equally impressive, especially Ken Takakura (as the enigmatic but proficient ex-Yakuza drawn back into the underworld as a favor to Mitchum – the actor was apparently a fixture of this type of violent entertainment) and Eiji Okada (suitably authoritative and menacing as the unscrupulous Yakuza boss – he's best-known for playing Emmanuelle Riva's Japanese lover in Alain Resnais' landmark film Hiroshima MON AMOUR [1959] and the entomologist hero of the award-winning erotic drama WOMAN IN THE DUNES [1964]).

Finally, it's worth noting that I recently acquired on VHS Kinji Fukasaku's BATTLES WITHOUT HONOR AND HUMANITY (1973) – the first of several entries in a series of films collectively known as THE YAKUZA PAPERS, though I doubt I'll have time to check it out presently. Ironically enough, over the Christmas period an Italian TV channel presented a rare screening of "the ultimate in Japanese Yakuza movies" according to Paul Schrader himself – RED PEONY GAMBLER: FLOWER CARDS MATCH (1969) – but given that my mother broke a leg that very night, I was decidedly in no mood to watch subtitled fare...

There's probably a pretty good movie buried inside "The Yakuza", or the materials to make one. It definitely has the actors: Mitchum turns in a fine performance, as does Ken Takakura. And the movie is well shot and uses some fantastic locations.

So what went wrong? The movie is, in a word, incomprehensible. I just wasn't able to follow it from scene to scene. The set up is too complex. We are not only required to understand the honour of the yakuza, but also the unique code of ethics of the Mitchum character... and all the other western characters.

The movie feels like a puzzle for an editor to solve by taking pieces out and putting them some place else, or just discarding them completely. Trying to actually bring the story out from the shadows.

The movie does have two memorable scenes. One is an underwater assassination attempt. The other is the movie's final scene, which I won't spoil for you, except to say that I read Paul Schrader started with that scene and worked backwards. He either worked too hard, or not hard enough. This was my second viewing of "The Yakuza", and I still didn't understand the motivation for it.

One of the best West-meets-East films made. Great dialogues, very realistic fighting scenes, even though this film has been made so long ago, without any CGI tricks at all, yet the sword fights still look really great. But in my opinion the story, which may be shortly described with one of the sentences spoken by Harry Kilmer (Robert Mitchum) at the end of this film: "I have destroyed his past, and his future" - perhaps the story is what it makes this film so unique and timeless. Outstanding performance by Ken Takakura ("Ken Tanaka")! If you haven't seen it yet - get it now! And why do I say "get it" instead of "rent it"? Because unfortunately VHS version available in US is more than 10 minutes shorter, and European VHS versions have even more *vital to the plot* cuts! (More info here: http://www.us.imdb.com/title/tt0073918/alternateversions

or if it doesn't work try the link under "Alternate versions"). Please: don't waste your time on those! I swear these edited versions must have been edited either by some blind and deaf personae, or a child who didn't understood plot at all! Currently the only good, somewhat true to the original theatrical print (just slightly more than 3 minutes shorter), are the 2hr long versions available on the not-so-legal (and not too good quality-wise) VCDs released in Hong Kong and Asia.

I rated this film very high - and I am not any big sword-actioneers fan, but nor is this movie any kind of sword fighting flicks. Its just a great story that is told (or actually shown) very well, and it deserves full 10/10.

This started out as an ace Sydney Pollack flick but after awhile, I found myself drifting off. The acting is wonderful and Pollack's direction displays his usual professionalism but the long conversations and backstory between characters, as fine as they may be on the written page, become tedious and pace-killing on the screen. That an incredibly gratuitous piano and pseudo-jazz score accompanies these moments show that the producers realized that wordy scripts don't always translate to the screen, resulting in the insertion of this loud, annoying music to cover up the ponderous dialog.

Your not likely to see a more somber and serious gangster film. I find myself hardpressed to find another film like this with the exception of In Cold Blood that approaches the world of crime in such a somber manner that takes into account all the facets with tone that is 100% not a comedy. This film takes itself extremely seriously. This isn't any Scareface, Goodfellas, or even The Godfather. This is crime told in the same manner as a European character drama. Only the body count suggest the films actiony and possibly exploitative intentions.

The film follows our main character revisiting his old-WW2 roots in Japan, half revisiting loved ones and half going on a mission to rescue his old friend's daughter, who was kidnapped by a Yakuza crime lord. So, we get reconciliation and ponderings about their life in addition to a thickening plot filled with violent set pieces. The characters are extremely thoughtful, and much of the film is based around the choices people choose to make as pertaining to what they see to be their duty and debts.

We also get a very interesting look at Japanese culture and a sizable amount of gore. But still, though, even with today's inhibition about showing violence and fascination with Japan, they wouldn't make mob movies like this anymore.

If you enjoy action with slow-paced character-drama, this is definitely for you.

Directed by Sydney Pollack. Starring Robert Mitchum, Ken Takakura, Keiko Kishi, Brian Keith, Richard Jordan, Herb Edelman, James Shigeta, Eiji Okada, Christina Kokubo, Kyosuke Machida. (R)

Retired detective Mitchum travels to Japan on behest of old friend Keith to help rescue Keith's daughter, kidnapped by Japanese gangsters from the Yakuza. While there, he reconnects with former flame Kishi and spars with her brother (Takakura), a former wartime enemy who owes Mitchum a debt. Violent action pic stumbles over its overly elegiac, even wistful first half that spends too long introducing and explaining the Yakuza association (and not always clearly), as well as a largely redundant love story that never takes flight or serves much of a purpose. Unusually high pedigree for this kind of bloody genre piece, directed by Pollack and written by debuting screenwriter Paul Schrader (with an assist by his brother Leonard, and a rewrite by Robert Towne). Mitchum's weary cynicism is well suited for the lead role; Takakura's masculine solemnity seizes interest in an archetypal role.

68/100

The presently private investigator and real-estate agent Harry Kilmer (Robert Mitchum) is bonded to Japan culture. In the end of World War II, he was assigned to stay in Tokyo, and meanwhile he felt in love with the Japanese woman Eiko Tanaka (Keiko Kishi). In 1949, her Yakuza brother Ken Tanaka (Ken Takakura), who was missing in action in Philippines, returns to Japan. Harry proposes to marry Eiko, who is also in love with him, but she does not accept his proposal. With a broken heart, Harry decides to return to United States of America. He borrows some money from his close friend George Tanner (Brian Keith), buys a small restaurant for Eiko and her baby daughter, and returns to his home country. After several years, his friend George asks Harry to return to Japan with his bodyguard Dusty (Richard Jordan) to rescue his daughter, who was kidnapped by a Yakuza family, due to a weapon business. While in Tokyo and Kyoto, many revelations are disclosed to Harry about his close friends. Last Friday, I bought 'The Yakuza' on VHS, following the recommendation of my movie-lover friend Adalberto Rodrigues. I have just watched it and I found this melancholic movie a masterpiece about code of honor, tradition, love and betrayal. The story and screenplay are spectaculars, the direction is superb, the performances are overwhelming and the locations and photography are stunning. The plot has drama, romance and action in right doses. Indeed, I found 'The Yakuza' a perfect must-see film. I do not know how this movie remains unknown for worldwide viewers (there are just a few votes in IMDb) and why it has not been released on DVD. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): 'Operação Yakuza' ('Yakuza Operation')

When I was able to drive a car for the first time in 1975, I went to see this film in the theater, and did enjoy it. Sadly the film only played for a week and then disappeared from the theaters. I did see the film one more time in a theater, as part of a double bill, when we did not have videos or DVD's.

Originally I read at the time, that Robert Redford was supposed to have been the star of the film, but for some reason did not do it, though he would have not been suitable for the film as is because he would have been too young. (Unless he would have played the Richard Jordan character). I learned about the film because Time magazine gave it a positive review, and it was rated R, and here I was, a 18 year old.

Sadly, the film did not get much publicity, came and went. Mitchum, was not a particular big box office star at the time, though he did some good films during this time. I always remember a poster of the film, showing Takakura Ken, lighting a cigarette for the Mitchum during a night scene. On the poster the words 'a man pays his debts, a man never forgets'. I've been looking for that poster for years, and never able to find it. Someone claimed to me that the actual Yakuza was unhappy at the time with this American production, because they didn't want Americans to know about their organization. while more Americans are aware of this organization now, at the time of the production, Americans were not aware of it, and this is why it is hard to get anything like a poster from this movie.

The review. I saw it twice, the second time was not as good. However it is still an effective thriller. Mitchum is very good in it. My only complaint with him is that he looks too out of shape to be doing in this film what he is doing. During one of the scenes with him walking around in the dark about to make an attack on a Yakuza stronghold, you see his double chin. He was only 57 when he made this film, but physically, perhaps Kirk Douglas, whose built was commented on during his film "The Fury", or even Charles Bronson might have been better suited for the physical demands that the character has to do. Other scenes, with his relationship with the other characters is where he really shines and gives a good performance. His climactic moment with Takakura Ken, towards the end of the film (I won't give it away) is particularly memorable.

The Yakuza are members of the Japanese Mafia. They make our American version seem like school girls by comparison. Robert Mitchum is a sort of every man who drifts from job to job, just getting along. An old friend appears asking for a favor. He is a wheeler dealer named George (Brian Keith) whose daughter has been kidnapped by the Yakuza for reneging on an arms deal with them. Harry (Mitchum) travels to Japan to rescue George's kid. In the process, he set off a mob war. He also reunites with an old flame and her daughter. The violence is what one would expect from this kind of film, with guns, knives and swords used frequently. Mitchum is his usual cool self, taking over every scene. The supporting cast are all good and The Yakuza is a fun ride for two hours.

I just saw the film on HD cable TV the other night. I wasn't sure what to expect but it was a darn good movie. I had wondered if they were gonna have any fake Japanese actors and I was glad they didn't. Heck, Memoirs of a Geisha had Gong Li and Ziyi Zhang acting as Japanese. How twisted is that with so many fine Japanese actors and actresses.

giri=responsibility=burden. Robert Mitchum and Ken Takakura had one heck of a friendship plus that complicated relationship with Keiko Kishi (the revealed relationship was quite a surprise to me). I can't ever imagine an American/Westerner sacrificing his pinky. Richard Jordan sure didn't get it. He had asked, like, why bother with the obligation, just forget about it.

I sure wish there were more films like this made in collaboration with Japan. That swordfight at the Yakuza house was very well choreographed. None of that ultra-slick "Ichi, the Blind Masseur" stuff. It's a shame that Ken Takakura couldn't have made some films in America. He was one cool dude.

Two good scriptwriters and a filmmaker whose highest achievement was perhaps the comedy "Tootsie", add to a rather flat and artificial film that is neither a thriller nor a yakuza film, but a complex drama about ethics (with historical resonance, not only of Japan, but of the US-Japan relations) that could have been much better in capable hands. Writer Paul Schrader followed this with his script for Martin Scorsese's "Taxi Driver", while Robert Towne had already written Hal Ashby's "The Last Detail" and --also in 1974-- Roman Polanski's "Chinatown": "The Yakuza" proves how good Scorsese, Ashby and Polanski were, and that Sydney Pollack was a standard filmmaker. I admit that I never liked his films. I even walked out of "Bobby Deerfield". But after all these years, reading or hearing good things about "The Yakuza", I decided to give it a try. In the opening credits, Dave Grusin's supposedly hip score starts the distortion of a tale that, in essence, unravels as it goes through an intricately sinuous labyrinth to reflect on dignity, love, ethics, tradition, betrayal, resentment, death; and furthermore, as I previously suggested, it insinuates, perhaps inadvertently, the bad conscience of a few American citizens who witnessed the assault on Japanese culture by American politicians and military men after the end of Second World War (a subject intelligently dealt by Shohei Imamura in "Vengeance Is Mine"), not to mention the barbaric physical harm done with nuclear bombs. Some persons have also suggested a graver cultural distortion in Pollack's romanticized vision of the Japanese gangsters (for a more reliable portrait of the seedy yakuzas, see "Minbo no onna", the film for which its director Juzo Itami supposedly lost his life), but as the time ran, I could not care less. "The Yakuza" became worse, and when a night club scene arrived in which a singer performed a ballad about the yakuza code, I knew I only had two options. I saw it completely… unfortunately a few days after watching Masaki Kobayashi's masterpiece "Harakiri".