|
With the tagline, "A man never forgets. A man pays his debts," and starring Robert Mitchum and Ken Takakura, The Yakuza is surprisingly an entertaining crime drama that layers the intrigue so delicately we hardly realize we're falling deeper into a maze until each new revelation unfolds.
Mitchum plays Harry Kilmer a somewhat private eye Harry Kilmer, that reluctantly agrees to return to Japan to get his old friend George Tanner (Brian Keith) out of trouble with the yakuza, an organized crime group heavy into gambling and cons. Toshiro Tono (Eiji Okada), a member of the yakuza has kidnapped George's daughter because George owes him money for a shipment of guns that never arrived. George wants Harry to be the negotiator.
Keiko Kishi & Robert Mitchum © Warner Home Video
Harry owes George a debt, but is hesitant about going back because he left the love of his life there, Eiko (Keiko Kishi). After the war Harry rescued Eiko and her daughter, Hanako (Christina Kokubo) devastation. Eiko's brother, Tanaka Ken (Takakura), a former yakuza and master swordsman, feels deeply obligated to Harry for his deed. The word debt rises as the theme in this movie. George is banking on this debt being repaid with helping Harry to find Toshiro Tono.
Ken Takakura © Warner Bros. Home Video
At one point Harry had wanted to marry Eiko and bring her and Hanako back to the states, but Eiko felt and allegiance to her brother that Harry didn't understand, and she refused to leave Japan or marry Harry.
When first arriving back in Japan, Harry and Dusty (Richard Jordan, Rooster Cogburn, Gettysburg), George's body guard, stay with Harry and George's other war buddy who never left Japan, Oliver (Herb Edelman, The Way We Were, The Odd Couple).
Herb Edelman © Warner Bros. Home Video
While Harry must go to find Eiko to learn where to find her brother, Oliver fills in the past about this group to Dusty, which is really story feeder to the viewers as well. It seems that when Eiko turned Harry down, he borrowed $5,000 from George and bought a coffee house and bar for Eiko, which she named Kilmer House.
Once Harry and Ken rescue George's daughter, the intrigue increases into a full scale war between Harry and Ken and the yakura's. The plot thickens with the introduction to Ken's brother Goro (James Shigeto), a Yakuza advisor, who is now jeopardized in is position as counselor.
Although the title of the movie suggests this might be one told through martial arts action, it's not. The story is never formulaic and has complete and interesting characters we learn about slowly. There some involvements of yakuza which does bring in several martial arts scenes but they are quite compelling in the way that the staid Ken Takakura performs his role.
Scenes from The Yakuz
Mitchum (Out of the Past) comes alive more in his noir and crime roles than others, and he lives up to that honorable and tough-guy exterior but he's also believable as man who has longed after a woman for twenty years and still loves her.
Award-winning actor Ken Takakura, plays the same character in most of his films, and always quite well. His 2006 role in Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles (Qian li zou dan qi) was phenomenal and earned him a Best Actor award from the San Diego Films Critics for his performance.
Excellent coloring and a clear print enhances The Yakuza as an entertaining film about honor, ancient codes, and always meeting one's obligation. The movie, supposed to be a film noir but I feel lacking the elements for that classification, is made more enjoyable by Pollack's vision that the story unfolds more through plot than endless sword-fighting action.
The Yakuza is part of Warner Home Video's Robert Mitchum: The Signature Collection featuring six new Film Noir titles on DVD, including Angle Face, Macao, Home from the Hill, The Sundowners and The Good Guys and the Bad Guys.
Special Features
● Commentary by director Sydney Pollack - who talks about his response to the material and that it gave him an opportunity to explore the culture clash of East and West, the different moral, the different traditions and the different ideas of honor duty and obligations. He talks about the society of the Yakuza's and their elaborate tattoos on their backs. Pollack discusses many of the scenes in-depth, the actors and a lot of the film-making aspects. If you're a fan of Robert Mitchum or Sydney Pollack, you'll enjoy watching this segment after you see the initial film.
● Promises to Keep - a featurette that delves into the culture of Japan and more making-the-movie elements, including the difficulties of working with two different languages.
● Scene Selections
Director: Sydney Pollack (Three Days of the Condor)
Writer: Leonard Schrader - story, Paul Schrader (Raging Bull) & Robert Towne (Chinatown) - screenplay
Cast: Robert Mitchum, Ken Takakura, Keiko Kishi, Brian Keith, Richard Jordan, Eiji Okada, Herb Edelman, Christina Kokubo, James Shigeto
Rating: R for violence
Classic Movie Guide Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
DVD Release Date: 1/23/2007
Run Time: 112 minutes
Studio: Warner Bros. Home Video
Format: Color - widscreen version
|
