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Title: THE YAKUZA (1974) Post by: The Burgomaster on February 08, 2007, 06:04:56 PM (http://www.moviegoods.com/Assets/product_images/1020/313039.1020.A.jpg)(http://www.moviegoods.com/Assets/product_images/1020/33977.1020.A.jpg)(http://www.moviegoods.com/Assets/product_images/1020/16633.1020.A.jpg)
This is a very good, but unfortunately forgotten movie starring Robert Mitchum and Brian Keith. Brian Keith plays a businessman whose daughter is kidnapped by a Yakuza clan in Japan after Keith screws up an illegal gun deal. Keith's old friend Robert Mitchum owes him a favor, so Mitchum goes to Japan to attempt to rescue the kidnapped girl. The movie has a nice balance of drama, insights into Japanese culture, and bursts of violent action. There are some well-choreographed swordfights and also some decent gun-play with pistols and shotguns. The screenplay was written by Robert (CHINATOWN) Towne and Paul (TAXI DRIVER) Schrader, and the film was directed by Sidney (THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR) Pollack, which definitely adds to the quality. If you haven't see this, you might want to get your hands on a copy of the recently-released DVD. Title: Re: THE YAKUZA (1974) Post by: Jim H on February 09, 2007, 10:13:03 PM Quite a solid film, with the action suprising me in how good it was. Dramatically it is also good, with the relationship between the two leads fairly deep and interesting. Definetly reccomended.
Title: Re: THE YAKUZA (1974) Post by: Yaddo 42 on February 10, 2007, 05:09:35 AM Saw this a few years ago, and liked it a lot, enough to recommend it around to people I knew. I and another guy who had seen it earlier made such a strong case for the film the owner of the local comic shop we were at went and rented it on his lunch break.
This movie had the right mix of action, story, and emotional drama for my tastes. There is the plot itself, but the drama that plays out based upon the tangled relationships and honor of the characters from events dating back decades really made it work for me. The action was good and believeable, sometimes when they try to insert Westerners into Asia or Japanese-style action it feels forced. This movie didn't fall into that trap. Title: Re: THE YAKUZA (1974) Post by: Scott on February 10, 2007, 10:45:03 PM I'll put it on my list Burgomaster. Sounds like a good one.
Title: Re: THE YAKUZA (1974) Post by: dean on February 11, 2007, 08:41:32 AM I'm officially now a Paul Schrader film fan, after just now watching Raging Bull, and really liking it. I'll have to check it out. So far I'm a fan of Bringing Out The Dead and Taxi Driver as well, but I suppose they're also all Scprsese films so it'd be nice to have a different director, just to compare. Title: Re: THE YAKUZA (1974) Post by: Mr_Vindictive on February 11, 2007, 12:19:04 PM Dean,
If you're a fan of Paul Schrader, then check out Auto Focus. That is a haunting film, and one of my favorites that Schrader has done. Title: Re: THE YAKUZA (1974) Post by: Yaddo 42 on February 12, 2007, 12:54:49 AM Dean, also seek out Blue Collar starring Richard Pryor, Harvey Keitel, and Yapett Kotto. It's a dark cynical drama about auto factory workers caught between family financial pressures, their corrupt union, and their indifferent employer.
Gritty is the best way to describe it. It also has the best dramatic acting Pryor probably ever did, wish he had done more in that vein rather than the mainstream comedies he steered toward, but I understand why. I haven't seen it, but Affliction is another usually highly recommended Schrader work. |