Yakuza (1974) Online

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.

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, American Movie Classics?)

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

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.

Superb East-meets-West movie, I suspect largely due to Schrader's insight. Takakura Ken's performance really steals the show, though all actors are more than capable; Mitchum gives a great performance again. Not a martial arts movie, but contains a katana showdown that I can watch over and over again without finding fault [more believable than anything you'll see in 'Kill Bill'].

The story is gorgeously convoluted, keeping it's secrets to the very end, in a fitting Japanese manner. Action scenes are relatively restrained, and the story tells how Mitchum's character finally comes to understand Takakura Ken's character, and his apparently icy antagonism. When can we see a DVD copy?!

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.

Not only is this a good 70's gangster/action flick, it is also one of the few movies about Japan ever produced in the States that does not make too many mistakes about Japanese culture.

Ken Takakura puts in a great performance which is no surprise since he first became famous in Japan for acting in yakuza (gangster) movies.

Anyone who has ever tried to understand or explain the concept of "giri" should see this movie!

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.

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.

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.

At the heart of The Yakuza's theme of the clash between eastern and western cultures, is that of the two's opposing views on forgiveness. In Japanese culture forgiveness is something you must earn. In western culture as preached though Christianity, any action can be forgiven regardless of how heinous;go to a confession box at a church and your sins will be wiped away. The Japanese don't understand this; as a westerner don't understand it ether. Only towards the end of the film does Harry Kilmer (Robert Mitchum) become fully assimilated into another culture, and truly realise so much pain he has caused to Ken Tanaka (Ken Takakura), and performs the Yakuza ritual of Yubitsume, cutting off his little finger.

I can't imagine a better choice for the role of Harry Kilmer than Robert Mitchum. I believe his acting experience and background is what brings a great level of sincerity to the role. Throughout his career he appeared in a number of World War II films, including those about the war in the pacific and featuring the use of the racial slur "Jap". It can be an interesting experience seeing classic era actors in roles after the 1960's that weren't ensemble disaster movies; movies which contrast the attitudes of their 'golden age' work. I've read Robert Redford was considered for the role but I believe the role was suited for an older, world weary actor like Mitchum; plus it's an apt choice casting one of the icons of film noir in this neo noir. What I also love about the film is the touching love story between Harry and his Japanese love Eiko Tanaka (Keiko Kishi), a love of two people from different worlds made forbidden due to family ties, made all the more poignant with Mitchum being superb at portraying characters who are tough yet also tender.

Hollywood has had a long fascination with the Far East, producing movies which aren't entirely very thoughtful or sensitive; The Yakuza is the more well-researched effort to say the least. Yet I could still see the modern day PC patrol will still find something to uproar about.Cultural appropriation is apparent throughout the film. Westerners Harry Kilmer and his friend Wheat (Herb Edelman) are so engaged with Japanese culture and customs to the point that it is second nature to them; while the Japanese display westernised trends such as the wearing of western clothes, or take the scene in the nightclub in which My Darling Clementine being sung.

The appropriation just doesn't extend to the characters; the 1970's Hollywood aesthetic and music is combined with Japanese iconography. Dave Grusin's score is superb, creating a world alien to westerners and also contributing to one of the classiest films of the 1970's.The violence is portrayed in a classy, arty tone and not coming of gratuitous with an effective combination of gun fire and katana duels. Also can a gun still remain in a person's hand and fire after their arm has been chopped off? Either way, it looks cool.

The Yakuza acts like a time capsule of 1970's urban Japan, just take the scene in which Harry walks through the streets of Tokyo at night to meet his old love after 20 years. The filmmakers clearly took full advantage of the Japanese locations at their disposal; the Kyoto International Conference Centre in which Harry meets ken's brother is an incredible piece of architecture and that public bathing room, dam, I want to go there!

There's a seductive quality to the opening of "The Yakuza", between the score and the stylized credit sequence, that just draws you in. I get lost in its attractiveness. It's kinda like "Chinatown" in that regard, but I was surprised at just how nice this movie is to look at. They captured Japan's outdoor beauty, the sets are striking (really dig Herb Edelman's open floorplan house), and the Kyoto Convention Center is amazing.

But the film's real power lies in its well-written story, which drags grizzled Robert Mitchum back to Japan only to be mixed up in the workings of the Japanese mob. It's here that we get a crash course on the discipline, sacrifice and honor (twisted though it may be for some of these people) that make up this culture; and just how one's life can be made or broken over the importance of a debt to another person. "The Yakuza" isn't without its shootouts, but they culminate in a truly fine swordfight - one that sees one man stare down many.

The movie's final moments with Mitchum and Takakura is a moving piece of cinema, and one hell of an ending. There's a profound sadness once we hit the end credits, but it's a story very well told.

Side note: if you're a comics reader, this pairs remarkably well with the Claremont/Miller run on Wolverine.

10/10

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 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.

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')

'The Yakuza' is a superb crime thriller that manages to entertain and provoke thought. The script by Paul Schrader and Robert Townes, displays the best of 70s film making. It features strong character development, and juggles action and themes of loyalty, betrayal and cultural differences, easily. Best of all, unlike most contemporary movies, it isn't DUMBED DOWN. It treats Japanese culture seriously, and it isn't your simplistic good guys/bad guys stuff we always get at the movies these days. 'The Yakuza' actually assumes you're a thinking adult, not a 15 year old who has to be spoon-fed.

Robert Mitchum, what can you say? A movie legend, but also a damn fine actor! This is one of his best roles. Sadly, also one of his most overlooked.

When I think of the best movies of the 1970s, of course I think of 'Mean Streets', 'Taxi Driver', 'The Godfather', et al, but I also never forget 'The Yakuza'. It's THAT good!

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.

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!

for a lover of old classic cinema, a must see. for a story about duty, past and duty. for inspired script and for the smart use of clichés. and, sure, for Robert Mitchell in a role who seems be perfect for him. because Japan of "Yakuza" has the gift to be a complex and realistic portrait . traditions, history, crime, the war against a powerful organization. and, sure, an admirable story of friendship. short, one of films for see it time by time.

An East meets West culture clash - old versus new traditions intertwined into the plot - that delivers a gripping thriller that has some stunning and very real looking sword fights. Treachery and honour in equal measures, plus some twists you'll have to wait until the end to understand fully . The clothes may date it,but the script, direction and acting soon make you forget all about that.

Everyone puts in corking performances, although the younger cast members get a little left in the background. Ken Takakura and Bob Mitchum put in grim character portrayals against the soft back drop of Eiji Okada (of Lady Snowblood fame) character, who is caught between 'n' betwixt the two men in her sad life.

At the end of the day it's the fight scenes and the meaning of Japanese honour that will stay in your mind. Whereas the later "Blackrain" got a little silly about it's chase scenes, Yakuza keeps it's feet firmly on the ground.

Only one question remains, why the heck isn't it out on DVD? 29-04-06 update: A-ha! I found the Warner VCD version in the Philipines. This will have to do until they release the DVD.

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...

A mystery, an action thriller, a fascinating reading of East/West cultural differences, and a moving meditation on friendship and honour, this film satisfies on a number of levels.

Mitchum gives a great performance as the ex-soldier Harry Kilmer who helps an old Army buddy out of a bind, revisiting a Japan he has not seen since his stint there during the post-war Occupation. His patented world-weariness almost but not quite masks depths of compassion and emotional need that make this tough guy a hero to admire and root for.

The supporting cast is terrific, the characters fleshed out, and the action sequences (esp. the one in a paper house) riveting. A winner all round!

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".

Much like the ex-yakuza character who aids Robert Mitchum in his struggle against the Tokyo mob in the film, The Yakuza suffers from a double-bind that pushes it in two opposite directions. On one hand it's a 70's American crime film and it's quite good at that; on the other hand, it's a yakuza picture. By attempting an Americanized take on a traditionally Japanese sub-genre, Pollack is unfortunately unsuccessful, but not for lack of trying.

Robert Mitchum plays Harry, an aging ex-military police officer, dispatched back to Japan after 20 years to intervene on behalf of a friend who needs to settle things with the Tokyo yakuza. I always had a soft spot for Mitchum's cool persona and his beady eyes and he doesn't disappoint here.

As a big yakuza enthusiast, I find Pollack's interpretation of Japanese life and by extension of Japanese ethics and traditions, insufferably contrived. Although as violent as one would expect from an American film in the post Wild Bunch filmic landscape, it takes a (perhaps not so) surprisingly romanticized approach to the matter at hand. Much like The Godfather, these yakuzas adhere to their own code of honour and loyalty. In terms of Japanese film, and without outright portraying them as heroes, Pollack's take has more in common with the 60's cycle of ninkyo yakuza pictures (a popular sub-genre where the yakuzas were made out to be heroes coming to the aid of the poor and downtrodden) than the raw, gritty and nihilistic universe of his contemporary Kinji Fukasaku.

Besides being a step-back in the evolution of the genre, what makes matters worse is that Paul Schrader and Robert Towne's script (perhaps unavoidably) has to sit down and explain Japanese tradition and lifestyle so that people without prior knowledge can better understand what's going on. Bits and pieces about swords, samurais, a code of honour and zen are all mixed together in a flimsy attempt to shed light in a culture so radically different that it simply can't be explained in the course of 110 minutes.

The clash between the traditional old guard and the new corporate world, a very popular theme in Japanese yakuza pictures of the time, is only marginally introduced here. Instead Pollack focuses on the tormented character played very well by Ken Takakura, an ex-yakuza torn between giri (formal responsibility) and ninkyo (natural impulse). It is all the more ironic then that the political aspect (and influence) the yakuza had in post-war Japan is largely ignored, when a character observes "In America, a guy cracks up he opens a window and kills a few strangers. Here, a guy cracks up, he closes the window and kills himself": by controlling the labors unions, the yakuzas are pivotal in the creating of the passive Japanese worker. It also goes unmentioned that yakuzas (by definition hardcore right-wing Imperialists, to the point where the word "yakuza" in Japanese means both "right-wing" and "mobster") were largely financed by America, in an attempt to keep the threat of communism at bay.

Ending with a big (but poorly choreographed) swordfight that belongs to a chambara (literally sword-theater, a samurai film) more than a 70's yakuza picture, it all seems so "hey, it's all Japanese, throw it in there" that I was surprised there was no mention of sushi or sake in the film.

As a yakuza picture, I find it to be a failure. As a 70's crime film that has more in common with The Godfather than any of its Japanese contemporaries, it's only marginally successful. At times it feels like the yakuza equivalent of Tom Cruise's Last Samurai. On the other hand, it has some nice set-pieces, a solid cast spearheaded by Takakura and Mitchum and a melancholic tone that works in its favour, so if you're not bothered by the commercialized approach to Japanese culture, then you'll probably enjoy it.

If you have no prior knowledge of the genre, this is perhaps the best place to start. It'll hopefully open the door for true 70's genre epics, like The Yakuza Papers, Graveyard of Honour (not Takashi Miike's remake) and Sympathy for the Underdog.

I'll try not to be redundant to the thoughtful reviews and comments already given.

I particularly liked the comment by the director, Sydney Pollack that the studio was looking for a (mindless)yakuza/action film and that he "snuck in" the moral and cultural content.

For me it ranks as one of the greatest stories of ill fated impossible love, that I've seen. The principal actors are all very fine. I don't think Mitchum is capable of a bad performance. Ken Takakura, as Tanaka Ken, may be "the man who never smiles", but oh what emotion he is able to convey with great subtlety. Kishi Keiko also is very expressive with her eyes.

Its a film that I first saw as a an impressionable young man many years ago and Ihave never forgotten its messages of honor and obligation.

Whatever happened to Richard Jordan (Dusty)? He was excellent here and in the miniseries Captains and the Kings.

Enjoy this outstanding film! 'shoes