"Ken is a relic, a leftover of another age, of another country."

Robert Mitchum vs. the Yakuza. When I heard that I thought it would be this action packed good time. Instead The Yakuza is a thoughtful, somber tale with some quick scenes of brutal violence. If it had turned out to that action packed movie in my mind, I don’t think it would have been as powerful as a film.

Robert Mitchum returns to the land of the rising sun after being stationed there during Japan’s occupation to rescue the daughter of an old war buddy. Once there he reunites with his old flame and more importantly, her brother, Ken (played terrifically be Ken Takakura). Ken holds a strange…

The 1970s Crime Season!

It seems amazing to me that The Killer Elite, which I reviewed last night and thought was an absolutely ridiculous film, was made a year after The Yakuza.

I would have liked to have thought that Sam Peckinpah would have watched this splendid film and actually gained something about how you can marry together the west and the east, not just in terms of culture but in terms of bringing together a highly impressive action film. There are no ninja assassins or stupidly sketched stereotypes here and any of the culture clash narrative that does result is respectful, interesting and even educational.

Then again, from what I've seen of their respective work, I would personally say…

Movie club - just pop by and say hello - we're all very friendly

I didn't really know what to expect going into Yakuza. A cursory glance at Google quickly showed it wasn't particularly well received on release. I was also under the preconceived notion that this would be one of those American in Japan films that would be less than flattering to the people of its setting. Fortunately I found the film to be far more enjoyable than its reputation and loved the lead character who had a real reverence for Japanese culture and its people.

Robert Mitchum’s Harry Kilmer by any rights should have be an iconic character who appeared in a string of movies. A turtleneck sweater,…

No doubt Paul Schrader's screenplay came into being off the back of America's growing fascination with Asia's martial arts, with Bruce Lee building himself into the icon of the scene. The film was shot mostly on location in Japan and the story builds itself around samurai tradition without weighing itself down with too much history.

Working with Schrader was Robert Towne, who had just written Chinatown and this film goes to show that consistency is just as hard to find holding the pen as anywhere else. This is certainly no classic but it does contain some solid action scenes built around a fully believable friendship between Robert Mitchum and Ken Takakura who steals the show from the Hollywood veteran.

Mitchum…

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect going into this. I bought it on a whim because of Paul Schrader's script (I didn't realise Robert Towne was involved until I saw the titles) and I was intrigued by the fact Sydney Pollack and cinematographer Kozo Okazaki had to shoot the film without being able to speak the same language.

Mitchum, as well, I think is a remarkably interesting actor. He's one of the few who succeeded in the Golden Age of Hollywood and also in the New Hollywood. His tough persona suited both incredibly well and it is used very well in The Yakuza, and he also manages to show a gentle side which I don't think I've seen in…

Belle redécouverte que ce très beau et sensible film de Pollack, évitant la facilité d'en faire un film d'exploitation comme l'époque le dictait souvent pour ce genre de film (mais bon on s'attend pas de ça de Pollack anyway) mais plutôt en allant dans le développement de personnages et une approche minimaliste. Paul Schrader disait que son scénario était plus sanglant et tapageur donc bravo l'adaptation du cinéaste. Encore une fois aidé par son frère Leonard Schrader qui est souvent laissé de côté dans les écrits mais c'est le Schrader qui vivait au Japon à ce moment et passait ses soirées avec des Yakuzas. Il a assurément apporté toute la rigueur de l'authenticité dans l'écriture. Et ça se sent à…