‎The Yakuza (1974) directed by Sydney Pollack • Reviews, film + cast • Letterboxd

The Yakuza

1974 Directed by Sydney Pollack

A man never forgets. A man pays his debts.

Harry Kilmer returns to Japan after several years in order to rescue his friend George's kidnapped daughter - and ends up on the wrong side of the Yakuza, the notorious Japanese mafia...

Robert Mitchum Ken Takakura Brian Keith Herb Edelman Richard Jordan Keiko Kishi Eiji Okada James Shigeta Kyosuke Mashida Christina Kokubo Eiji Gô Louis Chirillo M. Hisaka William Ross Akiyama Harada

112 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by Kaijuman ★★★★½ 7

"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…
Review by Steve G ★★★★

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…
Review by Naughty aka Juli Norwood ★★★½ 4

A wonderful film that has my admiration for its simple yet profound themes! A thoughtful slow burn with occasional outbursts of violence!

The grand finale fight scene is really something to behold!
Review by Steve P ★★★½ 2

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,…
Review by Steven Sheehan ★★★½

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…
Review by Davis. ★★★★ 2

Honor Killed The Samurai

in which Robert Mitchum does it for the culture

Mitchum rolling around Japan backgrounded by neon, turtleneck flexing, lusting after Asian women, expository dialogue on the soundtrack fading into jazz all felt a bit proto-Mann. late in the film there's a pre-Steadicam tracking shot which transitions into a shootout with one of the craziest editing patterns ever that just floored me. Pollack's direction was ahead of its time.

Schrader's script is reverent to the point of awe for Japanese codes and the stone-faced Ken Takakura illustrates why. would be interesting to pair this with Ridley Scott's similar BLACK RAIN, also starring Takakura.

Recent reviews

Review by trolleyfreak ★★★★

'Farmers in the countryside may watch TV from their tatami mats and you can't see Fuji through the smog, but don't let it fool you. It's still Japan and the Japanese are still Japanese..' (Herb Edelman as Oliver Wheat)

Brief Synopsis: Bob Mitchum goes to Japan and kicks some serious butt.

Verdict: As written by the Schrader brothers (with a script 'polish' from Robert Towne), this is a Japanese/American gangster fusion picture of no little complexity, chock-a-block with introspective musings, excessive bloodshed, 'de rigueur' plot twists and double crossing shenanigans; a film which showcases Sydney Pollack's mettle as a genre film maker of exceptional grace and polish. Mitchum's characteristically craggy features and low-key style suit this kind of material down…
Review by Daniel Luis Ennab ★★★★

You read Robert Mitchum and the Yakuza clan in one sentence of a synopsis and you can presume it to be one hell of an action film. Instead, this is a leisurely paced and somber film that centers on the backbone relationship of Mitchum’s Harry, and Ken Takakura’s Ken. I also appreciated the romance between Harry and Keiko Kishi’s Eiko — Sidney Pollack and writers Paul Schrader and Robert Towne (what a group!) clearly have a respect to the genre of new wave crime and a western samurai fable. It’s a beautifully designed film, giving Mitchum one of his best performances and a sublimely subdued performance from Takakura. To my surprise, The Yakuza having enough brutal clashes built upon wonderful tension and dialogue, is also a film with heart.
Review by Davis. ★★★★ 2

Honor Killed The Samurai

in which Robert Mitchum does it for the culture

Mitchum rolling around Japan backgrounded by neon, turtleneck flexing, lusting after Asian women, expository dialogue on the soundtrack fading into jazz all felt a bit proto-Mann. late in the film there's a pre-Steadicam tracking shot which transitions into a shootout with one of the craziest editing patterns ever that just floored me. Pollack's direction was ahead of its time.

Schrader's script is reverent to the point of awe for Japanese codes and the stone-faced Ken Takakura illustrates why. would be interesting to pair this with Ridley Scott's similar BLACK RAIN, also starring Takakura.
Review by Jotteni ★★½

Seems like Ken Takakura should have been the star. Instead, we get an old, fat, Robert Mitchum usually watching the action from afar.
Review by jrhovind ★★★

Sydney Pollack directing (right before he'd make the masterful Three Days of the Condor). Paul Schrader's first script (with assistance at some point from Robert Towne). Late-career Robert Mitchum, playing at peak world-weariness. And the rare example of a studio film traveling abroad without being entirely condescending or cliche-ridden. So I was pretty disappointed to find this merely fine, rather than a work as great as all those elements combined would seem to add up to. The first half, sending Robert Mitchum's retired private detective to Japan to track down a friend's daughter kidnapped by the yakuza, is twisty and shadowy neo-noir fun, all sorts of opened-up backstories (and emotional wounds) and double-crossings and conflicting allegiances. But once the film's…
Review by Ghostraider365 ★★★★★

The ultimate movie about honor, friendship and love. People who think of this as a thriller or action movie are sadly mistaken. It is a slow burn and very “talky” in the beginning. But once you understand the mechanics of who is who and what history the characters have you will understand their motivation. I first saw this movie about 20 years ago in my mid 20s. That was before the internet and I didn’t know what to expect. Needless to say it had a deep impact on me especially in terms of honor, code and loyalty. I can’t remember a movie that has dealt with these topics in such a personal matter. I would love to see a remake but I’m afraid the message would get lost just to have more action and sword fighting in it. That’s not what The Yakuza is about. It’s one of my favorite Japanese themed movies of all time.
Review by mchasin ★★★★

This fucking rules and I guarantee it's more genuinely interested in engaging with Japanese culture than whatever the fuck that Jared Leto netflix movie is doing. Or, y'know, Isle of Dogs for that matter.
Review by Matthew ★★★★½

The Yakuza is one of those obscured neo noir gems from the 1970's and one of Sydney Pollack best work. Starring Robert Mitchum as Harry Kilmer a private eye who returns to Japan to track down his a missing girl who the Yakuza has kidnapped while there Harry visits an old girlfriend and seeks her brothers help. One of the my favorite discoveries of 2018 and a must see for filmstruck subscribers!
Review by Justin Decloux ★★★★

It's a tricky subject matter, but it's about as respectful as you can get from a film produced by a Hollywood studio in 1974. Robert Mitchum has an organic reason to have a connection to Japan, his cultural appropriation is kept to adhering to 'codes' and he thankfully never picks up a samurai sword, and all the dialogue in Japanese is subtitled. It's still written a directed by white guys, but Pollack's obsessive recreation of the rhythms and visual signifiers of the country's cinema is endearing.

Ken Takakura is a fucking badass.