Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Asked to negotiate the release of a friend's daughter, held hostage by the Yakuza, a private investigator travels to Japan with an ulterior motive of visiting a former girlfriend in this crime drama scripted by Paul Schrader and Robert Towne. Accompanied by one of Dave Grusin's most melancholic scores and edited with a slew of dreamy dissolves, this is an atmospheric film through and through with Robert Mitchum very sympathetic in the lead role with his yearning to recapture a romance once lost. The pacing of the project never quite feels right though. The story is just as much about Mitchum trying to evade attempts on his life, but any sense of danger or urgency becomes lost amid the dreamy shots of Mitchum wandering the streets and shots of his longing eyes when with his former girlfriend. An attempt on Mitchum's life in a Japanese bathing house is certainly quite memorable, but for a film credited as an Action movie on IMDb, the thrills and exciting moments are few and far between. On one hand, there is a lot to like in the film's daringness to be offbeat, offering something vastly different to what 'The Godfather' did for the Mafia being portrayed on screen, and yet this is a film barely about the Yakuza themselves. The film is at least topped off with a memorable conclusion in which Mitchum succumbs to a particular Yakuza ritual. In fact, his heartfelt turn alone is almost enough to make the film worth an unreserved recommendation, but this is ultimately a movie best watched with caution and as few expectations as possible.

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!

I am writing this as a lifelong movie fan, a great admirer of Sydney Pollack's skill at directing everything from the genres of "Jeremiah Johnson" to "Tootsie" to "Out of Africa," someone with a graduate degree in Japanese psychological anthropology from Sophia University, Tokyo, and someone who lived in Japan for 30 years. A cheesy gaijin's (外人の）impression of Japan, "The Yakuza" is chock full of stereotypical things and scenes one will never see in Japan due to strict laws, heavy law enforcement, and the astronomical price of real estate in urban Japan. Immediately after World War II, the Japanese firearm and sword law effectively prohibited the private ownership of both guns and swords. Yet, in "The Yakuza," Herb Edelman's house in Kyoto is an arsenal of swords and firearms openly displayed on the walls. He owns even more guns hidden in drawers. Without any visible means of support, Herb Edelman owns a house in the Kyoto area that is financially impossibly spacious and full of items, such as a huge "Japanese lantern" that looks like he stole it from a shinto shrine. "Gaijin," written 外人 in kanji, is the term that Japanese people colloquially (and rather insultingly) use for "foreigner." It is composed of two characters that literally mean "outside person."

When visiting Japan, I learned westerners, especially Americans often insult their Japanese hosts easily, yet are hardly ever admonished for their bad manners. Instead, the Japanese pretend as if the infraction is one any child makes and therefore is politely corrected. Honoring their parents by correcting their guests is done in such a way as to bring honor to the task and therefore is not done with any malice. That then is the premise of this film "The Yakuza." Our hero Harry Kilmer, (Robert Mitchum) is a former American soldier who was a Military Police officer during the occupation of Japan. Unbeknownst at the time, he found what he thought was a widow and her child who could use some sympathy and financial help. What Kilmer did not know was that her husband, Tanaka Ken (Ken Takakura)who was believed dead, returns and learns Kilmer did what he as the husband was suppose to do and feels obligated to remain silent. Years pass and now an old friend of Kilmer, George Tanner (Brian Keith) sends for him seeking help against a Yakuza gang who has kidnapped his daughter. Kilmer decides to ask Goro (James Shigeta) for his brother Ken's help and since Ken cannot refuse, is obligated to help. Richard Jordan is Dusty who although works for the rival, switches side and helps Kilmer. What Kilmer is unaware of is that his friend does not tell him the truth and thus endangers both men. The film is filled with subtle power and like the people of Japan worthy of deep respect as one learns the true meaning of friendship and Giri; obligation. An excellent piece of film culture which obligates a reviewer to grant the movie the status of Classic. ****