The Yakuza
(1974)The Yakuza 1974
is a fun, well-acted American movie about Japanese gangsters. Robert Mitchum plays a private detective who travels to Japan to rescue an American girl kidnapped by the Yakuza, a former gangster who helps him along with legendary Japanese star Ken Takakura. Kishi Keiko is the woman Mitcham fell in love with while serving in Japan at the end of World War II and is now dating again. Adapted to the cinema by Paul Schrader from a story by his brother Leonard, Yakuza is a remarkable attempt to introduce the traditions of Japanese genre cinema to the American audience. Ken, a run-down yakuza (referred to as the "lone wolf" by his older brother) who still lives by the values of the past and struggles to exist in capitalist Japan, offers an intriguing comparison of ancient rituals and traditions with modern values. Director Pollak doesn't polish a story or spoil a good idea with a master's knack, overbearing directing. His camera is only needed to record performances - and never again. That's why this movie belongs to the actors who managed to create an exciting spectacle.
