JohnDoe
Bryn
BrentonThe Yakuza (1974) - Footage Included
March 5th 2008 00:00
Bushido Redemption
DVD Available in Australia
Director: Sydney Pollack
Writer: Paul and Leonard Schrader
Starring: Robert Mitchum, Ken Takakura, Richard Jordan, Brian Keith, Keiko Kishi
“American saw cuts on a push stroke, Japanese saw cuts on a pull stroke. When an American cracks up, he opens up the window and shoots up a bunch of strangers. When a Japanese cracks up, he closes the window and kills himself. Everything is in reverse.” - Dusty
It would be a mistake to compare The Yakuza to traditional American Martial Arts films, this is far from one giant fight scene. It is contemplative and moody, a quiet action drama that respects its inspiration. Exploring the centuries old underworld rules of engagement from a foreigner’s perspective, the Japanese Crime organization is only one component of the plot.
In the film weathered Robert Mitchum is Harry Kilmer an ex man of action in retirement. Years ago stationed in Japan during the occupation of WWII he has learned to respect the code of the warrior. Understanding the nature of honour and saving face Harry has a developed a deep comprehension of individual strength and discipline.
Now he is recruited by an army buddy, (Brian Keith) turned gun runner whose arms dealings with The Yakuza are destined to explode in a gang war. Harry agrees to head to the land of the rising sun to try and mediate.
More than just a mission of diplomacy Harry’s seeks redemption. A liaison from the past with the forbidden local girl named Eiko (Keiko Kishi) is the catalyst for a complex life debt between Harry and his estranged friend, ex-Yakuza Ken (Ken Takakura).
“Ken is a tormented man. It is Eiko, of course, but it is also Japan. Ken is a relic, a leftover of another age, of another country.” - Goro
Robert Mitchum and Ken Takakura in The Yakuza
John Doe Says:
The Yakuza was one of the first American films to embrace the growing fascination in Eastern philosophy and martial arts that surfaced in the 1970’s. The cultural barriers that had existed for centuries were collapsing and a curious generation was hungry for knowledge.
An emerging writer named Paul Schrader and his brother Leonard were amongst those seeking to learn more about the enigmatic Asian culture. The Yakuza was their first screenplay and originally it was slated for a collaboration with up and coming Director Martin Scorsese. The duo later delivered the uncompromising power of Taxi Driver.
The brothers obviously smothered themselves in Japanese lore and manage amplify the sensationalised elements with restrained character driven conflict. There is a tone that seems compliment the reserved grace of the Eastern giant. There is a melancholy to the screenplay that is replicated in the cinematography and music.
The hot property Yakuza project also landed in the hands of veterans Robert Aldrich (Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, Dirty Dozen) and Lee Marvin (Hell in the Pacific, Point Blank) before finally Directing honours went to Sydney Pollack with Robert Mitchum in the lead.
For Sydney Pollack The Yakuza came in between a successful collaboration with Robert Redford that had seen Jeremiah Johnson and The Way We Were proceeding it and 3 Days of the Condor to follow. You could say this was the defining period of his career and he handles the tenacious script with a firm grasp of its dramatic strengths.
The full blown action scenes themselves are deliberately scarce but when they arrive it is with an abrupt swoosh of the Bushido Blade. The precise choreography serves as a lesson in combat tactics. Attention is paid to stance, balance and position of the body. Clashes are brief, swiftly resolved through superior craftsmanship, not brute force. The final collision of steel still stands as one of the most authentic ever captured on film.
The roles of Eddie Coyle in The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973), Phillip Marlow in Farewell My Lovely (1975) and Harry Kilmer in The Yakuza (1974) are now seen as amongst Robert Mitchum’s most interesting character studies. A final trifecta of brilliance before the quality of offers dwindled. Originally box office failures with Mitchum easily dismissed at the time with accusations he didn’t act, just spoke his lines. Through modern eyes the texture and richness of his portrayal is far easier to spot in a world full of over emoting. Adding intensity to the already thick slow burning atmosphere, inner rage and seething disappointment are his shadow and it adds dimension to the withdrawn part of Kilmer.
Ken Takakura's (Black Rain) stoic mannerisms and brooding introspection is a perfect match for the part of the tortured Ken. Keiko Kishi (Twilight Samurai) plays meek and guilt ridden Eiko with compassion, there is an unspoken strength that makes her performance hard to dismiss.
A devotee of intelligent action films John Doe considers this a worthy contender to be thrown in the ring with the best of the genre. Awakening questions when first viewed as a teen about the definition of an honourable man, commitment to personal beliefs and a curiosity for the fascinating cultural history of Asia.
Now Johnny is older, watching the film through more mature eyes it is the aging man reflecting on a life and it’s regrets that inspired pondering. Realising the answers to the riddles have still not come, there have been many more East meets West films since but few are so intent on studying the universal paradox of our similarities and differences .
Spoiler Alert - Watch the final duel from The Yakuza
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I guess that means its time for a revisit now that The Yakuza has been released on Region 4 DVD?
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Film & TV on DVD
The film does have a lot of testosterone in it, but also a softer side....have you seen it?