The Yakuza ***** (1974, Robert Mitchum, Takakura Ken, Brian Keith) – Classic Movie Review 2,716

Sydney Pollack’s startling 1974 neo-noir gangster thriller film The Yakuza is the stomach-churning tale of Japanese crime syndicate members who abduct a wealthy American businessman’s daughter. Robert Mitchum stars as the ex-GI assigned to trace her.

Producer-director Sydney Pollack’s startling 1974 neo-noir gangster thriller film The Yakuza is quite an eye-opener. It is the stomach-churning and hard-hitting tale of Japanese organised crime syndicate members – the yakuza – who abduct a wealthy American businessman’s daughter.

The impeccable production pedigree includes director Pollack, star Robert Mitchum as the ex-GI assigned to trace the missing girl, and three of Hollywood’s finest screen-writers, Leonard Schrader, Paul Schrader and Robert Towne. Warner Bros paid the Schraders a then-record sum of $325,000 for their début story. Mitchum had original director Robert Aldrich replaced by Sydney Pollack, who hired Towne for script rewrites. 

Mitchum plays retired detective Harry Kilmer who returns to Japan after several years away to try to rescue his old friend George Tanner (Brian Keith)’s daughter. She has been kidnapped and is being held hostage with her boyfriend by a yakuza gangster, Tono (Eiji Okada), with whom Tanner has been doing business.

Some might argue that the intelligent, deliciously stirred blend of traditional gangster film and samurai movie occasionally becomes too convoluted for its own good. However, it remains an extremely engrossing, exotic, exciting culture-clash thriller.

Perhaps because of the convoluted thing, it suffered a lacklustre initial release, though it had good reviews and has since gained a deserved cult following.

Dave Grusin’s score combines both Western and Eastern musical influences for a Japanese feel for American audiences.

Also in the cast are Takakura Ken, Kishi Keiko, Herb Edelman, Richard Jordan, James Shigeta, Kyosuke Mashida, Christina Kokubo, Go Eiji, Lee Chirillo, M Hisaka and William Ross.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2,716

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