The Outsider

This should've been great. As a concept, the fish out of water storyline is a tried and tested formula, and the setting within the Yakuza in post-WW2 Japan was potentially an inspired choice. However, it didn't delve anywhere near deep enough into these ideas, and instead remained very much on the outside. Perhaps that was a choice of the filmmakers, but as a storytelling device that only works for the characters, not the audience. We need to be let in on the inside.

I was excited about this film because it was picked up a few years ago on the Black List and it seemed to be my kind of story. I don't know if the idea came from Tony Luraschi's 1979 film of the same name about a young American joining the IRA who finds himself out of his depth, but there are many obvious similarities, and not just in the title. The problem with this film though, is that it didn't have the same dramatic conflict or character development. Things just happened and we kind of drifted along with Jared Leto's protagonist, Nick.

We didn't get to know anything of Nick's motivation or much of his backstory. That kept it intriguing for awhile, but by the end I didn't care one bit about him. Although the film was stylish and quite atmospheric, it suffered from poor pacing. When there was action, it was bloody and gory and often spontaneous, which can work to good effect, but I didn't find it particularly shocking because there was no build up of tension.

The whole film was a bit of a mystery to me. It didn't really use the setting of Japan to good effect, apart from a few cool looking scenes, and kind of skimmed the surface of Japanese culture, which to me at least, as an outsider, is utterly fascinating, and was the film's strongest selling point. Nor did it particularly explore the Yakuza in any great detail. I was really hoping for an updated version of The Yakuza (1974) but was left disappointed.

It scores a solid 6/10 because despite its limitations, it's enjoyable enough and it's refreshing to get something a bit different from your usual Hollywood fare. I also thought the cast did a pretty decent job.

It's hard when the movie's main flaw is the main character. Nick is supposed to be this quiet and intense guy, but inconsistencies in both the writing and acting keeps this movie from being great. I like the concept. It's not an all-out action movie, more of a character study with bursts of violence. My kind of movie.

The 50's Osaka setting, the atmosphere, it's good. But the camera work doesn't take full advantage of the setting, and shots could've been better framed, better movement. The small budget shows. The audio mixing was acceptable but not great. In better hands, this movie would've been great. I'm not saying it's terrible, I enjoyed it. There wasn't any part of the movie where I got bored, I was engaged throughout. But at the same time, throughout the movie, I there were points where I was aware of how things could've been better.

I like Netflix doing unconventional stuff. But rather than make a lot of them, give them the budget they deserve to make them great.

Just because a movie has a snails pace, does not mean it can not be brutal and violent in spades. We got one of those cases right here. It's about honor and loyalty. A major part of the movie is in Japanese (with subtitles of course), but our main character is an english speaking one. Which is the old "stranger comes into town" kind of thing.

In this case his invasion into this culture that most westerners may not be that aware of, is really the driving force. He does learn fast, but he is also human, so he does have some urges and he has feelings too (even if sometimes you may think otherwise). Brutal, honest and without really taking compromises, this may feel too long for some, but will be a masterpiece for others.

The Outsider (Gaijin), starring Jared Leto, is the latest addition to those Netflix Originals that was slammed by most of the critics and yet turned out to be an enjoyable watch for me. This Netflix Original tries to experiment with the less talk and more acting type of storytelling which is not often seen in the genre of crime thrillers. For an out and out Jared Leto movie, The Outsider is more than 70% Japanese.

The movie follows the story of an American soldier imprisoned in post-war Japan who enters the Japanese Mob Family, Yakuza after befriending one of them while in prison. The support cast of Tadanobu Asano, Kippei Shîna and Shioli Kutsuna are amazing throughout but no gaze goes past the intensity of Nick Lowell, portrayed by Jared Leto. The intensity and honestly he brings to his character is beyond words. The story telling style and the exhaustive usage of Japanese in the movie makes it difficult to convert 'The Outsider' into a fast paced thriller that it could have been.

The way the movie ended was a bit anticlimactic and was open ended, probably with the intention of bringing out a part 2. I would go with the title 'The Insider' for part two though. I would recommend this movie to anybody who is a fan of Jared Leto and likes slow-burn crime drama's. Do not expect any classic dialogues as the dialogues itself are few and far between.

Firstly, do ignore the ratings given by Metacritic and do keep an open mind before watching this underrated gem. Imho, It is unfair to compare "The Outsider" with "Bright", the other sombre Netflix's star-studded flick as both are in a genre of its own right. As a "Yakuza" movie, "The Outsider" storyline remained faithful to the 60' 70's yakuza genre with its typical subject of betrayal and honour, in other words fans of the "Yakuza Papers Anthology" won't be disappointed.

Suprisingly, there are less dialogue which i find it essential to the storyline as it sets the zen-like mood and calmness throughout the movie. The pacing is so subtle and that one will not flinched at some of the violent scenes. The cast did their part very well although the chemistry between Asano and Leto could have been explored further. Overall, i enjoyed watching "The Outsider" and also the movie pays homage to the Japaneses classics. Highly recommended.