Minbô no onna

Minbo is Juzo Itami's most outrageous and entertaining film to date. Known as one of Japan's finest directors and one of its harshest social critics, Itami (who died, sadly, in 1997) took the yakuza head on in Minbo and produced a biting satire that packs more punch than a Jackie Chan double feature. Minbo is my second favorite of Itami's works, behind only the classic Tampopo. Unfortunately, I don't believe Minbo has been released on DVD. Try to get a copy on VHS. It's well worth it!

This is one of those movies where it's hard to talk about without bringing up a real-life tragic event linked to it, as the death of Juzo Itami is said to have been related to his films about the yakuza. They either didn't like being made fun of in this film, or wanted to stop him from making another film about their organization; maybe both.

I don't think this is quite as strong/funny/moving as either Supermarket Woman or The Funeral, which are my favorites from Itami, but it was still very good overall. There are some decent laughs to be had, the plot is mostly interesting (drags a little here and there, though), and I think when it gets a little more serious in its final act, it's still compelling. It might not be an essential Juzo Itami film, but it's a worthy watch for anyone who's enjoyed any of his other films.

O.K., when is the last time you saw a movie where the lawyer was the hero, and female to boot? If you like underdog films, you will LOVE minbo. It is very cleverly done and successfully demonstrates a quick wit outsmarts a quick temper, every time. The sub-titles are good and the action quick paced. Lot's a comedy and Japanese over-acting make this film just plain fun.

This is a very fine movie, definitely worth seeing, but as much as being a good film, it tells Japanese that they can stand up and act for themselves. The Yakuza have been successful at intimidation because of the Japanese propensity to feel that something is "shikata ga nai", or there's nothing they can do about it. This movie has a final scene that shows people standing up in the face of very real threats to their safety. This is not so unusual in an American movie because, for all our collective faults, there is usually someone here who will not put up with injustice and will do something heroic to change it. This is still highly unusual in Japan, and the fact that Itami Juzo made this movie and then suffered a knife attack by Yakuza for doing so, will hopefully produce a few more heroes there.

This is really quite an uplifting and humorous film. The story basically revolves around a hotel that is regularly harassed by the Yakuza (the Japanese Mafia) by using civil manipulation to extort money. The hotel decides to hire a sassy, street-smart and charming lawyer, who also happens to be a woman, to help and train the hotel staff to defend itself against the Yakuza's "gentle extortion" tactics.

There are a lot of funny and charming moments in the beginning as the hotel employees try to deal with the Yakuza on their own, and fail miserably. But when Miyamoto enters the picture as the wily lawyer and employs her strategies, the movie really picks up its pace and proceeds to the uplifting and somewhat sad ending.

It is really great to see the evolution of the main characters from whimpering sissies into confident, headstrong and defiant defenders of the old hotel. You'll laugh, you'll cheer.

Definitely a must see!