Yakuza

Original title: The Yakuza

1974
12
1h 52m

IMDb RATING

7.2/10

11K

YOUR RATING

American private-eye Harry Kilmer returns to Japan to rescue a friend's kidnapped daughter from the clutches of the Yakuza.

Play trailer3:00

1 Video

67 Photos

Action Crime Drama Thriller

American private-eye Harry Kilmer returns to Japan to rescue a friend's kidnapped daughter from the clutches of the Yakuza.American private-eye Harry Kilmer returns to Japan to rescue a friend's kidnapped daughter from the clutches of the Yakuza.American private-eye Harry Kilmer returns to Japan to rescue a friend's kidnapped daughter from the clutches of the Yakuza.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.2/10

11K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Top cast16

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Robert Mitchum

Harry Kilmer

Ken Takakura

Ken Tanaka
(as Takakura Ken)

Eiji Okada

Toshiro Tono
(as Okada Eiji)

Herb Edelman

Oliver Wheat

Richard Jordan

Dusty Hoekstra

James Shigeta

Goro Tanaka

Keiko Kishi

Eiko Tanaka
(as Kishi Keiko)

Christina Kokubo

Hanako Tanaka

Kyôsuke Machida

Jiro Kato
(as Kyosuke Machida)

Brian Keith

George Tanner

Eiji Gô

Shiro 'Spider' Tanaka
(as Go Eiji)

Lee Chirillo

Louise Tanner

M. Hisaka

Boyfriend

William Ross

Tanner's Guard

Akiyama

Tono's Guard

Harada

Goro's Doorman

Director
- Sydney Pollack
Writers
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

User reviews81

Featured review

A must see for Japanophiles

Not only is this a good 70's gangster/action flick, it is also one of the few movies about Japan ever produced in the States that does not make too many mistakes about Japanese culture.

Ken Takakura puts in a great performance which is no surprise since he first became famous in Japan for acting in yakuza (gangster) movies.

Anyone who has ever tried to understand or explain the concept of "giri" should see this movie!

chris-730
Oct 27, 1999
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Videos1

Trailer 3:00

Official Trailer

Photos67

+ 62

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Martin Scorsese wanted to direct after Mean Streets (1973), but the producers wanted Sydney Pollack. Scorsese is on record that he would very much have liked to direct the film and was disappointed that he was passed over. However, he got to direct Alice n'est plus ici (1974) instead after being sought out by Ellen Burstyn. "Alice" ended up making more than 20 times its budget and won Burstyn an academy award, while this film became a box office bomb.

Goofs
The plane that Kilmer is boarding at the end is a Boeing 707; the one shown taking off in the last scene is a 727.

Quotes
Dusty: 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.