Yakuza : L'Ordre du dragon

Having played 0-6 just since the pandemic, they are all fresh in my mind. I also have a great affection for characters, appreciate the convoluted plots, and love wild insanity that make Yakuza games like a Japanese Monty Python at times.

It is one the best game adaptations I have played. It is not condescending or trying too hard to wedge in game mechanics. Even when it does, it has that Kung Fu Hustle kind of wink about it. Everything from beating people with crates and traffic cones, to Poppo and Don Quixote brawls, to seeing Kamurocho as a backdrop and actually recognizing buildings and streets.

That said, it's like they just wrote a story set in the Yakuza 1 game, and in the last 20min remembered they needed to make a movie based on the source material. There are at least 2-3 subplots with unrelated characters that suck all the time and oxygen out of the story, who are not even in the game. If you hadn't played the games, you may have had fun instead in the first 3/4 of the movie, and then wondered who the hell these titular people were at the end and what was going on.

Other than getting to hang out with Kiryu one more time, it was a total waste of fun material and decent story that would have had no problem translating to the screen.

If you haven't played any of the Yakuza games then you will likely have no clue what is going on as this is definitely made for fans. Characters come and go and things happen with little explanation, if you're not a fan then you will get lost very quickly. The Yakuza games average about 30-40 hours worth of heavy story in each game so cramming that in to a 2 hour movie was always going to be a challenge.

The actor who plays Majima was perfect and Kiryu actually drinks a Stamina X to make himself stronger, i was laughing so hard at how awesome it was.

I think Shô Aikawa should have played detective Date instead of the small part he played, he's a great actor.

You can tell this is Takashi Miike straight away, it isn't as out there or extreme as some of his more well know films but it has his trademark offbeat style and there are many actors you'll recognise from his other movies.

It isn't deep and it is a mess but if you like the Yakuza games and want to see your favourite character brought to life then this is a fun time.

I actually think I may be the only one who enjoyed this film, being a big fan of the Yakuza games I had a feeling despite the bad reviews on this I was going to enjoy it. I think you need to be one of those who have played the games to get why certain aspects of the movie hold a special place in your heart, I spent so many hours playing as Kiryu Kazuma that I grew an attachment to the character so from that there i knew it was going to be a good watch.

I have to admit some parts aren't needed but all the same kts a good watch that I thoroughly enjoyed, I feel like we could of delved into the story more with this movie, it went as good as you could have gone when it comes to reliving a gaming experience through a movie. It can't be exactly the same or it'd be boring as we'd just see what we've already seen so I get why things need changing.

Great movie to watch if you're a big fan, if you're not id recommend checking the games out as they are great, if you're not a gamer I'd say go for it you might even like it.

Takashi Miike's loose adaptation of the PS2 game "Yakuza" is definitely an odd duck. It defies most formula conventions and delivers a uniquely Miike experience. Reminiscent of City of Lost Souls before it and Crows Zero after it, Like A Dragon has as many laughs as it does bullets. Combining bombastic action with a violent sense of humor, the film almost seems to want you to hate it, but it's hard not to like what amounts to be one of the most twisted action comedies in recent memory. A gangster fresh out of jail, his bat-wielding and bugnuts crazy arch-nemesis, a lost little girl, two Bonnie and Clyde posers, a pair of idiot bank-robbers, a mysterious Korean hit-man and plenty of other characters inhabit one hot night in a fictional district of Tokyo with two missing women and ten billion yen at stake. If you're expecting a deathly serious action fest, you had better look elsewhere. Relying on vicious physical gags and some truly inspired comic timing, Miike mixes in dynamic camera-work with colorful imagery to continuously rebel against traditional action conventions. This is definitely not one of Miike's most profound works, but it is certainly one of his most undeniably fun.

I just read in another review for the movie, that this is based on the (somewhat) popular game "Yakuza" (a third installment of which is supposed to come out this year for the two next generation consoles). Since I haven't played the game, I can't tell you how accurate this adaptation is.

If you're a Miike fan, than you don't need my review for an opinion. But if this is about to be your first Miike movie or you haven't heard of him, let me tell you, that his "style" (cheap and fast, that's why he makes quite a few movies every year) aren't everyones taste. They are somewhat original though and have many weird/strange ideas thrown into the mix. This is not different here and the movie is quite enjoyable in an almost sick kind of way. Not for the squeamish ... but then again, which Miike movie is for a sensible audience? Exactly!