The Yakuza (1974): Tension and Tradition: The Yakuza's Code in Hard Boiled Noir
The Yakuza, directed by Sidney Pollack. We unpack the film's cultural clashes, action sequences, and unexpected twists. From Robert Mitchum's performance to unforgettable scenes, we explore what makes this film a unique blend of East meets West. Despite its poor reception at the time of release, it has received a surprising resurgence. Stick around for our final verdict: Will 'The Yakuza' make it into the vault or be purged for the impending apocalypse? Tune in for fun, laughs, and film fanatic insights!
Time Stamps
- 02:40 Discussion on 'The Yakuza'
- 04:48 Plot Synopsis and Trailer
- 39:13 Final Thoughts and Ratings
- 44:56 Podcast Outro and Next Episode Tease
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Transcript
I mean, why not?
Speaker A:Oh, we're about to start recording.
Speaker A:That means I'm gonna look like the.
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Speaker B:You good?
Speaker B:You good, B?
Speaker B:Yeah, I'm gonna start.
Speaker B:I'm gonna play the music now.
Speaker B:I'm gonna play the music now.
Speaker B:All right, here we go.
Speaker A:Okay, fine.
Speaker C:In the dying embers of human existence, as the asteroid, a behemoth, the sides of Texas hurdles relentlessly toward Earth, the world braces for an apocalyptic end.
Speaker C:Deep beneath the bunker, a refuge plunges into the bowels of the Earth.
Speaker C:Here the chosen gather, their purpose clear to preserve the very soul of our civilization.
Speaker C:The 35 and 70 millimeter prints that encapsulate the magic, the emotion and the dreams of generations past.
Speaker C:These masterpieces, each frame a testament to the human spirit, are carefully cataloged and cradled in the cavernous confines of the bunker.
Speaker C:Perhaps there was room for more, for friends and family yearning for salvation.
Speaker C:But sacrifices must be made.
Speaker C:The movie nerds stand united, the keepers of a flame, promising a future where the art of storytelling endures, transcending the boundaries of time and space.
Speaker C:God help us all.
Speaker B:Welcome to Back to the Framerate, part of the Weston Media Podcast Network.
Speaker B:Join us as we watch and discuss films on VOD and streaming platforms, deliberating on whether each one is worthy of salvation or.
Speaker B:I lose my voice before I finish this.
Speaker B:Or destined for destruction of the impending asteroid apocalypse.
Speaker B:You can find more episodes of this podcast on backtotheframerate.com where you can subscribe and share our show and find us on our socials at Back to the Frame Rate.
Speaker B:I am Nathan Shore and accompany me by the extraordinary movie mavens, Brianna Waterworth and Sam Cole.
Speaker B:I need to breathe.
Speaker A:Hello.
Speaker D:Please forgive me, Nathan.
Speaker D:This was such low hanging fruit.
Speaker D:But your voice there sounded somewhat like RFK Jr.
Speaker D:A little bit.
Speaker A:Oh, boy.
Speaker A:It's not a podcast I'd be on.
Speaker B:I'm going to put a red on the top of the show.
Speaker B:Everyone will have to forgive me for my voice a little under the weather, but just get.
Speaker B:What?
Speaker A:You just love the movies so much.
Speaker A:You said I have to bring this to be here.
Speaker B:It's Monday.
Speaker D:You're here for cinema.
Speaker B:It doesn't matter.
Speaker B:I'm here for exactly for the sake of cinema.
Speaker A:You're welcome.
Speaker B:I'm excited to be here.
Speaker B:Tonight we are wrapping up the.
Speaker B: s neo noir retrospective with: Speaker B: Or is it: Speaker B:Because it had two release dates.
Speaker A:But I think it's 74.
Speaker B:74.
Speaker B:Directed by Sydney Pollock.
Speaker B:Our second Sidney Pollock film.
Speaker B:Because, you know, earlier this year, I totally forgot about this.
Speaker B:We watched out of Africa.
Speaker A:Yeah, I know.
Speaker A:I noticed that, too.
Speaker A:I was like, damn, this guy makes emotional movies.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:So excuse my.
Speaker B:My coughing and all the little.
Speaker B:I'll have to edit it all out later.
Speaker B:It's gonna be a fun editing session for me.
Speaker B:Yay.
Speaker B:Anyways, the Yakuza.
Speaker B:Sidney Pollock, his eighth feature out of 21 in his career.
Speaker B:Pretty prolific director at his time.
Speaker B:Screenwriters.
Speaker B:You know, the talent behind this movie, you know, Paul Schrader, his first screenwriting credit in Leonard Schrader.
Speaker B:But also coming in as a script doctor after this was Robert Towne, you know, off the coattails of Chinatown.
Speaker B:So some powerhouse people working on this.
Speaker D:Music by Dave Grusin, before the Goonies, back in the early days, really.
Speaker A:I hated the music in this.
Speaker A:I really did.
Speaker A:Did anybody like it?
Speaker B:It was this weird jazzy thing.
Speaker B:And I listened to some interviews with Sidney Pollock, and he was purposely trying to appeal to American audiences.
Speaker A:Well, he didn't.
Speaker D:It didn't leave an impression.
Speaker D:I didn't.
Speaker D:I can't remember the music, to be honest.
Speaker D:I just thought.
Speaker A:Yeah, it was so intrusive to me.
Speaker A:I thought there was no, Like.
Speaker A:I don't.
Speaker A:Subtlety in it at all.
Speaker A:It was just like loudly blaring, sort of almost satirically over everything that happened.
Speaker A:I felt like I couldn't escape it.
Speaker A:Anyway.
Speaker B:Well, we're going to get into all of our opinions on this movie.
Speaker B:I'm sure we have some interesting takes on this, but let me get to a plot synopsis and then a bit of the trailer for this.
Speaker B:Harry Kilmer, played by Robert Mitchum, a retired private investigator, returns to Japan after many years to help his old friend George Tanner, played by Brian Keith.
Speaker B:Tanner's daughter has been kidnapped by the Yakuza.
Speaker B:Is it Yakuza or Yakuza?
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:That's the one thing I've always wanted.
Speaker A:I think Yakuza's okay.
Speaker B:Yakuza, all right.
Speaker B:A powerful Japanese organization, crime syndicate.
Speaker B:And held as leverage for a debt Tanner owes.
Speaker B:And here is a little part of the trailer.
Speaker C:The Yakuza, described as the Mafia of Japan, but it is more.
Speaker C:My brother spoke of you as the unique stranger.
Speaker A:I took it to mean that you.
Speaker C:Were a Westerner who held values consistent with ours.
Speaker A:That a man pays his own debts.
Speaker C:He charges his own obligations, that they.
Speaker A:Are all that make him a man.
Speaker C:Have you been to the police with that story?
Speaker C:This is a Yakuza outfit I'm dealing with.
Speaker C:What the hell can the police do?
Speaker D:They can do a hell of a lot more than I can.
Speaker C:The Yakuza, made of clans that kill by a code beyond the law.
Speaker C:But it is more night, damn it.
Speaker B:Of course, I'll always.
Speaker C:Always what?
Speaker B:Love me and marry me.
Speaker C:The yakuza lives by the code of samurai chivalry and samurai swords.
Speaker C:But it is more.
Speaker B:So much more.
Speaker A:Oh, my God.
Speaker A:Even the trailer's so long.
Speaker B:But you gotta admit, you know, watching this.
Speaker B:Did anyone have major, major flashbacks to a year ago watching Black Rain?
Speaker A:I miss that one.
Speaker D:Sort of, but.
Speaker D:And I'll get into it more.
Speaker D:But Black Rain leaves so much more of an impression on me that, like Black Rain left such a strong impression that I feel this movie should have reminded me of Black Rain.
Speaker D:But I felt a detachment toward it, to be honest.
Speaker B:I think it's the Ken Kura, you know, acted in both of these.
Speaker A:And he's awesome.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Well, he was the Steve McQueen of Japan back in the 70s.
Speaker B:So this was.
Speaker B:He's really good in this.
Speaker B:He might be the one thing I really like about this.
Speaker A:He's so good in this movie.
Speaker B:But let's get into this.
Speaker B:How do we want to begin this?
Speaker B:Because I think we have some thoughts in this.
Speaker B:Any other things about the people behind this?
Speaker B:The cinematographer, Kozo Okazaki was the cinematographer in this and was primarily filmed.
Speaker B:I think 95% of this was shot in Japan.
Speaker B:And Duke Callaghan was brought in for a few scenes in, I think on the LA studio on the back lot that Pollock brought in.
Speaker B:He's worked with him a few times, but that's really all I know about the crew on this.
Speaker D:I'll say.
Speaker B:Go ahead.
Speaker D:Sorry.
Speaker D:No, I was just going to mention a few things.
Speaker B:In the cast.
Speaker B:Robert Mitchum plays Harry Kilmer, another Harry.
Speaker B:Was Harry the most popular name in 70s detective movies?
Speaker B:Because we have Harry from Night Moves and we didn't even watch the French Connection, which probably is the most famous Harry of them all.
Speaker B:10.
Speaker B:Takura plays Ken Tanaka.
Speaker B:Or Tanaka Ken, whichever.
Speaker B:Brian Keith, George Tanner.
Speaker B:Herb Edelman plays Oliver Wheat.
Speaker B:I didn't know who he was.
Speaker B:He looked so familiar.
Speaker B:And then I found out that he played Stan on the Golden Girls in 26 episodes.
Speaker A:Oh, my God.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:Oh, I love the Golden Girls.
Speaker A:Hey, Nathan.
Speaker A:Sam.
Speaker A:Hey.
Speaker A:Thank you for being my friends.
Speaker A:Travel down the road.
Speaker D:You're welcome.
Speaker B:Running down a few of the other cast here.
Speaker B:Richard Jordan, who was a hot actor at the time in the early 70s, plays Dusty, who I really like, actually, every time he pops up in something.
Speaker B:And you know who I was trying to place?
Speaker B:What movie was he in that was a huge fan of in the mid late 80s.
Speaker B:I was trying to place it, and then it hit me earlier today.
Speaker B:Sam.
Speaker B:You might remember this, Sam.
Speaker B:I mean, be on there if you remember.
Speaker B:Do you remember Secret of My Success with Michael J.
Speaker B:Fox?
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:Oh, yeah.
Speaker B:He plays, like, the guy, the rich guy in that movie.
Speaker D:Oh, okay.
Speaker D:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:Keiko Kishi plays Aiko Tanaka.
Speaker B:Ejacada plays Tono.
Speaker B:James Shaketa plays Goro Tanaka.
Speaker B:And Christine Kokubo plays Hanako Tanaka.
Speaker B:All right, got through that.
Speaker B:This had a budget of 5 million.
Speaker B:Box office, did not do very well.
Speaker B:Made approximately 1.5 million.
Speaker B:I don't know if that's worldwide or domestic.
Speaker B: ,: Speaker B:Okay, so let's get into this.
Speaker B:The Yakuza.
Speaker B:This first thought was, I'm watching this.
Speaker B:I did not feel like this was shot or looked like much of a neo noir.
Speaker D:I'll say really quick, right off the bat, that I felt this movie was kind of tonally confused.
Speaker D:It was.
Speaker D:It had half a foot in action, half a foot in, like, character drama, the slightest tinge of film noir, the slightest tinge of police drama.
Speaker D:And I felt that it kind of was middling in all of its efforts.
Speaker D:And I actually felt a curious distance watching it.
Speaker D:I would.
Speaker D:One would think that I would like this movie.
Speaker D:It's from Mr.
Speaker D:Out of Africa himself, Sidney Pollock.
Speaker D:It's got music by Dave Garuson.
Speaker A:I mean, written by Paul Schrader, my guy.
Speaker D:No, exactly.
Speaker D:It has decent action.
Speaker D:I mean, there's some, like, solid fights.
Speaker B:But I just felt like.
Speaker B:Was really kind of slow.
Speaker B:But what I was to say is you talked about the tone of this, and I'll let everybody talk here, but the tone of this.
Speaker B:I agree with you 100%, Sam.
Speaker B:But I think it comes back to the fact that when it was originally written and Pollock, they didn't know who was going to direct this.
Speaker B:Pollock wasn't even their first choice, but he came in and said this was going to be originally like a martial arts movie.
Speaker B:And he's like, well, I don't want to do that.
Speaker B:I want to make something that has the martial arts.
Speaker B:Not martial arts.
Speaker B:Martial arts.
Speaker A:I called, man.
Speaker B:I just mute my mic and just.
Speaker A:Go, no, I hear what you're up to.
Speaker B:Martial arts Action but also is diving into these cultural themes and he's trying to balance these two.
Speaker B:And it's a genre picture, but it's also trying to be this character drama which is not, it's neither, it's both, but it's trying to really balance this.
Speaker B:And I, I, it sort of works.
Speaker B:But I'm not shocked that it didn't resonate with American audiences because at the time they weren't used to that.
Speaker B:It was either going to be the schlocky genre movie or it was going to be, you know what I think Sydney Pollock's Bread and Butter was more known for, which was like a thriller, cop drama or legal thriller, which he really found his way with a little bit later his career.
Speaker B:And he was actually doing that with some movies.
Speaker B:He was doing westerns and things like that at the time with Jeremiah and Johnson.
Speaker B:So this is an interesting thing that he tried to do.
Speaker B:And I watched several interviews and he was really trying to find this hybrid version of this martial arts action movie and cultural like inspection of east in west, you know, connect, you know, meetings.
Speaker D:I think in trying to, I think in trying to find the hybrid he dilutes both of them, meaning he's trying to serve two different needs and makes them both.
Speaker D:You know, it's kind of, this is a terrible example, but it's like if Jaws was a full on genre horror picture, which it kind of is.
Speaker D:But if you're trying to focus on character drama and now you know what, that doesn't work.
Speaker B:But Jaws is definitely not a full on horror.
Speaker D:It's not, no, it's Jaws is excellent.
Speaker D:That's a terrible example.
Speaker D:But I was trying to find, I was trying to think of something else where you take a very strong movie and try to make it something else.
Speaker D:But to me I felt a lack of Sydney Pollux.
Speaker D:He has a sort of personal style that I felt was really, really present in a film like out of Africa where he's got his kind of voice or he's studying people or has something to say.
Speaker D:This film feels formal where I almost feel as if I can see him sweating bullets to try to make it engaging.
Speaker D:But I didn't even really care about the characters or the motivation or the crime.
Speaker D:I just, it wasn't bad.
Speaker D:But I've, of all the films we've watched recently, I've never felt so completely detached.
Speaker D:I was just watching it and I was not in it.
Speaker D:I would give it a second viewing but like it did not connect with me, you know.
Speaker A:Sam, to your point, there's one line in this movie that the delivery I just love and I think it.
Speaker A:It's such a bullet.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:It's towards the end of the film where Robert Mitchum is talking about Aiko and what he's trying.
Speaker A:He goes, it's Eiko, yes, but it's also Tokyo.
Speaker A:It's Tokyo too.
Speaker A:And I.
Speaker A:That sense of ennui and that like that, you know, sort of dispossessed sense of place is what I was looking for through the whole movie.
Speaker A:Like that that line is so encapsulating of like what this movie could have been.
Speaker A:I think it's a good movie.
Speaker A:I enjoyed watching it.
Speaker A:But it could have been a great movie.
Speaker A:And if it wasn't trying to navigate this like person so out of place.
Speaker A:That makes sense.
Speaker D:I totally agree.
Speaker D:I almost feel like it unintentionally shies away from what could have been itself strengths where, I mean, I wouldn't, I don't know about full on martial arts, you know, style action movie, but that may have been stronger because it would have been a strong version of something as opposed to a little bit of this and a little bit of that.
Speaker D:There's a weird feeling of playing it safe in this movie, which is a strange thing.
Speaker A:It kind of would have been a cool like, I forgive me, I don't know what the Japanese equivalent of this is.
Speaker A:I'm sure there is one.
Speaker A:But it would have been like almost like a good Japanese version of a spaghetti western like this to me could have been a real, really good version of the Great Silence.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Where someone's just in the wrong place.
Speaker A:It could have been awesome.
Speaker A:But I don't know, I don't want to argue about this movie could have been what this movie was, was poorly cast.
Speaker A:I think.
Speaker B:Yeah, Robert Mitchum, I mean this is his later stage career and he actually around this time was also coming back and doing some Philip Marlowe movies as well.
Speaker B:He did the Big Sleep and so Long was it so long, my lovely.
Speaker B:So what is that blanking on it as well?
Speaker B:But this was like a resurgence time for Robert Mitchum.
Speaker A:Well, and it was originally hot item.
Speaker A:It was originally supposed to be Robert Aldrich who directed this, which would have been I think great with his background of noir.
Speaker A:But I guess he and Robert Mitchum didn't get along or Mitchum wanted a different director, whatever the case was.
Speaker A:And so Aldrich was out and Mitchum was in and Schrader was not on the same page with Pollock about how to write this main character.
Speaker A:And I just think all of that just shows through the cracks a little bit.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:In this film.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:You know, and I.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:There's a lot of total things we haven't even talked about, like how this movie opens with.
Speaker B:It's also.
Speaker B:I feel like trying to be almost like a James Bond movie as well.
Speaker B:There's so much.
Speaker A:I thought the same thing.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker B:So, like, the opening title sequence is a James Bond ripoff.
Speaker D:I literally was like, to my.
Speaker D:Myself, I almost.
Speaker D:When I.
Speaker D:When it was the music of that opening title, I was inserting James Bond lyrics in my mind, I was like, yeah, the mystery of our soul, you know, And I was like, wait a minute.
Speaker D:This is not a Bond film.
Speaker B:Yeah, but it's trying to be a little bit.
Speaker B:I mean, is there any more Bond.
Speaker B:Bondian moment than.
Speaker B:I'm jumping way ahead to, like, two thirds of the movie where Mitchum.
Speaker B:And is it.
Speaker B:Is it Oscar Wilson?
Speaker B:Was it where they're in the spa and they're, like, attacked by somebody underwater?
Speaker B:Yes, that's how.
Speaker B:That's how James Bond would be attacked.
Speaker B:You know, it was like some layer.
Speaker B:It was like.
Speaker B:It was such a James Bond set piece.
Speaker D:It really made me want to watch a Sean Connery James Bond.
Speaker D:I was like, oh, I.
Speaker D:Please, like, get me out of here.
Speaker A:I just think if you're going to have a noir movie with such a tenuous love life kind of thing going on, you just need a really strong lead actor.
Speaker A:And I think Tanaka Kent was excellent.
Speaker A:Thank God he was in this movie, otherwise it would have totally shriveled up for me.
Speaker A:But Robert Mitchum just totally phoned in this performance, and I know when it came out, this movie was not a hit and it's gotten some love in recent years.
Speaker A:I think it's had a little bit of a resurgence.
Speaker A:I'm really having a heart hard time connecting with this character.
Speaker A:Not because of his actions, just because I don't think he jumps off the screen at all.
Speaker A:It's not reading as despair to me.
Speaker A:It's just reading as the Exorcist, too.
Speaker A:Like, I don't think he's doing anything.
Speaker D:Seriously, to your point.
Speaker D:B I.
Speaker D:There's a scene where Robert Mitchum and Forgive me, but who again, plays his old flame when he reunites with her.
Speaker D:Their.
Speaker D:Yeah, when.
Speaker D:When they're.
Speaker D:There's a scene where they're sitting down and they're looking at, like, a photo album of their shared pass.
Speaker D:I felt in that scene like I was watching two actors being instructed to look at a Photo album where it said, okay, now, feel, emotion, meaning.
Speaker D:And it's a rough thing to say, but I felt there were many scenes in this movie where I felt like I was watching actors doing their best to say lines in material that they themselves didn't feel connected to.
Speaker D:Like, that happened to me a lot watching this film.
Speaker D:There was a stiffness to it.
Speaker B:Well, there's.
Speaker B:We know that there was a lot of.
Speaker B:Ken Takakura did not speak a lick of English for this, and Pollock was directing him mostly through a translator, which definitely caused.
Speaker B:Well, I don't think that hurt his performance at all, but definitely you could tell that there.
Speaker B:A lot of his scenes were with Mitchum, and it's.
Speaker B:There's a lot of stiff interactions between them, and it definitely hurt.
Speaker A:It does.
Speaker A:Although I do think once you find out the reveal of this movie and the history of Iko and Tanaka Ken, then that kind of plays into the stiffness and you're like, okay, now things are just sort of adding up in this weird, twisty way.
Speaker D:Yeah, that helps.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker B:I do like the reveal a lot.
Speaker A:I really like the reveal.
Speaker A:I thought that was one of the strongest points in the movie.
Speaker A:And I think the supporting cast in this movie does a pretty good job.
Speaker A:I really liked Herb Edelman as Wheat.
Speaker A:You know, I liked the Aiko character.
Speaker A:Is her name Keiko?
Speaker B:Yes, Keiko.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Oh, Keiko Kishi.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So I think that they sort of helped bring it to life.
Speaker A:I'm so glad they shot on location.
Speaker A:I mean, I did think this movie was very pretty to look at.
Speaker A:It might not have been the most striking noir, but it was kind of a Japanese daytime noir.
Speaker A:There's moments where the movie really breathes.
Speaker A:Breathes in these supporting character moments.
Speaker A:Dusty, like you said in the apartment.
Speaker A:I think those are really fun moments.
Speaker B:I.
Speaker B:The.
Speaker B:The way that we haven't talked much about the.
Speaker B:We talked a little bit about the cinematography.
Speaker B:Everything that takes place in that apartment.
Speaker B:It's so brightly lit.
Speaker B:I feel like I'm on this most obvious sound.
Speaker A:The surface of the sun.
Speaker B:Yes, it.
Speaker B:It is.
Speaker B: It feels like I'm in a: Speaker B:It feels like we have.
Speaker B:We've.
Speaker B:This is where I was talking about the.
Speaker B:This tonal.
Speaker B:We talked about the tonal aspect of this, but this is where it.
Speaker B:It's almost like an old Hollywood style of filmmaking in this new Hollywood era, which is so weird watching this.
Speaker D:Yes.
Speaker B:And it.
Speaker B:That's what's so weird.
Speaker B:It feels like we should be in these dark, shadowy world and so much of this is feeling so flat.
Speaker B:And that set is so flat.
Speaker B:And it so.
Speaker B:It looks like I'm on the set of like the Brady Bunch.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker B: And it's like: Speaker A:The performances help, I think, but yeah.
Speaker B:Oh, by the way, that set, there's something weird.
Speaker B:That's Oliver Wheat's apartment.
Speaker B:And there's the weirdest thing in that apartment.
Speaker B:It's just.
Speaker B:I don't understand it.
Speaker B:I like the character Oliver Wheat.
Speaker B:Good natured guy.
Speaker B:He has this armory that never is paid off.
Speaker B:It's like Chekhov's armory.
Speaker B:Like, why isn't this, like, come into play?
Speaker B:Oh, my God.
Speaker D:Until you mention that.
Speaker D:I actually forgot about that.
Speaker D:That they should have.
Speaker D:That could have been huge later in the film.
Speaker D:I totally.
Speaker B:So bizarre that they make a point of this and it's just like, whatever.
Speaker A:Well, the weak character also sets up the typical noir male.
Speaker A:And I say typical.
Speaker A:We've been watching a lot of atypical or reimaginations of the genre, but I still think the archetype of the leading man follows some moral code that's pretty consistent throughout the genre.
Speaker A:And Wheat sets that up when he talks about the Armory.
Speaker A:He talks about a man and the connection to a sword and the code of honor.
Speaker A:This movie has a lot to say about honor and dignity and code to your fellow man and, you know, sort of honor among thieves.
Speaker A:And it really doesn't play off until the end, but it has ample possibilities to do that in all these action set pieces.
Speaker A:And it very rarely shows Mitchum stepping into these characteristics rather than just responding to violence.
Speaker D:That's why it's so frustrating, because it's not a great movie and it's not a terrible movie.
Speaker D:It exists in that frustrating middle spectrum where it's so close to being better than it is, but it's not quite there.
Speaker D:And that area is always fascinating because, like, it's one thing if a movie is just God awful, then you can just joyously take it apart.
Speaker D:This movie is not bad.
Speaker D:It's just not for me.
Speaker D:It's not quite.
Speaker D:It could have gone into the lore more and set up the atmosphere.
Speaker D:Fish out of water more.
Speaker D:It was pretty to look at, but I.
Speaker D:I wanted to feel more emotional connection to it kind of.
Speaker D:And the stagey like, you're saying that apartment.
Speaker D:It's like, welcome to the Ed Sullivan Show.
Speaker A:The movie, I believe you said before we started, Sam, it's a movie.
Speaker A:Yes, it's a movie.
Speaker D:It was a movie.
Speaker D:It's a movie movie where I'm Aware of the people in it, are aware they're in a movie.
Speaker B:And when we get to like episode 400, we will forget all about this one, I'm telling you.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker D:I had trouble remembering some teams now, to be honest.
Speaker B:And it was, and I think a perfect.
Speaker B:Another thing that sticks out in my mind about how Paul directed this, which I wonder what was going through his head at some points, was there's this in really gigantic exposition dump told by Oliver Wheat while Harry is walking the streets of Japan.
Speaker B:And it's all about him and Iko's backstory.
Speaker B:Now, they didn't use like flashbacks during this, which was a choice, I guess, but it's so long winded that they actually cut portions out of this, of him talking about how their whole back.
Speaker B:This whole backstory by just fading out the audio.
Speaker B:Because I think they just went on so long.
Speaker D:I noticed that immediately.
Speaker D:I thought that was really strange.
Speaker D:And they did that because it.
Speaker D:At first it seemed like Stylus soap.
Speaker D:It's like you're fading in and out.
Speaker B:So it goes.
Speaker D:Not only is it long winded, but I'm not even able to pay attention because it's like, do you think one.
Speaker A:Day we'll get the Blade Runner cut?
Speaker A:You know?
Speaker B:Oh, man.
Speaker D:Oh, that'd be amazing.
Speaker A:The four hour cut, the director's cut.
Speaker B:I do like when he gets to meet Iko and how they meet, I think.
Speaker B:I'm sorry.
Speaker A:No, this is what I want to talk about.
Speaker A:I was going to say, can we talk about Iko and Kilmer?
Speaker A:Because their introduction is fascinating to me.
Speaker A:But then just also the course of seeing that, because you don't see them together very often, but they.
Speaker A:You do see each of them in the film.
Speaker A:Sometimes when there's a love interest, you really don't see her outside of the male lead, but you do get to see her interact with other people, which is nice.
Speaker A:Their meeting where he just openly hits on the daughter.
Speaker A:What's going on?
Speaker A:What's going on?
Speaker A:Hey.
Speaker A:Oh, my God.
Speaker A:I haven't seen you in 40 years and I'm here with ulterior motives.
Speaker A:Daughter got hot.
Speaker A:Daughter got hot.
Speaker D:Yeah, that was.
Speaker D:Yeah, that was pretty random.
Speaker D:I did notice that.
Speaker B:I was like, okay, yeah, I really like the scene.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:It's this really strong undercurrent of sadness and trauma.
Speaker B:It's not really.
Speaker B:Not much is spoken.
Speaker B:They're really dancing around the topic here.
Speaker B:And what I really liked is that it's teasing that there is more to their story.
Speaker B:There's more going on here than what meets the eye.
Speaker B:And we're not going to reveal what it all is now, and we find out a lot more later, but I think it's handled really well.
Speaker B:But it's interesting how when he does kind of go in for the kiss, he's rejected, which makes sense because he's been gone for 20 years and he's just passing through.
Speaker B:What.
Speaker B:What the hell did he expect?
Speaker A:Show some agency.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:But he quickly pivots to asking her, you know, where's your brother?
Speaker B:You know, so it's.
Speaker B:It's, you know.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:Save some face.
Speaker A:Yeah, no, I do think it was good.
Speaker A:I.
Speaker A:And just the little touches, like, this is the most subtle the movie is ever, where he's like, no, I don't really drink anymore.
Speaker A:And, you know, you see them navigating who the other person is in the future.
Speaker A:You know, it's just.
Speaker A:It's sweet and it's interesting.
Speaker A:I think the love story is one of the stronger parts of the film, especially.
Speaker A:Do you guys remember the line, you always feel like I'm keeping secrets from you?
Speaker A:You always feel like I have a secret?
Speaker A:And he's like, well, do you always have a secret?
Speaker A:And she's like, of course.
Speaker A:I've never kept that a secret, have I?
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:So I'm trying to remember the details of the plot here, but there is this kidnapping plot.
Speaker B:So they're.
Speaker B:They're.
Speaker B:Eventually, he finds Ken, Right.
Speaker B:Is this.
Speaker B:Shortly after this, they have their reunion.
Speaker A:He goes to the school, the martial arts school, and he finds out that Ken is no longer with the Yakuza.
Speaker A:So his friends, whose name I'm forgetting, because this movie just really stuck with me, guys.
Speaker A:But his friend, I want to say George Tanner.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah, George.
Speaker A:George Tanner is.
Speaker B:Yeah, that's right.
Speaker A:Some.
Speaker A:Some was kidnapped.
Speaker A:His friend called Robert Mitchum's character, Kilmer, and Kilmer, being the good noir male lead, was like, of course I can help.
Speaker A:I know Tokyo, I know Japan.
Speaker A:I've been there.
Speaker A:And so he heads over, thinking that he knows someone in the cues in the Yakuza, because Eiko's brother was formerly a member.
Speaker A:And when he goes to confront him, he learns that connection has been broken.
Speaker A:But feeling a debt to Kilmer, Naka Ken steps up and says, listen, you took care of my sister and her child while I was off in the war and fighting.
Speaker A:I owe you this.
Speaker A:Let me use my connections and my.
Speaker A:Know how about the organization to help save your friend.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And it.
Speaker A:It doesn't go well, folks.
Speaker A:For a long time.
Speaker A:Gets bloody.
Speaker A:He.
Speaker A:He goes along with.
Speaker A:And we learn a lot about Yakuza tradition.
Speaker A:We learn about the pinky being cut off as an apology.
Speaker A:There's some.
Speaker A:Basically, the.
Speaker A:The Yakuza have caught on to the fact that there are these challengers who are going to take them back because the Yakuza, I guess, did some illegal chess move to get this girl.
Speaker A:So they're thinking, oh, no, we're not going to be in trouble for trying to get her back.
Speaker A:But they are.
Speaker B:I think this is.
Speaker B:By this time, they've rescued Tanner's daughter because they're on the run, pretty much.
Speaker B:And this is what the movie started to frustrate me, because if they have taken back George Tanner's daughter, I'm thinking, like, the Yakuza is going to come after them.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:And they're really casual about, we're going to go to a club.
Speaker B:We're going to just hang out.
Speaker B:We're going to go for a walk.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:And go for it.
Speaker D:He's like, I'm going to go for a walk.
Speaker D:We'll be back in 10 minutes.
Speaker D:I was like, yeah, that's going to go well.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:Like there was a setup right there.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker B:So much of that.
Speaker B:And they're so casual about this.
Speaker B:No, you get out of Tokyo now.
Speaker B:Everyone just get the hell out.
Speaker B:And they go.
Speaker B:They go to club.
Speaker B:They go to a spa, where they're just like, so out and about, like, ready to be attacked.
Speaker B:I think it's.
Speaker B:I think like these.
Speaker B:They're just sitting ducks for like, half this movie.
Speaker B:But this is interesting because eventually he learns about Tanaka Ken's brother.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Goro.
Speaker B:And goes.
Speaker B:Their flight leaves in 45 minutes.
Speaker B:Number one, he says, I'm gonna head out to this visit.
Speaker B:Go to kyoto, which is 280 miles.
Speaker B:I check this from Tokyo.
Speaker B:Zero chance.
Speaker B:But I'll make.
Speaker B:I'll be back in time to catch the flight.
Speaker B:He says, zero chance.
Speaker B:He's making this.
Speaker B:There's no mode of transportation that gets him out to Kyoto and back.
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker A:Just so silly.
Speaker B:So anyway, cavalier.
Speaker D:It's like.
Speaker D:It's like part.
Speaker D:Part serious, part like travel log movie.
Speaker D:Like, let's take a walk.
Speaker D:We'll stroll around.
Speaker D:It's like, guys, you don't have time.
Speaker B:The conversation with his brother and blanking again.
Speaker B:Goro.
Speaker B:They're walking and talking and walking and talking.
Speaker B:It's a long scene.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:A lot of information is dumped during this.
Speaker D:There's so much information in this Movie that, like, it's expository.
Speaker D:When there's expository dialogue that you're supposed to listen to, it just.
Speaker D:They dole out this information that's like, theoretically important to the plot.
Speaker D:And when they give this expository information, I just glaze over.
Speaker D:Because the manner in which it's directed and discussed is so quiet and subdued and flat.
Speaker D:I just drift.
Speaker D:That happened to me several times.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I'm getting ahead of myself.
Speaker B:This is where they come back to the home.
Speaker B:That's when they're attacked.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:And Ken and Harry are going for their walk, though, like, why they do that?
Speaker B:They're attacked.
Speaker B:Oliver Wheat, during the attack, is screaming, stop it, stop it, stop it.
Speaker B:Which is hysterical.
Speaker B:Like, stop what?
Speaker B:Like, stop the violence.
Speaker B:Like, I don't know what it is.
Speaker B:It's like, I don't know.
Speaker B:So in the skirmish, Dusty is impaled, is dusted.
Speaker B:And this happens way too late in the movie because, like, the moment we meet him, like, this guy is so dead.
Speaker A:This guy's toast.
Speaker A:But also, unfortunately, Hanako killed.
Speaker A:Which Aiko's daughter that Kilmer helped raise.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker D:That was a halfway decent fight scene.
Speaker D:And I was just like.
Speaker D:It was okay.
Speaker D:You know, there was some choreography that was interesting.
Speaker A:But I did really like the sword fight in the back bathhouse.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker A:At the end.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:But, yeah.
Speaker A:And that's when we get the reveal, I think after.
Speaker B:Yeah, we were in that Kenner iconic are married, they're not siblings.
Speaker B:And I thought this was a really neat twist.
Speaker B:I did not see this coming.
Speaker A:Me neither.
Speaker B:At all.
Speaker A:But once again.
Speaker A:Once again.
Speaker B:But I.
Speaker B:But I felt there was definitely more to the story that was untold.
Speaker B:So I really did like this revelation.
Speaker B:And again, this also means that Hinoko was their daughter too.
Speaker B:So that really adds weight to the death and pretty cool, I thought.
Speaker B:So this is where I think Harry, then on a kill crazy rampage, breaks into George's room very angry and just empties a full round into him.
Speaker A:God, there's so many random battle sequences.
Speaker B:We don't have to go plot beat by.
Speaker B:You know, we get the big.
Speaker A:We got the big reveal.
Speaker A:And then it's kind of a cat and mouse game as members of the Yakuza are coming after them and they're sort of.
Speaker A:It's a little video gamey until they get to the final boss.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:I think that's all the major plot reveal stuff.
Speaker A:George Tanner, bad guy.
Speaker A:The daughter returned and Hanako passing away.
Speaker B:And there's a silly kind of thing that I think Goro dangles like, oh, please do not hurt my son.
Speaker B:He was.
Speaker B:He became part of the Yakuza.
Speaker B:The one person, promise me you won't harm in this.
Speaker B:I feel like this is just very.
Speaker B:A trope that I've seen in so many movies before.
Speaker B:And like, well, of course he's gonna die as he does, but maybe we should talk about this.
Speaker B:The final scene here and the.
Speaker B:What happens shortly after that in.
Speaker A:In the Bathhouse, we get the big battle, right?
Speaker A:And Goro's son is killed in self defense.
Speaker A:And, you know, obviously this is a family tragedy.
Speaker A:I mean, how many tragedies could this family really hold onto?
Speaker A:Then they finally get to.
Speaker A:I am reciting this.
Speaker D:I agree.
Speaker D:No, it was overwhelmingly emotional.
Speaker D:It was incredible.
Speaker D:And then, you know.
Speaker A:Yeah, I will say the final scene around the table, I thought was the emotional gut punch of the movie.
Speaker A:I wish it had.
Speaker A:I had felt it leading up to it because, boy, I just.
Speaker A:I really didn't.
Speaker A:But when they're all sitting around the table and Goro's like, this family suffered too much.
Speaker A:And Ken Tanaka, who is the emotional weight of this movie, again, he is my light in the dark with this film, is going to commit suicide for killing his brother's eldest son.
Speaker A:And his brother, in just a fit of emotional grief and rage, begs him not to.
Speaker A:And as an apology, this former Yakuza member, who hadn't picked up a blade since the last time he saw Robert Mitchum and didn't again, until he saw Robert Mitchum, cuts off his pinky in the traditional Yakuza apology, which is just a really.
Speaker A:For me, I was like, this is what I wanted from the whole movie.
Speaker A:I just thought this was so powerful, especially his performance.
Speaker A:You can really see that sense of obligation that's weighing on him.
Speaker A:I, again, I'm not feeling the whole, like, atmosphere, you know, this person out of or in a place that's changing, that we often feel.
Speaker A:But I understood his, like, sense of duty and that feeling of regression.
Speaker A:Like, well, I'm back in this life now, so this is how I move forward and where I put this grief.
Speaker A:And then, of course, the end when it's Kilmer and Ken at the table together and Kilmer apologizes for ruining his life, for being with his wife, forcing this sense of obligation onto him.
Speaker A:And he apologizes in a way that makes sense to Ken and that makes it equal and his apology is accepted.
Speaker A:I think this is a really touching point of the film.
Speaker A:This is where it kind of.
Speaker A:It sticks the landing for me.
Speaker A:In such a way that I'm like, okay, I can forgive a lot of sins for.
Speaker D:I feel like Sidney Pollacks, like, he's usually really good with actors.
Speaker D:Like, his direction of character came through there.
Speaker D:Like, that was a very human moment.
Speaker D:I was like, okay, this is the.
Speaker D:This is the juice Pollock that I know.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker A:Nathan, what do you think of the end?
Speaker B:I think this speaks directly to the essence of the ideological kind of divide between Eastern and Western cultures.
Speaker B:I did a lot of reading about how this movie did not land with American audiences.
Speaker B:They hated the ending of this movie.
Speaker B:Interesting, because it was disgusting to them.
Speaker B:It was gross to them.
Speaker B:Robert Mitchum, the hero, cutting off his pinky.
Speaker B:They didn't get the sacrifice.
Speaker B:They didn't get what he was doing.
Speaker B:And I think it's because of how Westerners and, you know, a lot of Westerners are, come from, like, a Christian background where they're used to atoning for sins by.
Speaker B:By confession, saying you're sorry, you know, and then you're toned.
Speaker B:You're.
Speaker B:You've been absolved of things in Eastern cultures, you know, saying you're sorry is not good enough.
Speaker B:You really.
Speaker B:It requires a tangible self sacrifice involving real pain, punishment to demonstrate genuine remorse.
Speaker B:And this is.
Speaker B:And I agree, this movie does stick that landing.
Speaker B:I actually thought, like, the movie had, like, two or three endings, and, like, what is going on here?
Speaker B:It really did bring home the emotional impact, and it resonated with me.
Speaker B:It was the ending it needed to have that final act of atonement, of honor and remorse from the Kilmer character.
Speaker B:It really is the right ending for this.
Speaker B:So I really do like it.
Speaker B:It does stick.
Speaker B:So I love it.
Speaker B:I really do like it.
Speaker A:I think the final third, or most of the final third of this movie is something I can get behind.
Speaker A:It feels like it kind of hits its stride a little bit.
Speaker A:The action's a little more amped up.
Speaker A:It's a little better, and you get the twist at the end.
Speaker A:So all of the emotional stiffness and the stilting just contextualizes it in a way that I think makes it easier to wrap my mind around.
Speaker B:Yeah, okay.
Speaker A:That's really all I have to say about the Yakuza.
Speaker B:I think I'm good.
Speaker B:I had some other comments, but I think we're good.
Speaker B:So you guys want to take a little break?
Speaker D:Let's play the opening theme song again.
Speaker B:Just kidding.
Speaker B:We'll take a break and then we'll come back with our ratings review in our vault decision.
Speaker C:You've been way out of Your depth for the last 24 hours.
Speaker C:You want to know what kind of a charade?
Speaker C:I'll tell you exactly what kind.
Speaker C:That whole play acted.
Speaker C:Take me.
Speaker C:Phony sacrifice that you've been jerking yourself off with had absolutely nothing to do with her real death.
Speaker C:Nothing happened to her after you left that party.
Speaker C:That hadn't happened to her before.
Speaker C:When they took her home, she was.
Speaker C:She was just fine.
Speaker C:And the rest of it is right there in the paper.
Speaker C:She was a junkie.
Speaker C:She OD'd.
Speaker C:There was nothing suspicious.
Speaker C:Her door was locked from the inside.
Speaker B:The police are happy.
Speaker C:End of the story.
Speaker C:Come on.
Speaker C:It was always going to be just a matter of time with her.
Speaker B:Thank you to everyone who has tuned into our podcast.
Speaker B:If you're enjoying it, please hit the subscribe button and get new episodes in your feed every week.
Speaker B:You know, we don't have a budget for paid advertising, so we rely on you, our listeners, to help us spread the word.
Speaker B:The best way to support us is by sharing our podcast with friends or posting it on social media.
Speaker B:You can find us@backtotheframerate.com or follow us at back to the frame rate on Facebook, Instagram threads, TikTok, YouTube and Twitter.
Speaker B:Lastly, we'd be incredibly grateful if you left us a five star review on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
Speaker B:We thank you for your support.
Speaker B:Okay, it is time for our rating, our final thoughts, and our vault decision.
Speaker B:So, Bea, you're going to go first thoughts.
Speaker D:But wait, you have to say whether we keep it or if it'll be purged and say purged really loudly so it makes you cough.
Speaker B:We're going to decide if we're going to have our final thoughts, our rating, and our vault decision where we decide if it's going to be saved or punched into the fiery apocalypse.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Oh, wow.
Speaker B:That's quite the reaction, Sam.
Speaker D:I'm happy I was channeling my Jonah Hill there from whatever movie that's from here.
Speaker A:My God.
Speaker A:Oh, boy.
Speaker A:Yeah, I.
Speaker A:You know, I feel like.
Speaker A:Well, I don't feel like.
Speaker A:I know I came across harsher on this movie than the experience I had watching it, which was fine.
Speaker A:It probably would have been a two and a half for me if the ending wasn't so great.
Speaker A:So I'm inclined to give it a 3.
Speaker A:It doesn't go in the vault.
Speaker A:I could be talked into a two and a half or a three.
Speaker B:Okay, that's it.
Speaker B:That's fine.
Speaker B:All right, I'll go next.
Speaker B:So I think there were a lot of great things actually working in this movie's favor.
Speaker B:I think at the core, there's a really cool story being told here.
Speaker B:I think the culture clash of west meets east is always a fun dynamic on screen.
Speaker B:And as you know, we, you know, we saw this in our 80s Neo Noir last year with Black Rain.
Speaker B:I mentioned earlier a film that feels like it was the love child of this film and maybe Blade Runner, but there's this tonal tug of war that's happening and it's a bit.
Speaker B:Still hard to put my finger on.
Speaker B:But it might be that this film's trying to be both.
Speaker B:Like I said, a serious cross cultural action thriller with a romantic subplot, but also a campy, schlocky melodrama with what you'd expect to have all gratuitous violence, but it doesn't even go far enough with the violence to endear an audience that would love films like Dirty Harry or Death Wish.
Speaker B:So honestly, I think it comes down to Sydney Pollock, who have always thought was a fine director, but working in a genre that might not be what he's best suited at.
Speaker B:I could see if Sam Peckinpah or a young John Carpenter, you know, taking a swing at this and creating something both a lot more visually engaging or paced better.
Speaker B:But, you know, despite that, I think this film is anchored by a wonderful supporting performance by Ten Tak.
Speaker B:The themes of loyalty, honor and the cross cultural tensions I think make this an interesting watch.
Speaker B:But I just wish it coalesced into a better film.
Speaker B:So my rating is 3.
Speaker B:And no, I'm not putting it in the vault.
Speaker D:I hear that 100%.
Speaker D:I feel like there's a really strong story buried within the kind of conflicting styles that it could have been explored more.
Speaker D:Some of that shone through, but for the most part, I felt the movie was at war with itself and not quite sure what it wanted to be.
Speaker D:I would watch it again.
Speaker D:I enjoyed it.
Speaker D:Okay.
Speaker D:But I would give it two and a half stars and definitely not in the vault.
Speaker D:That's my verdict over here.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:All right, goodbye.
Speaker A:Adios.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker D:We barely knew each other before you left my heart forever.
Speaker D:Sorry, I'm just thinking of James Bond songs.
Speaker B:Well, if you agree or disagree with our assessment of the Yakuza, we would love to hear from you because there is a lot of love for this movie.
Speaker B:So let us know, what do we not see that everyone else likes?
Speaker A:Because I think we missed something.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Okay, so that is.
Speaker B:That's our show for this week.
Speaker B:Next week, tune in for that.
Speaker B:We are going to have our noirvember Awards show, which is gonna be a lot of fun.
Speaker B:We're gonna wrap up the month of November, but we're gonna hand out awards for the four movies that we watched, Night Moves, Clute, the Long Goodbye, and the Yakuza.
Speaker B:So if you hadn't are not familiar with those four movies, catch up on those four movies before next week and tune in to next week's show so that you can be part of this awards.
Speaker A:So go watch Clute.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:Cinema.
Speaker B:All right, so that's the show for this week.
Speaker B:Back to the Frame Rate is part of the Westin Media Podcast Network.
Speaker B:Special thanks to Brian Ellsworth for our show opening.
Speaker B:On behalf of all of us, we bid you farewell from the Fallout Shelter.
Speaker B:If you're enjoying the show, please subscribe and leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcast, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
Speaker B:Find more episodes of Back to the Frame Rate.
Speaker B:Find more episodes@backtotheframerate.com and follow us on social media with our handle.
Speaker B:Back to the Frame Rate.
Speaker B:Your support brightens our bunker.
Speaker B:Until next time, stay with us, keep hope alive and share our show with your friends.
Speaker B:This is the end of our transmission.
Speaker B:Back to the Frame Rate.
Speaker B:Signing off.
Speaker A:Want you to know it's over.
Speaker B:Well.
Speaker A:Bye.
