Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- brooding
- melancholic
- tense
- late night crime marathon
- 1970s cinema night
What critics said
Critics broadly admired the performances, characterization, and stylish treatment of yakuza ritual but found the story confusing, over-expository, and unevenly balanced between gangster brutality and romantic cross-cultural drama.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Harry's rescue mission becomes entangled with yakuza codes of duty, debt, and honor.
Harry and Tanaka Ken navigate American individualism alongside Japanese criminal and social ritual.
The film contrasts measured underworld behavior with choreographed sword fighting and violent reprisals.
Harry's return to Japan is driven by old relationships and obligations that complicate the kidnapping rescue.
Films like The Yakuza, and why
The Friends of Eddie Coyle
understated crime violence, male codes of loyalty, and morally compromised protagonists
Le Samouraï
stylish gangster drama centered on criminal obligation, betrayal, and professional codes
Black Rain
cross-cultural crime conflict, ritualized violence, and melancholic masculine stoicism
The Long Good Friday
hard-edged underworld drama shaped by loyalty, honor, and personal debts
Movie Details
- Director
- Sydney Pollack
- Release Date
- 1974-12-21
- Runtime
- 112 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (230)
Cast
- Robert Mitchum
- Ken Takakura
- Eiji Okada
- Herb Edelman
- Richard Jordan
- James Shigeta
- Keiko Kishi
- Christina Kokubo
- Kyōsuke Machida
- Brian Keith
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Yakuza about?
- An American expatriate’s rescue mission in Japan becomes a dangerous reckoning with yakuza honor, old loyalties, and ritualized violence.
- What is The Yakuza like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Yakuza as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Yakuza violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Yakuza as graphic.
- What did critics think of The Yakuza?
- Critics broadly admired the performances, characterization, and stylish treatment of yakuza ritual but found the story confusing, over-expository, and unevenly balanced between gangster brutality and romantic cross-cultural drama.
- Which films are like The Yakuza?
- Films with a similar feel include The Friends of Eddie Coyle, Le Samouraï, Black Rain, and The Long Good Friday.
- How long is The Yakuza?
- The Yakuza runs 112 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Yakuza?
- In United States, The Yakuza is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
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