Member Linn1 Posted July 6, 2007 Member Share Posted July 6, 2007 Post what you think are the best yakuza films. And please leave reasons so that everyone can know why you think so highly of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Daisho2004 Posted July 6, 2007 Share Posted July 6, 2007 The Yakuza Papers: Kinji Fukasaku's (BATTLE ROYALE) revered gangster series is a landmark of 1970's Japanese cinema. Set just after WWII and based on the memoirs of a real-life crime boss, these films serve to deglamorize the traditional cinematic portrayal of organized crime, instead painting its members as petty, backstabbing thugs who will turn on their closest allies for power or profit. The story follows the violent exploits of Shozo Hirono (Bunta Sugawara), a former soldier, as he joins a yakuza gang in post-bomb Hiroshima. From there, he weathers a brutal series of events, including jail terms and pulling off hits of rival gang members, on his shaky journey through the ranks. Disc 1: Battles Without Honor and Humanity Disc 2: Deadly Fight in Hiroshima Disc 3: Proxy War Disc 4: Police Tactics Disc 5: Final Episode I've seen all the episodes and they are very violent and gritty. Not like watching an American movie made about the Mafia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Daisho2004 Posted July 7, 2007 Share Posted July 7, 2007 Sex and Fury & Female Yakuza Tale : Inquisition & Torture: Sex and Fury: From the creator of the sukeban, or delinquency, genre of Japanese sexploitation films, comes this explosion of violence, sex, and just plain fun. Cult icon Reiko Ike stars as Ochô Inoshika, a pickpocket and gambler who gets into a heap of trouble when she meets the three villains responsible for her father's death. After providing refuge for an anarchist on the lam, Inoshika gets on the wrong side of some Yakuza baddies who want her dead, and she is forced to fight for her life. Meanwhile, a beautiful European spy (Christina Lindberg, THRILLER: A CRUEL PICTURE) sets about implementing the evil plot of her diplomat boss. A milestone of pop culture madness that influenced Quentin Tarantino's KILL BILL series, legendary director Norifumi Suzuki's (FEMALE YAKUZA TALE: INQUISITION & TORTURE) bloodbath is beautifully photographed in a number of stunning locations Female Yakuza Tale : Inquisition & Torture Synopsis: aka: The Pinky Violence Collection - Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition & Torture; Yasagure anego den: sôkatsu rinchi In Meiji-era Tokyo there are no rules, and Ocho (Reiko Ike) is back, reprising her role from notorious cult director Teruo Ishii's SEX AND FURY. Ocho is a dangerous fighter, gambler, and thief whose clothing is often in danger of falling off, and this film is equal to its predecessor in the sheer volume of its blood, sex, and mayhem. When Ocho is kidnapped by a drug trafficking ring, she plans a dangerous escape, and aided by a mysterious loner (Ryohei Uchida), she investigates the gang's activities. They are engaged in smuggling heroin into the country by using as mules women forced into prostitution. Inevitably, Ocho must face off with the brutal Yakuzas and their equally deadly, beautiful swordswomen. A clear reference point for Quentin Tarantino's KILL BILL series, this anarchistic filmmaking foray represents the apex of the director's 50-year career, during which he produced such gems as HORROR OF MALFORMED MEN and BLIND BEAST VS. KILLER DWARF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fabhui Posted July 7, 2007 Share Posted July 7, 2007 Brutal Tales of Chivalry series Red Peony Series Why do I rate these movies so highly? Besides the story, the acting and the action I have two words.... KEN TAKAKURA!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pressureworld Posted July 8, 2007 Share Posted July 8, 2007 The Wolves (1971) Several imprisoned gangsters have been pardoned by the government and return back to their own gangs but alliances have shifted and things are now very different This is without a doubt my favorite yakuza film and one hell of a movie. It is directed by the legendary Hideo Gosha and is something of a mystery. It takes place during the early part of the 20th century and portrays the yakuza as brutal, ruthless and cunning to the core, Tatsuya Nakadai is the other reason to watch this film, he's nothing less than fascinating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pressureworld Posted July 8, 2007 Share Posted July 8, 2007 Yakuza Graveyard (1976) Classic Fukasaku ladies and gentleman complete with freeze frames and lots of blood. Their is a large scale yakuza war going on and explosive cop Tetsuya Watari is starting to see the police department as corrupt as the yakuza. This of course is not good he begins to have more in common with the criminals it doesn't help when he makes a oath of brotherhood with one of the bosses Tomisaburo Wakayama. The line quickly becomes very blurred causing very serious problems for everyone. This was filmed in 1976 during the golden years of yakuza films in that jerky realistic style I have come to love from favorite genre director Kinji Fukasaku. Im always hearing this film being refered to as a lesser Fukasaku yakuza vehicle but I disagree this @#%$ is major, excuse my language, and is the first yakuza film of his I watched. It costars Meiko Kaji & Tomisaburo Wakayama but the movie completly belongs to Tetsuya Watari between this film and his work with Fukasaku in Graveyard of Honor he easily proves his place alongside Brunta & Hiroki Matsukata as one of the great genre actors of Japan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Stuntman Jules Posted July 9, 2007 Share Posted July 9, 2007 I haven't seen many yakuza films outside of Fukasaku's, sadly, but I really adore BATTLES WITHOUT HONOR AND HUMANITY, COPS VS. THUGS, STREET MOBSTER and especially GRAVEYARD OF HONOR, which ranks with ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA, THE GODFATHER PART II and GOODFELLAS as one of my favorite crime films of all time. It's that good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest venom10463 Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 I haven't seen to many yakuza movies, but the ones I've seen were really really good. I'm gonna have to go with: Hokuriku Proxy War Yakuza Graveyard Red Peony Series Blind Woman's Curse Female Yukuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture Female Yukuza Tale: Sex & Fury New Battles Without Honor and Humanity Series Outlaw Killers: Three Mad Dog Brothers Violent Streets Wandering Ginza Butterfly 1 & 2 Wicked Priest Series Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest morgoth Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 I have not seen a lot of Japanese Cinema, but my favorite is Deadly Outlaw Rekka, mainly because it is so cool and it has my favorite soundtrack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1budz4u Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 Red Peony Series. Brutal Tales of Chivarlry Series. IMHO those 2 series are great because I grew up watching them in the 70's at the old Toyo Theater in Honolulu. Also because Junko Fuji and Ken Takakura could kick ass in those movies. :b Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JahSoldier Posted October 18, 2007 Share Posted October 18, 2007 Surprised only Deadly Outlaw Rekka has been mentioned from Miike's collection. Ignoring the more violent, cartoony and twisted yakuza films he has done (Gozu, Ichi, Dead or Alive, etc) I gotta say that The Agitator ranks pretty high on my list among those already mentioned above. It is a pretty long film by today's standards (at 150mins ) which delves pretty heavily into character development and doesn't employ the flashiness, gore or even the usual perversity of his other films. The story is nothing particularly new but the whole film still feels pretty epic when I watch it. Definitely worth a look if you are not into the other aforementioned Miike films (I happen to love them all - well...nearly all). In fact I would also highly recommend his Black Label Trilogy (Shinjuku Triad Society, Rainy Dog, and Ley Lines). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tinmann Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Tattooed Life Graveyard of Honor Yakuza Demon The Yakuza Papers Yakuza Horror Theater: Gozu Fudoh: The New Generation Rainy Dog Shinjuku Triad Society To name a Few Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest presureworld Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 others I like Hunters in the Darkness Outlaw killers three Maddog Brothers fukasaku Violent Streets Graveyard of Honor (I hate Miike but I like his version) The Yakuza Papers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member bamboo spear Posted October 30, 2007 Member Share Posted October 30, 2007 I haven't seen most of those mentioned above, but the Takakura/Mitchum Yakuza is one of my favorite films of all time. There's something about late 60's/early 70's Japan that I wish I could go back in time and visit. Not to mention, it has one of the best swordfights ever filmed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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