IMDb > The Yakuza (1974)
The Yakuza
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The Yakuza (1974) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
7.3/10   2,139 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 26% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Paul Schrader (screenplay) and
Robert Towne (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Yakuza on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
March 1975 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
A man never forgets. A man pays his debts. more
Plot:
Harry Kilmer returns to Japan after several years in order to rescue his friend George's kidnapped daughter... more | full synopsis
NewsDesk:
User Comments:
widely unrecognized gem more (32 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Robert Mitchum ... Harry Kilmer
Ken Takakura ... Tanaka Ken (as Takakura Ken)
Brian Keith ... George Tanner
Herb Edelman ... Wheat
Richard Jordan ... Dusty
Keiko Kishi ... Eiko (as Kishi Keiko)
Eiji Okada ... Tono (as Okada Eiji)
James Shigeta ... Goro
Kyosuke Mashida ... Kato
Christina Kokubo ... Hanako
Eiji Go ... Spider (as Go Eiji)
Lee Chirillo ... Louise
M. Hisaka ... Boyfriend
William Ross ... Tanner's Guard
Akiyama ... Tono's Guard
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Brotherhood of the Yakuza (UK) (video title)
more
Runtime:
Japan:123 min | UK:107 min | USA:112 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Filming Locations:
Company:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Lee Marvin was scheduled to star in The Yakuza with Robert Aldrich to direct. When Mitchum replaced Marvin, Mitchum forced out Aldrich. Replacement director Pollack briefly considered Robert Redford for the lead role. more
Goofs:
Boom mic visible: The boom mic is clearly visible in one scene when Oliver Wheat grabs his cat while telling the story of Eiko to Dusty, the mic appears behind the table and is retracted as Wheat advances. more
Quotes:
Goro: Ken is a tormented man. It is Eiko, of course, but it is also Japan. Ken is a relic, a leftover of another age, of another country. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Making 'Taxi Driver' (1999) (V) more
Soundtrack:
Only the Wind more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
20 out of 22 people found the following comment useful.
widely unrecognized gem, 9 January 2002
7/10

I have to agree with the preponderance of viewers here who rate this as a neglected classic of the 70's. All aspects of the film - performances, script, and direction - raise this to the level of greatness. This is certainly among Mitchum's greatest performances - his subdued, world-weary toughness undergirds the movie. The story as has been noted, is a rich and multilayered one with a sadness that aspires to and quite nearly reaches the level of tragedy. It also must be noted that this is one of the most effective portrayals of Japanese culture on celluloid. The movie does not shrink from violence; the various scenes of assassination and slaughter could have been done by Peckinpah. The movie deserves a restoration and should be brought to tv in letterbox mode. (Are you listening, American Movie Classics?)

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Yakuza (1974)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
So A Remake?...Keeping It Old You Think??? samariley
one of the most touching movies of all time aneta_agape7
help please raba71980
So, what do they do with the fingers bonzaroot
The Yakuza cuts? gantami
(SPOILER) So what is Dusty trob226
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