Ryû ga gotoku: Gekijô-ban (2007)

Cult Japanese director Takashi Miike draws inspiration from the popular Playstation 2 title Yakuza for this unhinged tale of underworld violence in Tokyo starring Goro Kishitani and Kazuki ... See full summary »

Director:

Takashi Miike

Writers:

Masashi Sogo, Seiji Togawa

Stars:

Kazuki Kitamura, Gorô Kishitani, Shun Shioya

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kazuki Kitamura	...	Kazuma Kiryu
Gorô Kishitani	...	Goro Majima
Shun Shioya	...	Satoru
Saeko	...	Yui
Haruhiko Katô	...	Kazuki
Saki Takaoka	...	Yumi Sawamura / Mizuki Sawamura
Shô Aikawa	...	Noguchi
Yoo Gong	...	Park
Yutaka Matsushige	...	Makoto Date
Claude Maki	...	Akira Nishikiyama
Yoshiyoshi Arakawa	...	Gun Seller
Ken'ichi Endô	...	Imanishi
Sansei Shiomi	...	Shintaro Kazama
Tomorô Taguchi	...	Barber Owner
Toshihiro Nagoshi	...	Jingu / Mister N

Storyline

Cult Japanese director Takashi Miike draws inspiration from the popular Playstation 2 title Yakuza for this unhinged tale of underworld violence in Tokyo starring Goro Kishitani and Kazuki Kitamura. It's summertime in Tokyo, and as the temperature rises, two undercover cops stake out a high-profile bank robbery while complaining about the air conditioning. When the masked gunmen make their way into the vault only to find that the Tojo gang's ten-million-yen deposit has mysteriously vanished, an already complicated situation gradually starts to spiral out of control. Meanwhile, in another part of town, psychotic yakuza Goro Majima (Kishitani) strikes out on his own to pay a visit to rival gang leader Kazuma Kiryu (Kitamura) and track down the missing mother of adorable youngster Haruka (Natsuo). It seems that Haruka's mother has some valuable information, and Majima is determined to find her at any cost. Now, as Majima makes his way through the neon-lit streets of Tokyo, Satoru (Shun ...

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Plot Keywords:

yakuza | release from prison | baseball bat | based on video game | based on game | 

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Toei [Japan]

Country:

Japan South Korea

Language:

Japanese Korean

Release Date:

23 February 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

Yakuza: Like a Dragon

Company Credits

Production Co:

Art Port, CJ Entertainment, Sega

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Spun-off from Yakuza (2005)

User Reviews

Red Bull Gives You Hadoukens...

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.