Like a Dragon (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
Show Aikawa	...	Noguchi (as Shô Aikawa)
Gong Yoo	...	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

Did You Know?

Connections

Remade as Yakuza

User Reviews

Yakuza

I just read in another review for the movie, that this is based on the (somewhat) popular game "Yakuza" (a third installment of which is supposed to come out this year for the two next generation consoles). Since I haven't played the game, I can't tell you how accurate this adaptation is.

If you're a Miike fan, than you don't need my review for an opinion. But if this is about to be your first Miike movie or you haven't heard of him, let me tell you, that his "style" (cheap and fast, that's why he makes quite a few movies every year) aren't everyones taste. They are somewhat original though and have many weird/strange ideas thrown into the mix. This is not different here and the movie is quite enjoyable in an almost sick kind of way. Not for the squeamish ... but then again, which Miike movie is for a sensible audience? Exactly!

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

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,215,613

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