An epic set in post-WWII Japan and centered on an American former G.I. who joins the yakuza.An epic set in post-WWII Japan and centered on an American former G.I. who joins the yakuza.An epic set in post-WWII Japan and centered on an American former G.I. who joins the yakuza.
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Suprisingly, there are less dialogue which i find it essential to the storyline as it sets the zen-like mood and calmness throughout the movie. The pacing is so subtle and that one will not flinched at some of the violent scenes. The cast did their part very well although the chemistry between Asano and Leto could have been explored further. Overall, i enjoyed watching "The Outsider" and also the movie pays homage to the Japaneses classics. Highly recommended.
I was excited about this film because it was picked up a few years ago on the Black List and it seemed to be my kind of story. I don't know if the idea came from Tony Luraschi's 1979 film of the same name about a young American joining the IRA who finds himself out of his depth, but there are many obvious similarities, and not just in the title. The problem with this film though, is that it didn't have the same dramatic conflict or character development. Things just happened and we kind of drifted along with Jared Leto's protagonist, Nick.
We didn't get to know anything of Nick's motivation or much of his backstory. That kept it intriguing for awhile, but by the end I didn't care one bit about him. Although the film was stylish and quite atmospheric, it suffered from poor pacing. When there was action, it was bloody and gory and often spontaneous, which can work to good effect, but I didn't find it particularly shocking because there was no build up of tension.
The whole film was a bit of a mystery to me. It didn't really use the setting of Japan to good effect, apart from a few cool looking scenes, and kind of skimmed the surface of Japanese culture, which to me at least, as an outsider, is utterly fascinating, and was the film's strongest selling point. Nor did it particularly explore the Yakuza in any great detail. I was really hoping for an updated version of The Yakuza (1974) but was left disappointed.
It scores a solid 6/10 because despite its limitations, it's enjoyable enough and it's refreshing to get something a bit different from your usual Hollywood fare. I also thought the cast did a pretty decent job.
The movie follows the story of an American soldier imprisoned in post-war Japan who enters the Japanese Mob Family, Yakuza after befriending one of them while in prison. The support cast of Tadanobu Asano, Kippei Shîna and Shioli Kutsuna are amazing throughout but no gaze goes past the intensity of Nick Lowell, portrayed by Jared Leto. The intensity and honestly he brings to his character is beyond words. The story telling style and the exhaustive usage of Japanese in the movie makes it difficult to convert 'The Outsider' into a fast paced thriller that it could have been.
The way the movie ended was a bit anticlimactic and was open ended, probably with the intention of bringing out a part 2. I would go with the title 'The Insider' for part two though. I would recommend this movie to anybody who is a fan of Jared Leto and likes slow-burn crime drama's. Do not expect any classic dialogues as the dialogues itself are few and far between.
Unfortunately not all the actors shined. Don't get me wrong, some had great performances, but others just seemed to be playing themselves, which I hate. As I said before, the world is well put together, seems very authentic with pretty good cinematography. I didn't like the pacing at some parts of the film but that really had no effect on the enjoyable experience. So I would say this is a pretty decent breathe of fresh air to see on Netflix, better than the majority of bombs that they put out into the public.
I would highly recommend it.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaJared Leto grew out his hair and beard for most of 2016 to prepare for the role of Nick Lowell and have the appearance of an American prisoner of war.
- GoofsThe opening shot features large letters across the screen saying, "Osaka, 1954" while simultaneously showing a 1960 Chrysler Crown Imperial Le Baron.
- Quotes
Miyu: Do you know what your tattoo means? Do you know what it means? It's a fable. The koi fish who can swim up a waterfall becomes a dragon. It means you're arrogant.
[laughs]
Nick Lowell: What do your tattoos mean?
Miyu: What? Mine?
Nick Lowell: Yeah.
Miyu: Do you get the same one as me?
Nick Lowell: You have two koi fish.
Miyu: I do. One swimming up, and one swimming down.
Nick Lowell: I understand.
Miyu: You do? Tell me.
Nick Lowell: Well... I guess, in life, sometimes we fight the current. And other times, it's important to flow with the river.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Month in Movies: March 2018 (2018)
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Details
Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $1,869
- Runtime2 hours
- Color