Rating: 
Summary: Best mafia film since SCARFACE!
Review: A great film - honour, courage, loyalty. Lots of
katana action, best mafia film since scarface! (...) The Japanese mob and Italiam mob kill each
other off in this film. Great action!
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: American Yakuza, while it does offer an interesting story-I've no clue whether or not it's an accurate portrayal of the Japanese mob in the US, definitely leaves something to be desired. Probably the main flaw of this film is that it is simply to short to develop adequately. As the FBI captain, who I wouldn't say was a bad person in any sense-maybe foolish at times but not "unscrupulous"-as the back cover claims, says he is amazed that "[his agent] got in so far, so fast." Murders/action scenes are done in only 4 major chunks with little variation between them, the only criminal operations shown or mentioned are gun running and a semi-strip club (we are only left to assume that there is illegal activity going on in that place).
Also as a result of the short time, the "romantic subplot," rather than being anything remotely permanent/satisfying, is little more than 3 days with a slut/outright prostitute forced to serve him by her "godfather"-presumably in the religious sense not a criminal one. When asked she denies working for him.
And in regards to the mentioned loyalty conflict that feature is also handled terribly. Again spoiled by time constraints. It only occurs close to the very end of the film, unlike Donnie Brasco where these thoughts seemed to be considered off&on throughout the last third of the movie, and, even if he didn't care about protecting his own life/career, the main character really has only one choice.
Rating:
Summary: Honor, loyalty, trust¿
Review: Are the themes skillfully woven throughout this tale of warfare between the Japanese Yakuza and the Italian/American Mafia, which is helped along by a crooked FBI agent. The plot is fairly straightforward, and what would normally be a 'surprise' element, the identity of the undercover FBI man, is given to us right up front, in the Amazon review above, and on the back of the DVD case, so it's no surprise when you see him reporting to his liaison in a commercial freezer. What sets this film apart from the usual "mob" or "chop-socky" fare, is the focus of the film; how an agent can go so deeply undercover that he loses his way, and identifies completely with his "targets." This has been handled before; undoubtedly the best film of its kind has got to be Al Pacino's "Donnie Brasco," co-staring Johnny Depp. But "Brasco" had the advantage of two stellar stars at the top of their form, and a story, no matter how incredible it seemed at times, that was based on real events. The main strength of "American Yakuza," and in my humble opinion the reason the film will either work for you or won't, are the performances of, and the developing relationship between, the two main characters, played by Viggo Mortensen, and Ryo Ishibashi. Mortensen plays FBI Agent David Brandt, playing ex-con and hardened criminal, Nick Davis, while Ishibashi plays senior Yakuza lieutenant "Chui" Sawamoto. Brandt's working in a warehouse, driving a forklift truck, but his real job, as unlikely as it may see - what with him being a blond Caucasian an' all, the FBI must have been all out of Japanese agents that week! - is to somehow infiltrate the Tendo crime family, who use the warehouse as a front for their nefarious activities. A perfect opportunity presents itself when Brandt practically stumbles into an attempted "hit" on the head of the family itself, Isshin Tendo. In helping foil the hit he directly saves the life of Sawamoto, Tendo's right-hand-man, and nurses him back to health in a rat-hole motel room. Once he's sure Sawamoto is going to live, he makes a call which brings the surviving Yakuza running, guns drawn and trigger fingers twitching, to reclaim their compatriot. Brandt wisely watches the action from a diner opposite the building, a move that undoubtedly stops him ending up as co-lateral damage! Sawamoto now owes Brandt/Davis his life, and slowly brings him into the Yakuza organization, putting him into increasingly responsible and stressful situations, testing his newfound friend. But all is not wine and roses in the Yakuza family; some of Sawamoto's underlings are not at all happy with their boss bringing the American "gaijan" into the fold. He has to prove himself, and this he does, slowly but surely, 'til he is at last accepted as a full member of the Tendo family. As Brandt becomes more and more accepted by the Yakuza, and increasingly drawn into their ethos of honor and duty, he finds himself more and more at odds with the actions and plans of his bosses in the FBI. They make a strategic alliance with the Mob; in as much as they won't interfere to stop the Mob taking out the Yakuza... where will Brandt's loyalties lie? This is the central question of the film. As I said before, the relationship between Brandt and Sawamoto is what makes or breaks this film; Mortensen and Ishibashi give the parts their all. The basic set-up is interesting, a kind of Mexican Standoff, the FBI, the Mob, and the Yakuza. And the way each group is portrayed brings a smile to the lips; the FBI is, in turns, stupid and duplicitous, the Mob are loud, back-slapping, cigar-chomping, foulmouthed scum - no doubt from "New Joisey!" - and the Yakuza? The Yakuza are cool! They wear really sharp black suits and white shirts, they're well groomed, they have a genuine code of honor and duty they live and die by, they are unfailingly polite to each other, and when Sawamoto verbally lashes out at subordinates who fail him, you just know its gotta hurt! The film is well constructed, with more than a nod towards John Woo in the action scenes; double fisted gunplay and slow-mo shots of spent cartridges dropping to the floor. There's a romantic sub-plot that works well in the context of the story, and one particular scene where the camera swoops through a set of double doors into a white-draped room for a Yakuza ceremony that is really quite beautifully done. The final scene, after the obligatory climactic gun battle, is unexpectedly moving. There is much to enjoy in this perfect little jewel of a B Movie that aspires to be so much more, and I recommend it highly. PLEASE NOTE: There is nothing in the "Technical Information" section of the Amazon review, or on the DVD case itself, about the Aspect Ratio of this film. It is presented in Full Screen, 1.33:1, although it doesn't appear to have been Panned 'n' Scanned.
Rating:
Summary: The actors were great, story is filled with tradition.
Review: Being of Japanese decent, I must say I was very surprised at the quality of work displayed. This is my favorite show, I watch it all the time and have had other people also borrow my VHS version (I hope this comes out on DVD), they have also expressed their appreciation in my loaning them a very well done movie. The actors were type cast perfectly and I feel this is what made the movie so pleasing to watch. The second half was even better then the first half.
Rating:
Summary: Liked it 100 times more than I thought I would!
Review: Honestly, I didn't expect to enjoy this movie as much as I did. It was a pleasant surprise to discover how well it was filmed; there are some very nice shots, with satisfying emotional twists. Great job by the actors (with the exception of the Italian Mob boss, who I found quite comical). I can truthfully say that I watched every minute and was sorry to see it end. Best $4.35 I ever spent on a movie! :-) Give it a try....
Rating:
Summary: Liked it 100 times more than I thought I would!
Review: Honestly, I didn't expect to enjoy this movie as much as I did. It was a pleasant surprise to discover how well it was filmed; there are some very nice shots, with satisfying emotional twists. Great job by the actors (with the exception of the Italian Mob boss, who I found quite comical). I can truthfully say that I watched every minute and was sorry to see it end. Best $4.35 I ever spent on a movie! :-) Give it a try....
Rating:
Summary: Great action, but more...
Review: Honor and loyalty are the stories here, beyond the action of the Mafia-Yakuza warfare theme. The "war" keeps you on the edge of your seat, but the emotional conflict made it more than just another action movie. Viggo Mortensen and Ryo Ishibashi are excellent together onscreen. One of my favorite movies.
Rating:
Summary: Extremely well done - but avoid plot spoling reviews!!
Review: I am a huge, huge fan of things Japanese. I ran a feudal Japan special interest group for Mensa for 12 years, writing and researching all aspects of samurai, ninja, and so on. So I pretty much see any Japanese-related movie I can get my hands on. In American Yakuza, Viggo Mortensen plays Nick Davis/David Brandt - an ex-con that gets wrapped up in the Yakuza. Yakuza are the Japanese mob, and they are having issues with the American mob. There is a lot of culture-clash going on, and love interest. Ryo Ishibashi is the co-star from the Japanese side. Don't be put off by the roughness of Viggo's character at the beginning. There some AMAZING plot twists in store, and the level of acting and scriptwriting is just amazing. It's a real movie about real people - the fights are all quite realistic, the way people react to each other is amazing. The revelations at the end make you literally want to watch the entire movie a second time to watch for things you missed the first time around. Key Warning: Do NOT READ the blurbs on the box or the reviews that divulge what happens in the ending part of the movie. You ruin the entire meaning behind the movie if you go into it knowing what is going to happen. You need to watch it pretty much blind the first time, and let things unfold for you. If you do, you will be well rewarded. There are many things I'd love to praise in particular about Viggo's acting in this one but to do so would be to ruin the movie. So watch it and see for yourself.
Rating:
Summary: Extremely well done - but avoid plot spoling reviews!!
Review: I am a huge, huge fan of things Japanese. I ran a feudal Japan special interest group for Mensa for 12 years, writing and researching all aspects of samurai, ninja, and so on. So I pretty much see any Japanese-related movie I can get my hands on. In American Yakuza, Viggo Mortensen plays Nick Davis/David Brandt - an ex-con that gets wrapped up in the Yakuza. Yakuza are the Japanese mob, and they are having issues with the American mob. There is a lot of culture-clash going on, and love interest. Ryo Ishibashi is the co-star from the Japanese side. Don't be put off by the roughness of Viggo's character at the beginning. There some AMAZING plot twists in store, and the level of acting and scriptwriting is just amazing. It's a real movie about real people - the fights are all quite realistic, the way people react to each other is amazing. The revelations at the end make you literally want to watch the entire movie a second time to watch for things you missed the first time around. Key Warning: Do NOT READ the blurbs on the box or the reviews that divulge what happens in the ending part of the movie. You ruin the entire meaning behind the movie if you go into it knowing what is going to happen. You need to watch it pretty much blind the first time, and let things unfold for you. If you do, you will be well rewarded. There are many things I'd love to praise in particular about Viggo's acting in this one but to do so would be to ruin the movie. So watch it and see for yourself.
Rating:
Summary: Viggo Mortensen Yum!
Review: I have become a fan of Aragorn Son of Arathorn AKA Viggo Mortensen and he is the movie. Great story/acting.Sensitive and compassionate. I understand his need to belong to somone or something and he portrays it beautifully. The violence is incidental although important to the story. He is Nick Davis.
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