THE Sabukaru Guide to the Best YAKUZA Movies - PART I
It is known that the yakuza can be traced back 300 years ago.
In fact, these Japanese gangsters were already well invested in gambling as well as extortion back then. Eventually, they took over businesses, until firmer laws were established to brake their expansion and as damage control.
Drunken Angel, 1948
Although they are still active, the 1992 Anti-Boryokudan Act stopped them abruptly in their paths: it refrains non-yakuza members to do business with yakuza members, meaning that gangsters cannot obtain a cellphone plan, sign a lease, or open a bank account. Today, the yakuza is still largely involved in smuggling, drug and human trafficking, and money laundering, but their numbers have decreased.
Brother, 2000
Nonetheless, they’re still an object of fascination for people all over the world. The yakuza functions with extremely honored traditions, and even stricter rules, prioritizing qualities like loyalty, devotion, discipline, and honor.
The popularity surrounding Japanese notorious gangs has been a source of inspiration for film directors since the 1950s. In the beginning, yakuza movies were divided between films that brutalized them and others that portrayed them as Robin Hood-like characters. Eventually, this bred many other genres and developed into jaw-dropping, classic movies.
Ichi the Killer, 2001
There are too many great yakuza movies to be counted, whether they were produced in Japan or overseas. Sabukaru collected some of the absolute best of this huge pool of movies. This guide touches on some of the most legendary films, regardless of if they are recent hits or golden oldies. They’re essential for any cinema lover.
Hana-bi, 1997
Hana-bi is an amazing introduction to Japanese gangster films, as well as the renowned director Takeshi “Beat” Kitano.
Unlike the stereotypical yakuza movie which focuses on the members, Hana-bi revolves around a corrupted ex-cop, Yoshitaka Nishi. He lost his daughter, and his wife is hospitalized during her battle against leukemia. Unfortunately, due to her frail state, Nishi commits to taking care of her the best he can, and to pay for medical bills, he borrows money from the yakuza. Unfortunately, Nishi fails to pay it back properly, and now the gang is at his heels. Full of anger at fate, the ex-cop commits a series of dangerous actions to keep his wife comfortable.
A poignant movie about trauma, depression, and violence superposed on love, “Beat” Kitano offers a profound and emotional look at the fragility and the beauty of life.
Brother, 2000
This is another gem by Takeshi “Beat” Kitano. The yakuza member Yamamoto is forced to flee after his boss was murdered by a rival gang. He escapes to Los Angeles where he reunites with his younger half-brother, Ken, who’s part of a small drug-dealing gang. With Yamamoto’s confidence and expertise, the group expands and soon becomes quite a respectable organized crime group. However, the ex-yakuza grows complacent and becomes disinterested in running the gang.
Brother is the first American co-production that Kitano worked on, but it is said that he prefers making films in Japan because there are fewer restrictions. Nonetheless, Brother is a must-watch, creating a ridge between a fascination for Japanese crime and America’s crime scene.
Ichi the Killer, 2001
Directed by Takashi Miike, Ichi the Killer is one hell of a movie. It received immense publicity when it was released due to its controversial and brutal nature.
It follows Kakihara, a reckless gangster, who is in charge of finding his boss who recently disappeared. However, the plot isn’t what sticks out in people’s minds, and it’s by far the scenes of torture and excess that play out. Notably, there is the notorious pool of semen at the opening scene, the countless severing of limbs, unorthodox torture, as well as the insane and blood-thirsty Ichi, who is in fact the focus of the title.
Regardless, it is a colorful movie filled with iconic punchlines and avant-garde styling, and, despite being banned in several countries, Ichi the Killer is a classic of Japanese gangster and horror films.
Gozu, 2003
This film was directed by the same director as Ichi the Killer, Takashi Miike, resulting in an over-the-top, unexpected, fury-filled dark-comedy gangster movie. Gozu is inspired by an urban legend stating that a story about a cow-headed beast is so scary that it ends up killing whoever hears it.
Minami is charged by his yakuza clan to kill his brother, Ozaki who is judged to be mentally disturbed and a threat to the gang. However, he is reluctant to kill him but accidentally does in an attempt to save an innocent civilian. Leaving Ozaki’s body to go find a phone, Minami comes back to see that the corpse of his brother is no longer there and has taken a different form. It’s another weird, maddening yakuza film by the iconic Miike.
Drunken Angel, 1948
It’s no other than the cinematic genius Akira Kurosawa behind this film. Drunken Angel is a tragic but action-filled yakuza movie. Following the alcoholic doctor Sanada, a wounded yakuza member, Matsunaga, comes in to get treated. During his treatment, Sanada diagnosis him with tuberculosis. However, Matsunaga’s old boss, Okada, gets out of prison, and soon he’s forced to go ignore his ill health and go back to his old ways.
The plot is realistic while keeping the audience at the edge of their seats, thanks to Kurosawa’s undeniable expertise, and Drunken Angel is a timeless hit. Also, Toshiro Mifune is starring as Matsunaga.
Sympathy for the Underdog, 1971
Masuo Ginji was incarcerated for 10 years for his yakuza activity, and when he gets out of prison, he intends to reconnect with the few members that have remained loyal to him. A rival gang overtook their territory in Yokohoma, so the gang decides to start over in Okinawa, southern Japan. However, their enemies intend to ambush them once more, and Ginji and his men have to escape death.
Sympathy for the Underdog was directed by Kinji Fukasaku, who’s unmistakably one of the most prolific directors of Japanese gangster movies. He even directed the revered Black Lizard, as well as Battle Royale.
Battles Without Honor and Humanity, 1973
This film is another masterpiece by Kinji Fukasaku. Battles Without Honor and Humanity is the first film of a saga of similar titles.
Battles Without Honor and Humanity is happening in post-war Japan, in the mess of black markets burgeoning in the aftermath of the war. Shozo Hirono gets out of jail after a shooting and gets caught in the whirlwind of Japanese organized crimes, as bosses fight each other for power. One of the most realistic and action-packed films, it’s the ultimate yakuza film classic.
Under the Open Sky, 2020
Having women direct Japanese gangster films is uncommon, but always welcomed. Directed by Miwa Nishikawa, Under the Open Sky is the story of a man affected by his gangster past, incarceration, and society’s pressure.
Mikami is an ex-yakuza who gets released from a 13-year-sentence. His sole mission is to get in touch with his estranged mother. With the help of a TV company, Mikami tries to get his life in order, but due to being so used to his old ways, this will prove to be difficult.
Under the Open Sky is a touching movie about many ex-yakuza and other ex-convicts and the harsh reality they face in Japan’s cohesive society.
A Family, 2021
This film is considered to be one of the most recent Japanese gangster chartbuster films. Directed by Michihito Fujii, it follows the hard-boiled lowlife Kenji Yamamoto, who’s quickly recruited by the yakuza boss Hiroshi Shikibashi. A few years pass by, and Yamamoto is a respected member of the gang: he’s living his most lavish life and everything is at the tip of his fingers. However, due to a dispute with a rival gang, he was sent to prison for 14 years, and upon his release in 2019, Yamamoto is forced to face the waning force of the yakuza and redirect his path beyond Japanese organized crime groups.
Sonatine, 1993
Now this is where people started to take note, not of Beat Takeshi the comedian, but of Takeshi Kitano the director, writer, editor and actor. Sonatine, alongside Hana-bi, is one of his most famous films. It follows the yakuza Murakawa [played by Kitano] as he and some of his men are sent to Okinawa to resolve a violent dispute between two warring yakuza factions.
Whilst this film has its share of bloody violence, the director’s great skill in using violence in highly effective short flashes of brutality, rather than excessive freedom, comes to the fore. Much of Sonatine is instead spent following the yakuza as they attempt to pass time in Okinawa, throwing pretend sumo matches on the beach and just generally messing around. Kitano deftly deconstructs the yakuza genre, choosing instead to come at it from an existential angle; Murakawa seems to feel weary of the life he leads, he wonders what the point of it all even is. This is not a gangster film concerned with the achievement and inherent corruption of power and violence, but rather, a question about why we are even attracted to such lifestyles in the first place.
The film features many of Kitano’s regular actors, most notably Susumu Terajima and the late Ren Osugi, whom you will find in many of the films being discussed here.
About the Author:
Mizuki Khoury
Born in Montreal, based in Tokyo. Sabukaru’s senior writer and works as an artist under Exit Number Five.
