The Yakuza Way

Honestly from the cover you could guess that this wasn't going to be something special. But still I had some small glamors of hope that it could prove better than it looks. Glamors that were soon diminished by countless problems regarding both plot and direction.

The "Yakuza Way" is a low budget action/crime flick starring the ever cool Riki Takeuchi as a yakuza member who has traveled to the U.S. for a drug deal. Hoping, after that he can start a new life. Suffice to say, events don't go his way and Takeuchi's character is forced to fight corrupt cops, and gangsters for revenge.

Director Shundo Ohkawa's attempt to make a Heroic Bloodshed film, backfires. This is neither heroic nor bloody. Yes the budget was small and it is understandable if some parts of the film looked a bit weak but the problem is that practically everything here is in fact, weak. Aside from Takeuchi who is his usual cool self, the acting from the support cast is bad and over the top. The cinematography is no good either, with a lot of unneeded overlong shots of cars driving by. They actually take a good portion of the film while not offering anything else in return. Choreography is another part that is poorly done. Several scenes come in mind where character movements are awkward and unrealistic to the films's supposed genre and overall feel.

There is really no reason to see "Yakuza Way" if you're not a Takeuchi fan. But even if you are, if you take besides the large amounts of unintential gags, you'll have trouble grasping any other form of entertainment from this poorly done crime flick.