Together, they find the girl, but ken wounds one of tonos men and is. Mitchum rose to prominence for starring roles in several classic films noirs, and his acting is generally considered a forerunner of the antiheroes prevalent in film during the 1950s and 1960s. Mitchum is superb but more comfortable in the easy love interest role than in his characters response to betrayal by a close friend. Written by paul schrader and robert towne, the yakuza shows us a different side of the gangster world than we have been privy to before. Jo shishido, mariko ogawa, annu mari, koji nanbara. The yakuza 1975 when george tanner brian keith does business with the highranking yakuza tono, tono kidnaps his daughter, and george summons his. The yakuza dvd 1974 shop the best classic films movie. The yakuza 1974 harry kilmer america on the rocks tv short 1973 narrator the friends of eddie coyle. But now, heres the first american version of japans favorite genre, the yakuza movie, and its a handsome expensive production with a great performance by robert mitchum and a scary one by ken takakura, japans box office champion. If it had turned out to that action packed movie in my mind, i dont think it would have been as powerful as a film. Robert mitchum is good as he teaches a younger character, played by richard jordan. The film is about a retired american detective who returns to japan after several years away in order to rescue his friends daughter, kidnapped by gangsters. Despite its age, it wears well with a schrader script, full of twists.
Between making they way we were and three days of the condor, sydney pollack directed this littleseen thriller from a script by paul schrader and. The dvd of the yakuza has a fifteenminute vintage featurette on the making of the movie. The story deals with harry kilmer played by robert mitchum being asked by one of his best friends, george tanner played by brian keith, to go to japan and rescue his daughter, whos been kidnapped by the japanese yakuza. Despite his film noir background, robert mitchum was a somewhat unusual choice to star in the yakuza 1975, a crime thriller set in the japanese underworld. Matching an aged and rugged robert mitchum with ultimate japanese gangster actor ken takakura, the yakuza is, frankly, a piece of masculine cinematic heaven. American privateeye harry kilmer returns to japan to rescue a friends kidnapped daughter from the clutches of the yakuza.
Starting his career as a writer, he went on to appear in films in the early 40s and during some early formative years of his career, he played villains in several bgrade movies such as riders of the deadline, till the end of time, undercurrent. Yakuza tattoo scenes from the 1974 movie the yakuza. The yakuza stars robert mitchum as harry kilmer, a former soldier who returns to japan to help rescue the daughter of his friend george tanner brian keith. The screenplay by paul schrader and robert towne is from a story by leonard schrader. Born robert charles durman mitchum in bridgeport, ct on aug. Secret ceremony 1968 starring elizabeth taylor, mia farrow and robert mitchum. Released 1975, the yakuza stars robert mitchum, ken takakura, brian keith, keiko kishi the r movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 52 min, and received a score of out of 100 on metacritic, which. When george tanner brian keith does business with the highranking yakuza tono, tono kidnaps his daughter, and george summons his old friend harry kilmer robert mitchum to japan to investigate. Once he arrives in the country, kilmer discovers that the daughter has been kidnapped by the japanese mafia, called the yakuza. A gangster gets released from prison and has to cope with. With robert mitchum, ken takakura, brian keith, herb edelman. Ken takakura and robert mitchum were at their best, and the fight scenes were perfect. Apr 03, 2019 as the user who created the yakuzas imfdb page observes, only an old time tough guy movie star like robert mitchum could carry off using a full size double barreled shotgun and a colt. Robert mitchum full list of movies and tv shows in theaters, in production and upcoming films.
Doctor robert sellers angel face 1953 frank jessup the lusty men 1952 jeff mccloud one minute to zero. Robert mitchum celebrity profile check out the latest robert mitchum photo gallery, biography, pics, pictures, interviews, news, forums and blogs at rotten tomatoes. Find films and movies featuring robert mitchum on allmovie. Hes worldweary, hes been through the mill and hes come out wiser, but not necessarily harder for it. Robert charles durman mitchum august 6, 1917 july 1, 1997 was an american actor, director, author, poet, composer, and singer. His bestknown films include out of the past 1947, the. This is a rather strange movie that is clearly in the 1970s style.
The yakuza, made when mitchum was 58 years old, utilizes his style and persona to its maximum potential. That time robert mitchum went to japan like a trusty katana, the warner archive collection whips out this neglected, gritty, emotional 70s cult classic with much grace and dignity. The film is about a retired american detective who returns to japan after several years away in order to rescue his friends daughter. Robert mitchum was an american actor, poet, author, singer and composer known mostly for his noir genre of films that he acted in. Apr 29, 2015 the 10 most essential robert mitchum movies. After a badly done assignment, a hitman finds himself in conflict with his organisation, and one mysterious and dangerous fellowhitman in particular. The yakuza is a classic noirmartial arts film with the great robert mitchum and an excellent supporting class. In the 1970s, robert mitchum made three great movies. The yakuza 1974 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more.
When i heard that i thought it would be this action packed good time. Robert mitchum is a worldweary private eye who joins up with a taciturn kendo instructor yakuza movie icon ken takakura, who has a wartime obligation to mitchum. That turned out to be better than i thought it would. However, the film was ruined by a strange and continuous glitch of some kind. Dave bishop robert mitchum is a journalist paid by the wealthy victor danemore to create false press releases regarding danemores life. I can still feel robert mitchums pain as he pushes a token of his apology toward tanaka ken and ask that he and eiko be forgiven for the pain thats been brought into his life. His father died in a rail yard accident when he was still an infant, and frequent discipline problems at school forced his mother to shuttle him between relatives in delaware. The yakuza is a 1975 neonoir drama film directed by sydney pollack and starring robert mitchum, ken takakura and brian keith. Between making they way we were and three days of the condor, sydney pollack directed this littleseen thriller from a script by paul schrader and robert towne. Harry starts by visiting his old flame, eiko kishi keiko, and enlists her brother, ken takakura ken, to help him search. For this revenge mission, harry wears a heavy ribbedknit turtleneck in black wool, perhaps too bulky to qualify as one of sterling archers beloved tactilenecks but employed. Few classic movie stars are as consistently enjoyable than robert mitchum. The yakuza is one of the best movies for fans of the turtleneck, as both robert mitchum and ken takakura cycle through plenty of rollnecks worn with suits, sport jackets, and casual wear.
When the daughter of an old friend brian keith is kidnapped by the japanese gangsters of the title, keith calls upon war buddy mitchum to help him out. The former is one of the disappointingly few tcm premieres this month. Biography for robert mitchum turner classic movies. Starting his career as a writer, he went on to appear in films in the early 40s and during some early formative years of his career, he played villains in several bgrade movies such as riders of the deadline, till the end of time. It seems that tanner had business dealings with the yakuza and was supposed to buy guns for one clan in particular. Instead the yakuza is a thoughtful, somber tale with some quick scenes of brutal violence. The yakuza 1975 when george tanner brian keith does business with the highranking yakuza tono, tono kidnaps his daughter, and george summons his old friend harry kilmer robert mitchum to. The 10 most essential robert mitchum movies indiewire. Official trailer robert mitchum, ken takakura movie hd by movieclips classic trailers. Farewell, my lovely, the friends of eddie coyle and this poignant study of love and honor in postwar japan.
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