Connection
Films with theme "Yakuza films", sorted by rating
Add to a movie list
Branded to Kill (1967)
, 1h38Directed by Seijun Suzuki
Origin Japon
Genres Drama, Thriller, Action, Noir, Crime
Themes Seafaring films, Transport films, Yakuza films, Gangster films
Actors Joe Shishido, Koji Nanbara, Annu Mari, Atsushi Yamatoya
Goro Hanada, the Japanese underworld's third-ranked hitman, and his wife, Mami, fly into Tokyo and are met by Kasuga, a formerly ranked hitman turned taxi driver. Kasuga petitions Hanada to assist him in breaking back into the profession. Hanada agrees and the three go to a club owned by the yakuza boss Michihiko Yabuhara. The two men are hired to escort a client from Sagami Beach to Nagano. After the meeting, Yabuhara covertly seduces Hanada's wife. Hanada and Kasuga pick up a car designated for the job which unexpectedly has a corpse in the back seat. They dispose of the body, then meet the client and proceed towards their destination. En route Hanada spots an ambush. He dispatches a number of gunmen while Kasuga panics and flails about in hysterics. Foaming at the mouth, Kasuga charges an ambusher, Koh, the fourth-ranked hitman, and they kill each other. Hanada leaves the client to secure Koh's car but hears three gunshots and rushes back to find the client is safe and three additional ambushers have been shot cleanly through the forehead. At a second ambush, Hanada kills more gunmen and sets Sakura, the second-ranked hitman, on fire. Sakura madly rushes towards the client but is shot dead by him. On his way home Hanada's car breaks down. Misako, a mysterious woman with a deathwish, stops and gives him a ride. At home, he has rough sex with his wife, fueled by his obsession with sniffing boiling rice.
The Yakuza (1974)
, 1h52Directed by Sydney Pollack
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Action, Crime
Themes Mafia films, Seafaring films, Transport films, Yakuza films, Gangster films
Actors Robert Mitchum, Ken Takakura, Keiko Kishi, Richard Jordan, Brian Keith, Herb Edelman
Retired detective Harry Kilmer (Robert Mitchum) is called upon by an old friend, George Tanner (Brian Keith). Tanner has been doing business with a yakuza gangster, Tono (Eiji Okada), who has kidnapped Tanner's daughter to apply pressure in a business deal involving the sale of guns. Tanner hopes that Kilmer can rescue the girl using his Japanese connections.
, 1h12Directed by Kazuo Mori
Genres Action, Adventure
Themes Seafaring films, Sports films, Transport films, Martial arts films, Samurai films, Yakuza films, Films about disabilities, Gangster films
Actors Shintarō Katsu, Tomisaburō Wakayama, Eijirō Yanagi, Saburo Date
One year after the first film, Zatōichi travels back to the town near the Joshoji Temple, to pay respects at the grave of Hirate, the samurai he killed. Three brigands attack Zatōichi while he dries his clothes, and are despatched by a one-armed swordsman. Later that day, Zatōichi is hired to massage a powerful lord who, unbeknownst to all but the lord's highest retainers, is insane. Zatōichi observes the nobleman's unstable mental condition, and the retainers decide to kill him. Zatōichi defeats the first three attackers, and retires to a restaurant. The attack having failed, the lord's men hire local yakuza (gangsters) to finish the job. Learning of this, Zatoichi remarks to himself that he would have kept quiet if they had just asked him to do so.
Zatoichi on the Road (1963)
, 1h27Directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda
Genres Drama, Action, Adventure, Historical
Themes Seafaring films, Sports films, Transport films, Martial arts films, Samurai films, Yakuza films, Films about disabilities, Gangster films
Actors Shintarō Katsu, Shiho Fujimura
Ichi is being taken to Doyoma, all expenses paid by an employee of Doyoma crime boss Hikozo, on the promise of just meeting with Hikozo, no obligation to do anything. On the way his guide is killed by Hikozo's rivals who overheard Ichi and his guide at a tea house. Ichi kills them including the husband of Hisa, a woman who watches the short fight. She tells him this when he asks and they part coolly.
Zatoichi the Fugitive (1963)
, 1h26Genres Drama, Action, Adventure
Themes Seafaring films, Sports films, Transport films, Martial arts films, Samurai films, Yakuza films, Films about disabilities, Gangster films
Actors Shintarō Katsu, Miwa Takada, Sachiko Murase, Toru Abe
Ichi (which is the main character's name, Zato being the lowest rank in the Todoza) is attacked by a young yakuza man he has never met. The man is despatched and tells Ichi that he did it to get ten ryo reward for his mother. Ichi travels to the mother's town and enters a local wrestling match and defeats several sighted opponents. While Maki, the young man's mother, accepts Ichi as honorable for confessing to the death, the opponents, part of a local Yakuza gang, seek to reclaim their honor by claiming Ichi's life.
Zatoichi's Flashing Sword (1964)
, 1h22Genres Drama, Action, Adventure
Themes Seafaring films, Sports films, Transport films, Martial arts films, Samurai films, Yakuza films, Films about disabilities, Gangster films
Actors Shintarō Katsu, Bokuzen Hidari, Ryosuke Kagawa
A young Yakuza, who is looking to make a name for himself, shoots Zatoichi in the back with a musket. Zatoichi is wounded, but is aided by a stranger: Miss Kuni. After recovering, Zatoichi travels to her home to thank her and repay her kindness by assisting in what household chores he can do.
Zatoichi's Pilgrimage (1966)
, 1h22Genres Drama, Adventure
Themes Seafaring films, Sports films, Transport films, Martial arts films, Samurai films, Yakuza films, Films about disabilities, Gangster films
Actors Shintarō Katsu, Michiyo Okusu, Isao Yamagata, Kunie Tanaka, Hisashi Igawa, Saburo Date
Seeking to atone for his violent past, Zatoichi (Katsu) embarks on a pilgrimage to visit the 88 shrines on Shikoku. On the road, a man (Igawa) attacks Zatoichi but is killed by him. Zatoichi follows the man's horse back to his home.
Adventures of Zatoichi (1964)
, 1h26Directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda
Genres Drama, Action, Adventure
Themes Seafaring films, Sports films, Transport films, Martial arts films, Samurai films, Yakuza films, Films about disabilities, Gangster films
Actors Shintarō Katsu, Miwa Takada, Akitake Kōno, Kichijirō Ueda, Mikijirō Hira
On his way to a village to celebrate the New Year's festival, Zatoichi is asked by a man to deliver a message to a woman. Upon delivery, he rooms with a young women who is searching for her missing father.
Cops vs. Thugs (1975)
, 1h40Directed by Kinji Fukasaku
Genres Drama, Action, Crime
Themes Seafaring films, Transport films, Yakuza films, Gangster films
Actors Bunta Sugawara, Mikio Narita, Hiroki Matsukata, Seizō Fukumoto, Reiko Ike, Hideo Murota
In Kurashima City, there are two yakuza families; the Kawade, who use political connections to further their activities, and the Ohara, who have an alliance with the local police. When Ohara acting boss Hirotani usurps a staged land deal away from Kawade, thanks to the help of his police friend Kuno, a war breaks out. At the same time, Kuno's superiors start cracking down on the yakuza and command the cops stop fraternizing with criminals.
, 1h36Directed by Daisuke Itō
Origin Japon
Genres Drama, Action
Themes Seafaring films, Sports films, Transport films, Martial arts films, Samurai films, Yakuza films, Political films, Gangster films
Actors Denjirō Ōkōchi, Ranko Sawa
The three films focus on the travels of the kindly yakuza boss Kunisada Chūji. The existing print begins with Chuji on the road, fleeing the law while taking care of Kantaro, the son of a dead friend. He leaves Kantaro with Kabe Yasuemon, an honorable local boss, but is shocked to find out that his own men have been committing robberies using his own name. Angry, Chuji hits the road and eventually settles in another town, assuming another name and working as a clerk for a sake brewery. Okuma, the daughter of the brewer, falls in love with Chuji, but he ignores her. When he saves her brother from trouble with the Otozo gang, his identity is revealed and the police close in. Okume kills herself and Chuji flees, but the palsy he had been suffering from worsens and he is finally caught. His henchmen, however, succeed in rescuing him and bring him back to his home village. Unable to walk and confined to bed, Chuji is hidden in a storehouse. His woman, Oshina, discovers that one of his men has betrayed him, but it is too late. Despite the valiant efforts of his men to hold off the police, Chuji is finally arrested by the authorities.
Why Don't You Play in Hell? (2013)
, 2h9Directed by Sion Sono
Genres Drama, Comedy, Action
Themes Films about films, Seafaring films, Transport films, Yakuza films, Gangster films
Actors Shinichi Tsutsumi, Jun Kunimura, Gen Hoshino, Akihiro Kitamura, Fumi Nikaidō, Hiroki Hasegawa
There's a war going on, but that won't stop the inexperienced but eager wannabe film crew The Fuck Bombers from following their dreams of making the ultimate action epic. Ten years ago, yakuza mid-boss Ikegami led an assault against rival don Muto. Now, on the eve of his revenge, all Muto wants to do is complete his masterpiece, a feature film with his daughter in the starring role, before his wife is released from prison. And The Fuck Bombers are standing by with the chance of a lifetime: to film a real, live yakuza battle to the death on 35mm.
Violent Cop (1989)
, 1h43Directed by Takeshi Kitano
Origin Japon
Genres Drama, Thriller, Action, Adventure, Crime
Themes Medical-themed films, Seafaring films, Films about drugs, Sports films, Transport films, Martial arts films, Yakuza films, Gangster films
Actors Takeshi Kitano, Maiko Kawakami, Shirō Sano, Hakuryu, Ittoku Kishibe, Nobuyuki Katsube
Kitano plays detective Azuma, a Dirty Harry-type who uses violent methods when confronting criminals. After the suicide of his friend and colleague Iwaki (a vice cop who was involved with drugs), and the kidnapping of his sister by yakuza gangsters, Azuma breaks all the rules of ethical conduct. He responds to every situation with violence, and resorts to unethical methods if they produce results.
Brother (2000)
, 1h54Directed by Takeshi Kitano
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Action, Crime
Themes Mafia films, Seafaring films, Sports films, Transport films, Martial arts films, Yakuza films, Gangster films
Actors Omar Epps, Takeshi Kitano, Claude Maki, Tetsuya Watari (渡 哲也), Masaya Katō, Susumu Terajima
Takeshi Kitano plays Yamamoto, a lone yakuza officer. Defeated in a war with a rival family, his boss killed, he heads to Los Angeles, California.
Tokyo Drifter (1966)
, 1h29Directed by Seijun Suzuki
Origin Japon
Genres Drama, Thriller, Action, Crime
Themes Mafia films, Seafaring films, Transport films, Yakuza films, Gangster films
Actors Tetsuya Watari (渡 哲也), Hideaki Nitani, Chieko Matsubara, Ryūji Kita
Tetsuya "Phoenix Tetsu" Hondo is a member of a recently deactivated Yakuza gang. His boss, to whom he holds absolute loyalty, Kurata, has given up the life of crime for himself and his syndicate. Otsuka, a rival gang boss, attempts to recruit Tetsu into his organization, but is turned down. After failing, Otsuka sends an assassin to neutralize Tetsu, fearing he will interfere with a real estate scam. Looking to profit from the scheme himself and fearing that his group is threatened by his presence, Kurata asks Tetsu to leave and live the life of a drifter.
Tattooed Life (1965)
, 1h27Directed by Seijun Suzuki
Origin Japon
Genres Drama, Thriller, Action, Crime
Themes Mafia films, Seafaring films, Sports films, Transport films, Martial arts films, Yakuza films, Gangster films
Actors Hideki Takahashi, Kayo Matsuo, Kaku Takashina
À la fin des années 1920, deux frères yakuza tentent d'échapper à leur condition criminelle en se réfugiant dans une communauté ouvrière. Mais leur passé ne va pas tarder à les rattraper sous la forme d'un policier en chaussures rouges. Lorsque le plus jeune frère est tué, l'aîné décide de le venger au cours d'une vendetta particulièrement sanglante.