The defence The Big-Idea Head
“Form is the argument.”
Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.
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The Yakuza
Crime · Drama · Thriller · 1974
When George Tanner does business with high-ranking Yakuza Tono, Tono kidnaps his daughter, and George summons his old friend, private eye Harry Kilmer, to Japan to investigate.
Movie details
The Yakuza
“A man never forgets. A man pays his debts.”
1974 Crime · Drama · Thriller 1h 52m
Critical arithmetic
The consensus, allegedly.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
IMDb
7.2 / 10
11.2K votes
Rotten Tomatoes
51 %
Tomatometer
TMDB
7.1 / 10
Community rating
External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.
When George Tanner does business with high-ranking Yakuza Tono, Tono kidnaps his daughter, and George summons his old friend, private eye Harry Kilmer, to Japan to investigate.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over The Yakuza?
For the defence
The Big-Idea Head
“You watch with your brain, not your gut.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Popcorn Loyalist
“Big screen, big feelings, no apologies.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Sydney Pollack
Written by
Robert Towne · Paul Schrader · Leonard Schrader
Robert Mitchum
Harry Kilmer
Ken Takakura
Tanaka Ken
Eiji Okada
Tono
Herb Edelman
Wheat
Richard Jordan
Dusty
James Shigeta
Goro
Keiko Kishi
Eiko
Court is in session
Put The Yakuza on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist
“Technique in search of a pulse.”
Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.