An aging private investigator returns after many years to rescue a friend’s kidnapped daughter from the clutches of the Japanese mafia.
Set in the aftermath of upheavals like the Vietnam War and Watergate, The Yakuza —which turns 50 in 2025—reflects the sense of uncertainty that characterised 1970s America. At the heart of Sydney Pollack’s neo-noir is the complex, respectful yet fraught relationship between retired American detective Harry (Robert Mitchum) and former yakuza Ken (Ken Takakura).
Mitchum conveys Harry’s existential weariness through a finely attuned performance, while Takakura, a Toei ninkyo eiga (chivalry films) star, brings a stoic, virtuous presence to Ken, who guides rather than serves. The film also explores Harry’s romance with Eiko (Keiko Kishi), whose self-contained attitude contrasts with his nostalgia and desire for an unchanged past.
Transnational Japan in Hollywood—This season explores representations of Japan as Other by revisiting a collection of Hollywood films that depict Japaneseness through external lenses. Japan’s transitional images observed in the selected films not only reveal Hollywood’s construction and reconstruction of Japaneseness through pivotal historical moments but also serve as a mirror, signalling America’s self-reflection, anxieties, and affirmation of its evolving position in the world.
Purchase tickets for multiple films in the Transnational Japan in Hollywood season to receive a discount on your tickets.
- Director: Sidney Pollack
- Cast: Robert Mitchum, Ken Takakura, Brian Keith
- Language: English