TrueJoshNight Truly Dreadful Film

BroadcastChic Excellent, a Must See

CommentsXp Best movie ever!

ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

MartinHafer This is a frustrating film to watch, as some of it is quite interesting and some of it is awfully rough and certainly could have used improvement. With A LOT of polish, this could have been a much better film.Kuriowa is an insane cop. This is the only way to understand the guy. He is full of rage and angry at the world. While the rest of the police force doesn't seem very interested in doing anything other than accommodate the Yakuza (Japanese mobsters), Kuroiwa wants actions--and it means beating prisoners to get it, it's fine with him. Oddly, his superiors don't mind a little of his mindless violence...to a point. The bottom line is that the cops are happy to keep the status quo--to allow their friends to run their 'business' as they like as long as they follow some guidelines (i.e., don't make waves).Although it's obvious that the cops are in league with the mob, it's clear that they favor one of the Yakuza families more than the other. Here, it gets pretty weird. Although Kuriowa hate the mob, he begins to hate the cops even more. So, because the cops favor one family, suddenly Kuriowa pals up to their rival gang. Now, he goes from angry cop to loyal follower of this clan. Where all this goes next, you'll have to see for yourself.This is a film aching to be remade. While the basic story idea is good (especially the part about Kuriowa finding himself drawn to the one Yakuza leader), the way the film is made isn't. Too much of the film just looks amateurish--with shaky camera-work and MANY scenes where people are just screaming and look like they are ad libbing it. It looks very rough and the acting, at times, is pretty goofy. And, because the style is so rough, I could see the film alienating many viewers. An interesting failure that is worth seeing but far from a must-see.

Infofreak How ironic that director Kinji Fukasaku began to get a LOT of attention for his final movie (the amazing 'Battle Royale' - watch it today!) after a career spanning some forty years and sixty movies in many genres! How many other directors are unfairly languishing in obscurity because they aren't Anglo-American or talked up by Quentin Tarantino? 'Yakuza Graveyard' is a fascinating and brutal crime thriller that really impressed me. Along with Oshima's 'In The Realm Of The Senses' and Imamura's 'Vengeance Is Mine' it shows that there was some amazing films being made in mid-70s Japan. Films that are only now getting the attention they deserve! Tetsuya Watari (star of the extraordinary 1960s cult movie 'Tokyo Drifter') plays a cop who forms a friendship with a local criminal and eventually falls for the man's sister. Yes, it's the old "what side am I on?" plot we've seen many times, but it's done very well. Watari later had a small role in Beat Takeshi's 'Brother', and fans of Takeshi's yakuza movies would do well to track 'Yakuza Graveyard' down as it no doubt was a strong influence on Takeshi's movies like 'Violent Cop' and 'Hana-bi'. I really enjoyed watching 'Yakuza Graveyard' and highly recommend it to anyone who appreciates intelligent and uncompromised crime dramas, Japanese or otherwise.

Minority_Report This is a good movie. It's directed by Kinji Fukasaku who's a top director. There's lashings of style and substance to the film with a pace that never lets up throughout the film. It's like a gritty Pulp Fiction, but with the characters more low-key and more attention paid to the story line. Anyway, a good score, great acting and plenty of fights makes this a must see for anyone keen on the Yakuza or stories like The Limey. The story centers around an undercover cop, who is reassigned to a new precinct and sets out to put the mobsters behind bars. Along the way he gets involved with the people he is trying to put away, finding them to be the victims of fate rather than the villains they appear to be. This part of the story is offset around a larger picture of police corruption with the Yakuza pulling their strings. A cinematic masterpiece by a fascinating director.

mcyifrh3 Fukasaku's film, also known as "Yakuza Graveyard," is a compelling Japanese crime drama, from the director of "Battle Royale."The plot centres on a 'cop on the edge,' played by Tetsuya Watari, a character far more disturbed than, say, Dirty Harry or Popeye Doyle from "The French Connection." Indeed, Watari's rebelliousness seems far more shocking in the context of Japanese society, where respect for authority and conformity are supposedly ingrained.Equally interesting is the portrayal of the Yakuza. It is a crime family in the mould of "The Godfather," but more prosaic and less self-important than the clan created by Francis Ford Coppola. Above all, the film's theme is the lack of honour in Japanese society. The police are corrupt, and in many respects indistinguishable from the Yakuza. The central character develops a close relationship with one of the mobsters, whom he discovers is far more honourable and trustworthy than his police colleagues.All in all, a fascinating and fast-paced movie.