Deglamorizing criminal life
PlotWe follow the life of Yamamoto Kenji – young rebel whose life changes drastically when he meets the boss of Shibazaki-gumi and becomes a part of the yakuza family.
While the movie ticks off the fundamental elements and themes of yakuza movies, such as honour, family, crime, revenge, it doesn't shy away from showing the ugly truth about the often glamorized yakuza's life. We get to see the struggles that gang members have to face when trying to adapt to the changing times and the consequences of being a questionable part of the society. The passing years bring an inevitable reality check and the movie rises the question of what is a true family and if it's possible to escape from your past.
Acting
Ayano Go gives a solid performance and so does every actor who comes on screen. We get to observe raw emotion, people engulfed in rage or torn by remorse and despair, but also silent gestures, reactions that seem so real and so human.
Cinematography
The camera work grabbed my attention from the very beginning. The movements in chase and more violent scenes are more dynamic, the camera does not just simply follow, there are pans and tilts, it slows down or speeds up when needed. There are many really beautiful shots in this movie and the good use of lighting and colours creates certain moods and adds to the atmosphere.
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a must watch
you must watch it rn, don not hesitate just go and start watching,this movie describe the timeline of a guy that joins yakuza, and how the yakuza is fading out in the current days, but the main focus is on the relationships between yakuza family members, and the value of the family. it is very realistic so the ending was satisfying to me. this movie is one of those kind that going to fill your mind for days after watching it. there is enough dialog but at the same time it relied on acting to deliver what had to be said, and they delivered greatly, Ayano Go was brilliant i really was mesmerized by his facial expressions through the whole movie, the amount of emotions i felt is still with me right now as i am writing a day later.
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Also, a colleague dated a Yakuza guy briefly, but didn't find it threatening in anyway nor did she ever feel she was in danger. And unlike some things we had heard he had no missing finger. In saying that, another person I knew had a girlfriend from Europe go missing not long before her visa was about to expire - never to be found. She was working near a place called Rappongi as an escort so likely for the Yakuza (unorganised). She was an escort that served drinks and chatted nothing more - not anything R rated.
That was a really sad situation because her boyfriend (my friend) wouldn't give up and was persistent with the police about it for years and years, but just had no luck with them or finding her.
There are a number of missing foreigners in Japan - even murdered ones, like Lucie Blackman, only not all are mass media news stories or reported in anyway.
Anyhow, back to that nearby neighbour of mine, for some time I thought it was just an unfounded rumour about him because I only ever saw delivery drop offs every now and then when I passed by that way to and from work - nothing else.
You know the scene where one of the Yakuza guys wears sunglasses in that little restaurant and it is night time - I think it is a Yakuza thing. I was coming back from work late one night when I spotted a group of men all dressed in immaculate suits standing outside that neighbour's gates with about 3 -4 limousines (shaded windows) or Cadillacs. Expensive cars. Most were smoking and all wore sunglasses. I was literally crapping myself because they could have easily taken me if they wanted and made sure I was never seen again. I knew at that exact moment they definitely were Yakuza without a doubt. I was so nervous as there was no way I passed as Japanese so all I could do really was keep my head down, not say anything and quickly walk through them to get home and hopefully not gain too much unwanted attention. Not that they could miss me! I do recall some looked really young which surprised me. I did get a few cold hard stares I reckon because one turned in my direction and I could feel the intensity of being somewhere I probably shouldn't have been at that moment, but noone approached or hassled me. It was obvious something must have happened for them to be there so late and dressed like that - we (Japanese friends and I) worked out that there may have been a death among them, but who knows?! As the family name was on the gate near the mail box one friend looked for death notices under that name, but came up with zilch.
That is another thing - security cameras weren't so common in our area, but that place had them, also, he had a huge swimming pool which was uncommon as well. I don't think security cameras were so widely used back then when I think about it, but I could be wrong.
Guns weren't really an issue in Japan when I was there nor things like petty theft or mugging, but I didn't really work or live in bad areas if they did exist. I do remember mushrooms and other hardcore drugs starting to circulate only drugs really weren't so big back then either- they were obtainable, but not a massive problem like how we see it in Western countries.
This film touches on the years I lived in Japan if it starts in the late 1990s and onwards.
When I was there anyone with tattoos was banned from using the gyms and swimming pools because tattoos were associated with the Yakuza, also, believe it or not permed hair for some reason. Gangster hairstyle maybe.
I was told old Yakuza families belonged to organised crime and newer individuals belonged to unorganised crime - each different from the other.
Just wanted to share my experience because of this movie triggering certain memories even though what I saw or experienced with the Yakuza was just in passing whereas living in Japan was not.
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Yakuza Respect
Recommend the film, finished watching it now.Deep, heavy and meaningful story, I didn't know the yakuza suffered like that back in days, late in 90s till now, I think I knew nothing about them, I feel like I understand more about the yakuza life. Appreciate the hard work, I didn't skip any part.
The ending was unpredictable, how he did that to him, why to blame him, it's not his fault, I feel so bad for him, Yamamoto.
I think a lot of yakuza ppl suffered to be accepted, suffered to have a life, to be part of the community, imagine how awful their life was from seeing all who around yakuza members got abandoned just because they don't want to be mentioned as a friend of them, it's obvious when Yamamoto got out of ..... even him was surprised how everyone and everything had changed..
I remember that yakuza was the reason of Japanese ppl and Japan to be existed and strong like now...
atch it if you like reality and not the happy ending type .
I don't know why I still feel unease....
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So many Half-baked Stories!
I didn't like 'Yakuza and The Family'. Maybe because it tries to cover too much, there are lots of half-baked stories that don't make sense. For example, both the guy's best friend and his woman_adults with decades of life experience_show extreme behaviours: one moment totally rejecting him and then immediately helping and accepting him into their lives; and then when things go wrong, leaving him alone and putting all the blame on him. What exactly did they expect?In any case, I wish he would talk to me after his prison time: I have a simple suggestion for him: Don't show up for 1 or 2 years, maybe travel to some distant city, but keep connection with friends and family. And then gradually coming back to normal and family life. I swear to God that I could guarantee a happy family life for the father, mother and the kid.
Last but not least, it was nice to see that Japan slowly but surely has reduced the Yakuza problem. This slow disappearance is the best!
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