What happens when you blow the right arm and left leg off of a tough and angry Yakuza thug? You make him even more bad ass by strapping a M61 Vulcan machine gun to his arm and install an anti-tank missile launcher in the knee of his bionic leg. Interesting, I know, but that’s exactly what co-directors Tak Sakaguchi and Yudai Yamaguchi did in their latest Sushi Typhoon title to hit the big screen, Yakuza Weapon.
The film is about the toughest Yakuza in the world, Shozo Iwaki (Tak Sakaguchi), who, after a few years of battling people in the jungle and easily evading bullets, returns to his home of Tokyo after the news of his father’s death. Upon his return, Shozo and his two sidekicks visit a loan shop that used to be the family headquarters. It is there where they find out that Kurawaki, a Yakuza business leader and the man who killed Shoza’s father, is trying to unite the east and west families under his one name and change up the Yakuza game. He is extremely powerful and goes against the code of Jingi and everything Yakuza members stand for. After 20 minutes, Yakuza Weapon turns into an explosive vengeance flick with Shozo on the hunt for Kurawaki with the comical side plot of him also trying to evade his arranged wife-to-be, Nayoko (Mei Kurokawa).
So what did I like about this film? Well, I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that, no matter the situation, Tak yelled all of his lines. The guy was exploding with energy because his character was always pissed off, which made every appearance so much more enjoyable to watch. One example of his outrageous dialogue is when he would yell tough guy lines like “bullets can’t hit me because I ain’t scared of them.” I also enjoyed the fact that the only person he was even remotely intimidated by was Nayoko. I guess it’s true, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
Another aspect I really enjoyed was the effects. Yoshihiro Nishimura was in charge which is why the splatter and weapons were really well done. One effect/prop that I loved was the naked woman weapon. There is a scene where Shozo must battle his childhood friend, Tetsu (Arata Yamanaka), and since Shozo had a machinegun on his arm, Tetsu needed something as well. What he got was a naked woman whose head would slide down and reveal a machinegun and who would also spread her legs to shoot rockets out of her vagina. Be honest, when do you get to experience anything of that sort of magnitude here in the states. All the killing, bullets, crotch rockets and more were really well done for such a low budget film.
One last aspect of the film that I liked was the action because how Rambo/Commando-esque it was. Like Rambo, or any Schwarzenegger character, Sakaguchi just wouldn’t die and, as a result, would beat the living crap out of his opponents. One such instance of Shozo doing work was when he was versing tons of enemies during the very impressive one shot, four minute fight scene (I found out later that they only started to rehearse the scene an hour before they shot it). There aren’t too many movies that have one shot fight scenes like that, so whenever you get to experience it you really begin to appreciate the art of filmmaking.
One thing I wasn’t completely satisfied with was the ending. SPOILER ALERT The ending involved a nuke being linked to Kurawaki and, if he died, the nuke would go off and Japan would have nuclear fallout. END SPOILER. I understand where Tak and Yudai were going with it, but the entire way it ended, despite being comical, seemed more like a copout then anything. There were also a few moments where it got a bit boring, but I could say that about any movie so take what I say with a grain of salt.
If you ever plan on seeing this movie, please see it with a fun and rowdy crowd that cheer, clap and holler whenever something crazy goes down. When I saw this at the Japan society it was with people who love these sorts of cult films. Specifically films with excessive blood splatter, extremely funny dialogue (whether it’s good or bad is up to you), over the top acting, action mayhem and, most importantly, that offer up new experiences. Overall, Yakuza Weapon is one comical piece of cinematic pandemonium.
Rating: Hysterically loud, a tad psychotic, and bloody awesome (7.3/10)
On a non-review related note, I stayed after the screening to attend the Yakuza Weapon after party and had the opportunity to meet everyone in attendance (Producer Yoshinori Chiba, Director Yudai Yamaguchi, co-director/star Tak Sakaguchi, and co-star Arata Yamanaka). Although I didn’t chat with Tak, I did chat with the other guys and, I have to say, they were all pretty cool, good natured people. Although Yudai messed with my head a few times, I got to learn about a little bit about the upcoming Murderball film which is screening at Fantasia fest. I also found out that Arata Yamanaka was in Karate-Robo Zaborga which I didn’t realize at the time. If any of you ever want the chance to hang out and drink with some cool Japanese filmmakers/actors then The NYAFF and Japan Cuts after parties is the place to do it. Good times with good people for the price of a premium movie ticket. I’d suggest trying to get to some of the other screenings that have after parties, you won’t regret it!
A video of the Yakuza Weapon Q & A with a bonus ‘sword fight’ to be posted soon.
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