One of the oldest organized crime syndicates in the world, the Japanese yakuza can trace their origins as far back as the seventeenth century. In cinematic form, the yakuza genre has undergone several iterations dating back to the silent era.
Early yakuza films tended to focus on Robin Hood-esque characters, while the genre's Golden Age, the 1950s and 1960s, saw the emergence of Hollywood-inspired yakuza films made by Nikkatsu. Some of Japan's greatest auteurs, such as Takeshi Kitano, Kinji Fukasaku, and Seijun Suzuki, all became internationally recognized filmmakers due to their brilliance in directing yakuza films.
10 Pigs And Battleships Uses The Yakuza Genre To Tackle American Imperialism
Shôhei Imamura's fifth feature, Pigs and Battleships, was his first major success and aided in establishing Imamura as a major figure in the emerging Japanese New Wave film movement. A satirical comedy yakuza film, Pigs and Battleships criticizes the impact of American imperialism on Japan. The American occupation of Japan not only affected Japanese politics but also caused a schism between traditional Japanese culture and the newfound influx of American consumer culture.
The highly controversial Pigs and Battleships contains one of cinema's most audacious climaxes that is equal parts hysterical and poignant. However, due to the film going over budget and running over time, Imamura was banned from directing for two years.
9 Tokyo Drifter Pushes The Yakuza Genre Towards The Avant-Garde
As the 1960s progressed, Nikkatsu bad boy Seijun Suzuki's cinematic style became increasingly erratic and surreal, much to the dismay of studio executives. Despite warnings to tone down his style, Suzuki pushed Tokyo Drifter to new heights of surrealism and absurdism.
A deconstruction of yakuza genre conventions, Tokyo Drifter is a postmodern amalgamation of a yakuza narrative mixed with elements taken from musicals, comedies, and westerns. The film's pop art aesthetic, gorgeous production design, magnificent shot composition, and eye-popping use of color make Tokyo Drifter a truly unique yakuza experience.
8 Violent Cop Makes Dirty Harry Look Tame
Takeshi Kitano shocked audiences in 1989 with his directorial debut Violent Cop. Kitano was one of Japan's most famous comedians during the 1970s and 1980s. This made his decision to direct and star in the viciously brutal Violent Cop a surprise to many.
A film that makes Dirty Harry look tame, Violent Cop depicts a ruthless detective's fight against the yakuza and raises questions as to the fine line between cop and criminal. In Violent Cop, Kitano debuts many components that would go on to become staples of his filmography such as dark humor, bursts of graphic violence, impeccable shot composition, and a deadpan aesthetic.
7 Battles Without Honor And Humanity Is The Japanese Godfather
Kinji Fukasaku's Battles Without Honor and Humanity is commonly referred to as the Japanese Godfather and is widely considered one of the greatest Japanese films ever made. Fukasaku directed a string of iconic yakuza films throughout the 1970s and had a late-career resurgence with the smash hit Battle Royale.
Battles Without Honor and Humanity proved so commercially and critically successful that it launched a franchise that now includes eleven films in total. The film focuses on the politics of being in the yakuza and how in an organization supposedly built upon honor, everyone is actually only out for themselves. In the yakuza life, honor is a myth that does not really exist.
6 Drunken Angel Becomes The First Post-War Yakuza Film
Akira Kurosawa is arguably Japan's greatest filmmaker, and he is certainly Japan's most well-known director internationally. Although his name has become synonymous with the samurai genre, Kurosawa worked in a plethora of genres, including yakuza movies.
Drunken Angel was the first major post-war yakuza film and depicts the relationship between a doctor and an ailing yakuza. The sickly yakuza is played by Toshiro Mifune. Drunken Angel marked the first of sixteen collaborations between the iconic actor and seminal filmmaker. Like many Kurosawa films, Drunken Angel has become a time capsule of the struggles of Japan recovering in a post-war world.
5 Sonatine Is A Tragically Beautiful Depiction Of The Yakuza Life
Whereas Violent Cop features Takeshi Kitano at the infancy of his directorial capabilities, Sonatine perfectly encapsulates Kitano in peak form. Sonatine is a deadpan, idiosyncratic, absurdist tale about a yakuza who is tired of the meaningless violence and bureaucracy of gangster life.
Much of Sonatine takes place in the aftermath of a violent altercation where several yakuza hide out at a remote beach house and enjoy life away from their criminal lifestyles. The film operates with such freedom, utilizing the powers of cinema to their maximum capacity. Sonatine is clearly influenced by filmmakers like Jean-Luc Godard and Seijun Suzuki. However, Kitano uses those influences to craft a film that is entirely his own.
4 Branded To Kill Got Seijun Suzuki Blacklisted For Ten Years
Following Nikkatsu's immense displeasure with Tokyo Drifter, Seijun Suzuki was punished with even smaller budgeted projects and was forbidden from shooting in color. With Branded to Kill, Suzuki rebelled yet again, crafting what is now considered an absurdist masterpiece.
Branded to Kill was deemed incomprehensible by Nikkatsu executives, who refused to release the film at all. This led to a lawsuit that Suzuki won, however, his contract was terminated and he was unable to direct a film for ten years. Another deconstruction of the yakuza genre, Branded to Kill features an extremely loose narrative structure, blatantly discontinuous editing, absurdist comedy, and an abundance of surrealist imagery.
3 Kurosawa Channels Hollywood Film Noir In Stray Dog
Inspired by the seminal American documentary-style film noir The Naked City, Akira Kurosawa's Stray Dog is a yakuza masterpiece that combines multiple sub-genres of crime drama. Stray Dog infuses elements of neorealism, film noir, police procedural, and buddy cop films to craft a narrative about two cops who must track down one of their stolen guns.
Similarly to Drunken Angel, Stray Dog astutely captures the painful years of post-war Japan. One of the film's most poignant themes is that social conditions cause people to resort to a life of crime out of desperation. In Stray Dog, this involves a soldier who turns to the yakuza after struggling to reacclimate himself to civilian life.
2 Hana-bi Wins The Golden Lion At Venice International Film Festival
Hana-bi, known in the United States as Fireworks, is Takeshi Kitano's magnum opus. The apex of his directorial talents, Hana-bi took home the prestigious Golden Lion at Venice International Film Festival. Although Kitano had directed several films at this point in time that had received substantial international acclaim, it was not until Hana-bi won the Golden Lion that Kitano began to be taken seriously as a filmmaker in Japan.
Hana-bi revolves around a violent former police detective who borrows money from the yakuza in order to help pay for his wife's terminal cancer care. Like Sonatine, the film is idiosyncratic, deadpan, and violent, yet at the same time, it is quiet, profound, and emotionally resonant.
1 Pale Flower Is A Landmark Work Of Art From The Japanese New Wave
Directed by Japanese New Wave legend Masahiro Shinoda, Pale Flower is a beautifully shot and poetically crafted yakuza noir drenched in existential philosophy and nihilistic despair. Pale Flower is a landmark film from the Japanese New Wave film movement and was included in Roger Ebert's Greatest Films list.
Pale Flower follows a yakuza hitman, recently released from prison, who becomes obsessed with a mysterious woman he meets at a gambling den. The two embark on a self-destructive relationship hell-bent on seeking out physical pleasure. Drugs, sex, gambling, fast cars, and murder all ensue.