Yakuza Apocalypse (2015) – Japanese Movie Review

Yakuza Apocalypse is not as epic as the title would have you hoping for; but, it is a new Miike yakuza film nonetheless!...Read More

Yakuza Apocalypse: The Great War of the Underworld is not as epic as the title would have you hoping for; but, it is a new Miike yakuza film nonetheless!

YAKUZA APOCALYPSE: The Great War of the Underworld (極道大戦争) -2015

  • Directed by: Takashi Miike
  • Starring: Hayato Ishihara, Riko Narumi, Riri Furanki, Reiko Takashima, Sho Aoyagi, Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Mio Yuki, Yayan Ruhian
  • The Film: Legendary yakuza boss Genyo Kamiura is more than the most powerful yakuza boss around; he is a blood-thirsty and near invincible vampire! He treats the civilians in his town well and is highly respected. His most loyal underling is Kageyama, who strives hard to become the “ideal yakuza.” Soon, foreign assassins arrive and force boss Kamiura to put his vampire abilities to the test. This town will never be the same again..

Review

In modern times, few have more experience making yakuza films than legendary director Takashi Miike (Dead or Alive) (Ichi the Killer) (Deadly Outlaw: Rekka). In the last few years, Miike has been directing largely commercial projects that have sprawled a myriad of genres. Now, Miike gets a chance to return to his film-making roots with this v-cinema (direct to video) styled yakuza movie.

Yakuza Apocalypse begins with everything you would expect and hope for from Miike. It seems Miike is bringing a little bit of everything that he has learned through his prolific directing career to the table with Yakuza Apocalypse, feeling like his older work but with the polish of his newer films. So for the first 25 minutes of the film, it feels as if you are witnessing a bit of a rebirth from Miike. Sadly, the feeling doesn’t last.

The films initial strength really came from the character Kageyama (Hayato Ishihara), the loyal soldier and personal guard of the main boss. He is written with a hilariously fresh take on the yakuza. As an enthusiastic and promising young yakuza, Kageyama is passionate about upholding the values of what makes “a true yakuza,” which have been glorified through movies he watched while growing up. For him, the yakuza path is the only way to be a true “man.” However, he has super sensitive skin and is unable to get a proper yakuza tattoo, which cause his peers to make fun of him.

Nonetheless, the boss is very fond of Kageyama. Then, due to some events, the boss is forced to prematurely turn Kageyama into a vampire. From this point on, everything that was going so well for the film turns on its head and takes almost a whole new trajectory. We almost completely lose the Kageyama character while other subplots open up. Not that the film becomes bad, it just turns out to be less interesting as a whole when the elevated levels of wackiness begin.

Even as you wish the film to stay with Kageyama more than it does, there are still elements to enjoy in Yakuza Apocalypse. For instance, when the rumored super assassin enters town, you won’t believe what you are seeing. Yeah, it is the hilariously over-sized giant frog-suit thing from the movie poster. You have to see it to believe it, but he gives even the best yakuza fighters a run for their money. Also, when the apocalypse kicks in and the town becomes infected, the results are unexpected and quite entertaining.

On the down side, the action scenes leave a lot to be desired. We’ve got the Indonesian martial arts star from The Raid films (Yayan Ruhian) who goes pretty much unused. The other vampire and gangster action is mediocre and is only saved by the occasional character or situational oddity gags that can be credited to Miike “doing his thing.”

Yakuza Apocalypse can be summed up as a bit of a disappointment. However, there is a lot to have fun with here. It can make for great party entertainment, or a chance to take a fun mental break. There are quite a few breakaways from conventional vampire and gangster norms that keep Yakuza Apocalypse interesting enough.

      Trailer

5.9
Yakuza Apocalypse
  • Acting
    5.5
  • Story
    4.5
  • Direction
    6.5
  • Technical
    6
  • Art
    7
Categories
Japanese MoviesReview

Tyler is a passionate fan of East Asian cinema, especially South Korean films which he has followed closely for nearly two decades. He started one of the Pacific Northwest's first Korean Cinema Clubs out of the University of Idaho in 2004, where he also spent a year abroad studying Japanese at Nagasaki University of Foreign Languages. Since 2011, Tyler has been living and working in Seoul, South Korea as a freelance English teacher and writer. He also spent one year studying at Sogang University's well-known Korean Language program.
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