Yakuza, also known as gokudō, are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media, by request of the police, call them bōryokudan, while the yakuza call themselves ninkyō dantai. The English equivalent for the term yakuza is gangster, meaning an individual involved in a Mafia-like criminal organization.
Viggo Peter Mortensen Jr.R is an American actor, artist, musician and filmmaker. He is the recipient of various accolades, including nominations for three Academy Awards for Best Actor, three BAFTA Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and an Independent Spirit Award.
Kids Return is a 1996 Japanese film written, edited and directed by Takeshi Kitano. The film was made directly after Kitano recovered from a motorcycle wreck that left one side of his body paralyzed. After undergoing extensive surgery and physical therapy, he quickly went about making Kids Return amidst speculation that he might never be able to work again. The movie is about two high school dropouts, Masaru and Shinji, who try to find a direction and meaning in their lives—one by becoming a yakuza lieutenant, the other by becoming a boxer.
Brother is a 2000 crime film starring, written, directed, and edited by Takeshi Kitano. The film premiered on September 7, 2000 at the Venice Film Festival. The plot centers on a mature yakuza gangster who has to flee to America, where he unites forces with his little brother and his brother’s gang in Los Angeles.
Franklyn Ajaye is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and writer. His nickname is "The Jazz Comedian" for his distinctive jazz-inflected style of delivery, timing, and use of silence. He released a series of comedy albums starting in 1973 and has acted in film and television shows from the 1970s through the present, including as a primary character in the 1976 ensemble comedy Car Wash and a supporting role in Sam Peckinpah's Convoy (1978).
John Allen Nelson is an American actor and screenwriter. He is best known for his roles on television as Warren Lockridge on Santa Barbara, John D. Cort on Baywatch, Walt Cummings in 24 and Silas Bunch in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. He is also known for starring in the cult classic science fiction comedy horror film Killer Klowns from Outer Space.
Eastern Promises is a 2007 British-Canadian gangster film directed by David Cronenberg from a screenplay by Steven Knight. The film tells the story of Anna, a Russian-British midwife who delivers the baby of a drug-addicted 14-year old trafficked Ukrainian girl who dies in childbirth. After Anna learns that the teen was forced into prostitution by the Russian Mafia in London, the leader of the Russian gangsters threatens the baby's life, and Anna is warned off by his menacing henchman.
War is a 2007 American action thriller film directed by Philip G. Atwell in his directorial debut and featuring stage combat choreographed by Corey Yuen. The film stars Jet Li and Jason Statham, and was released in the United States on August 24, 2007. War features the second collaboration between Jet Li and Jason Statham, reuniting them for the first time since 2001 film The One. Jason Statham plays an FBI agent determined to take down a mysterious assassin known as Rogue, after his partner is murdered.
Ryo Ishibashi is a Japanese actor and lead singer of the Japanese rock band ARB. He is known around the world for his roles in the Japanese horror films Suicide Club and Audition. He is also recognized in America for his role as Nakagawa in The Grudge and The Grudge 2.
Yuji Don Okumoto is an American actor of Japanese descent. He is best known for his role as Chozen Toguchi in The Karate Kid franchise. He has also appeared in such films as Better Off Dead,Real Genius, True Believer (1989), American Yakuza (1993), Contact (1997), The Truman Show (1998), Pearl Harbor (2001), Only the Brave (2006), Inception (2010) and Driven (2018).
Frank Anthony Vallelonga Sr., better known by his stage name Tony Lip, was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of crime boss Carmine Lupertazzi in the HBO series, The Sopranos. Lip portrayed real-life Bonanno crime family mobster Philip Giaccone in Donnie Brasco, and real-life Lucchese crime family mobster Francesco Manzo in Goodfellas. It was at the Copacabana nightclub that he first met Francis Ford Coppola and Louis DiGiaimo, leading to a small role in The Godfather, his film debut. He also co-wrote the book Shut Up and Eat! (2005).
Blue Tiger is a 1994 American action thriller film directed by Norberto Barba, and starring Virginia Madsen, Ryo Ishibashi and Yuji Okumoto.
Back to Back, also known as American Yakuza 2, and Back to Back: American Yakuza 2, is a 1996 American action film. It is directed by Roger Nygard and written by Nygard and Scott Nimerfro. The film was produced by W.K. Border, Thomas Calabrese, Takashige Ichise, Aki Komine, Michael Leahy, and Joel Soisson. It stars Michael Rooker, Ryo Ishibashi, and Danielle Harris. It is a sequel to the 1993 film, American Yakuza.
Outrage is a 2010 Japanese yakuza film written, directed, co-edited and starring Takeshi Kitano. It competed for the Palme d'Or at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. It is followed by Beyond Outrage (2012) and Outrage Coda (2017).
Anzu Lawson is an American actress, singer, songwriter, comedian, playwright, director and screenwriter. She has also been credited under the names Cristina Lawson, Cristina Anzu Lawson and Anzu Cristina.
No Way Back is a 1995 American action film written and directed by Frank A. Cappello. The film stars Russell Crowe, Helen Slater, and Etsushi Toyokawa. The film was released in 1996 in the United States.
Another Lonely Hitman is a Japanese yakuza film directed by Rokurō Mochizuki starring Ryo Ishibashi and Asami Sawaki, who was making her film debut. The film was based on a novel by Yukio Yamanouchi who also appears as an actor in the film. The Japanese title of the film begins with the character 新, shin (new), to distinguish this movie from a 1989 film 悲しきヒットマン, also based on a novel by Yamanouchi but unrelated in plot.
A gangster film or gangster movie is a film belonging to a genre that focuses on gangs and organized crime. It is a subgenre of crime film, that may involve large criminal organizations, or small gangs formed to perform a certain illegal act. The genre is differentiated from Westerns and the gangs of that genre.
Crimes of the Future is a 2022 science fiction body horror drama film written and directed by David Cronenberg. The film stars Viggo Mortensen, Léa Seydoux and Kristen Stewart. It follows a performance artist duo who perform surgery for audiences in a future where human evolution has accelerated for much of the population. Although the film shares its title with Cronenberg's 1970 film of the same name, it is not a remake as the story and concept are unrelated. The film marked Cronenberg's return to the science fiction and horror genres for the first time since Existenz (1999).
