After being released from prison, Nick Davis (Viggo Mortensen, The Lord of the Rings) takes a job in a warehouse. When mobsters attack the facility, Nick saves the life of one of his co-workers, Shuji Sawamoto (Ryo Ishibashi, The Grudge), who turns out to be a member of the Japanese crime family who owns the warehouse, earning Nick a major promotion. No longer driving a forklift, Nick now defends the organization against Mafia forces led by Dino Campanella (Michael Nouri, Yellowstone). Nick becomes even closer to his new Japanese family when he meets Sawamoto’s goddaughter Yuko (Anzu Lawson, Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back). Their growing relationship complicates matters, as Nick harbors a dangerous secret about where his true loyalties lie. This international crime thriller also features Robert Forster (Jackie Brown), Franklyn Ajaye (Car Wash), Yuji Okumoto (Cobra Kai), Nicky Katt (Dazed and Confused), John Fujioka (American Ninja), and James Taenaka (Showdown in Little Tokyo).
What We Thought:
American Yakuza is a film I had never seen before, but feels like something I would have rented when it was released in the early 1990s. With a cast including Viggo Mortensen, Michael Nouri, Yuji Okumoto, and Robert Forster I’m surprised I’m not familiar with it.
It’s about an American (Mortensen) who gets a job working in a warehouse. He seems down on his luck and could have a past. When he helps stop some hitmen and keeps his boss alive, the Japanese man takes him under his wing and gives him a job by his side. The Italian Mafia put the hit out and soon clash with the Japanese Yakuza. Of course the man isn’t what he seems either, but I don’t think I can spoil that.
Mortensen handles the role with ease. We think of him as a big time actor nowadays, but he wasn’t a household name back in the early 1990s. He had plenty of roles under his belt, but this was a few years before he really took off.
Watching the film today it probably feels generic or done a million times before, but if you keep in mind its original release, Asian crime dramas weren’t widely watched by the average American viewer back then. Most of the Asian movies people watched were martials arts films. Most people then might not have been familiar with what the Yakuza even was. I watch a ton of Asian crime dramas and still found it pretty solid. Ryo Ishibashi is great in his role and you’ll probably know him from Audition or the original Grudge films. Yuji Okumoto (Cobra Kai) is really good too. The cast feels authentic with no one miscast even for the time.
I’m not sure what type of following American Yakuza has nowadays. I’m sure it’s something Viggo Mortensen fans remember, but is it a cult hit? I’m not sure. It checks a lot of boxes with solid drama, beautiful Asian women, some 1990s lower budget action and short runtime. For something I had never heard of I thought it was much more watchable than I expected. If you are a fan, the movie looks really good and comes with a ton of bonus features like a new commentary, new interviews and an archival interview with Viggo Mortensen.
The Nerds Templar 