Yakuza!

List creator: lizzoqops Created on: November 30, 2004 - 11:32 AM PST Description: My favorite genre

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	movie title	related list	average rating	MPAA rating	watch	rent	buy
	The Yakuza Papers vol.1: Battles Without Honor and Humanity (1973)			Not Rated
The ultimate and the best. Fukasaku has it down, arguably better than the Godfather.
	Blackmail is My Life (1968)
A really young Matsukata is way too cool for his own good.
	Street Mobster (1972)
This is my absolute favorite. Kinji Fukasaku and Bunta Sugawara create the ultimate out-there, what-will-he-do-next character you're ever likely to see in cinema-verite style. The faces Bunta makes when he thinks he might have an emotion are amazing.
	The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi (2003)
Oh, yeah, Zatoichi will tell you himself he's yakuza. I love this Kitano take on things, and of course, co-starring the amazing Asano.
	Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold (VI) (1964)			Not Rated
It's the same old story, but I think this one does it best.
	Zatoichi and the Fugitives (XVIII) (1968)
The story in this one is a little different, and it co-stars Shimura.
	Full Metal Yakuza (1997)			Not Rated
Miike does lots of Yakuza, but this one is so cheesy....I love it.
	Gozu (2003)			Not Rated
The ultimate buddy movie.
	Moon Child (2003)
Ok, so it's Teenage Vampire Yakuza. I saw this with an enthusiastic crowd, but the cool bullet ballet was just a lot of fun.
	Serpent's Path [Hebi No Michi] (1997)
Kiyoshi Kurosawa does Yakuza twice...this is the twisted serious version....
	Eyes of the Spider (Kumo No Hitomi) (1997)			Not Rated
...and the not so serious version of the same story (well, sort of). Sho Aikawa is alternately cool and naive. Both versions are excellent.
	The Most Terrible Time in My Life (1993)
Miku Hama....almost Hard-Boiled but not quite. A fun cameo from Jo Shishido. You'd never believe this was made in '93...it evokes the late '40s film noir with style and humor.
	Tokyo Mafia: Yakuza Wars			Not Rated
Who would watch parts 1, 2, and 3 without watching 4? I was hooked from the first scene.
	Rainy Dog (1997)			Not Rated
Sho Aikawa will tell you without any words about the lonely life of a hitman. An original story, and the saddest characters in any Miike movie.