THE YAKUZA

title: THE YAKUZA

year: 1974

cast: Robert Mitchum, Brian Keith, Ken Takakura, Richard Jordan

rating: *1/2

It's amazing that the creator of CHINATOWN (Robert Towne), teamed-up with the genius behind TAXI DRIVER (Paul Schrader), could devise a script with zero entertainment value: centering on WWII vet Robert Mitchum returning to Japan to rescue a friend's kidnapped daughter. The dialogue seems endless and pointless, especially between Mitchum and his old Japanese flame. And when action does occur, it feels rushed and awkward, directed by Sydney Pollack with the intensity of a daytime soap. And yet, beyond the miscasting of the usually comedic Herb Edelman, and the waste of Mitchum and Brian Keith's talents, Japanese actor Ken Takakura, as the only character with any purpose (or power), has potential: but is stuck in the wrong film to use it.