Viggo Mortensen's American and Ryo Ishibashi's Yakuza, Highlight this Low-Budget Gangster Movie that Never Really Amounts to More than a Slightly Above Average Go for this Type of Thing.It Seems to Try Some Stylish Turns Here and There but the Violence for Example is Tone Inconsistent and this Makes for an Odd Feel to the Film. The Shootouts are Kinetic and Bloody but when it's Up Close and Personal the Movie Switches its Gear and Cuts Away at the Last Minute.Wanting to have it Both Ways Makes for a Frustrating Tone as the Film can't Decide on What it is. A Personal Inside Story of Loyalty and "Friendship" or a Kick-Butt John Woo Ripoff. Overall, Worth a Watch for the Two Lead Performances and Some Scenes that Work Well with Good Cinematography. The Movie Looks Better than Most B-Movies with a Soft Color Scheme that Adds a Bit of a Laid Back Ambiance. However, the Italian Mob-FBI-Yakuza Angle is a Lackluster Affair and Not Handled Very Well.

David Brandt (Mortensen) is an FBI agent assigned to go deep undercover to infiltrate the Yakuza. He poses as an ex-con named Nick Davis and begins working in the warehouse of Isshin Tendo (Fujioka). When the main rivals to the Tendo gang, the Italian Mafia under the command of Dino Campanela (Nouri), stage a raid on the warehouse, Brandt saves Sawamoto (Ishibashi) from certain death. Sawamoto takes a liking to "Nick" and takes him under his wing. However, when Brandt's boss, Littman (Forster) informs him that the Campanela clan is going to wipe out the Tendo gang, and to stay out of it, Brandt gets angry, firstly because he's fallen in love with Yuko (Lawson), and secondly because he's come to actually respect the culture and customs of the Japanese, which has blurred his judgment to the fact that he's dealing with criminals. So during the final firefight between the two gangs, Brandt makes his final stand...what will it be? American Yakuza is classier-than-usual fare and recommended viewing. It's shot very well, the acting is top-notch, there's intelligence behind the writing, and it's directed with a mixture of grit and an artistic streak that is very hard to pull off, but here wins over the audience.It's definitely more of a gangster drama than an action movie, but there are some spectacular action scenes that make you wish there was room in the plot to fit in a few more. But it is somewhat unfair to demand "More Action!" because this isn't strictly an action movie. It's a well-thought-out, underrated affair that more people should see.It's funny, Robert Forster plays pretty much the exact same role here as he does in Scanner Cop II (it even looks like it's shot in the same room), and Michael Nouri plays almost the same role as he does in Overkill. If they were items on a computer, it's easy to imagine the director dragging and dropping them from their respective movies into this one. That's not meant to be an insult, Forster does his usual professional job and Nouri seems in his element. It's actually one of the better Nouri performances we can remember. Viggo Mortensen made this movie before he was even really a big name, and he achieves the complex task of making you understand his emotions and motivations as he pulls off his double life. He should get more credit for that. As he gets swept up in the Yakuza lifestyle, he still tries to make a contrast between his American culture, and their Yakuza one, by preferring good old American whisky to their Sake.Because American Yakuza combines visual flair with an engaging plot, you really can't lose. Interestingly enough, this would make a great double feature with American Dragons (1998). They are both high quality movies with some similarities. We give high marks to American Yakuza.For more action insanity, please visit: www.comeuppancereviews.com

American Yakuza is a story of an FBI agent named David Brandt (Viggo Mortensen) who poses as Nick Davis and infiltrates the Japanese Yakuza. This is written in the plot outline but it seems to be a twist in the story about a 3rd of the way through. While on the job, Nick helps the Yakuza when they are surprise attacked by the Mafia. After fending off the attackers he saves the life of Shuji Sawamoto (Ryo Ishibashi), who just happens to be a high ranking Yakuza member. It is here that they establish a friendship and an eventual spot in the Yakuza for Nick Davis.For the most part, I enjoyed the story which pits the FBI against the Yakuza against the Mafia. You never know which way the tide is going to turn.As for the acting, the major players were great. Viggo Mortensen and Ryo Ishibashi did a good job in their leading roles. Some of the smaller parts could have used some work but overall, I enjoyed this movie and came out of it with no major complaints. 7/10

Another interesting part for Viggo Mortensen. Tracking down his movies is an adventure. He does choose some unusual and fascinating characters to play. Although I don't think this one is exactly play for him; he goes for the gut. He is really in deep. I had to watch this film (DVD) twice to get some of the dialogue, and I wish I spoke Japanese, but it was worth it. (Viggo, with his laconic accent needs to be miked better.) The plot is complicated and there seems to be a plethora of doublecrossing, double dealing bad guys - even the so-called good guys.... but then you should watch this flick. There is some terrific acting all around. And plenty of action.