So...Idk what to say here really. I watched Frankenstein (del toro) the other day and was in love with it before finishing my little frankenstein research binge. I wanted to watch Sukiyaki Western Django today but I chose Like a Dragon instead cus I really wanted to watch it for like forever. Spoilers ahead, of course.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon (Title which would later be reused for the series' 7th game) is a crime film based on the 2005 game by frequent Yakuza film director, Takashi Miike. And is, in my opinion, one of the best video game films out there. Gameplay wise, at least.
I watched the "Kiwami Cut" on Youtube, a fanmade cut of the film adding the intro title cards to a fight and rescored the film with the games' soundtrack...and removed half an hour of film scenes without Kiryu or Majima. And while I would prefer it to be the entire film, it's not like I'd get any luckier than this.
I've been a "Fan" of the series for a long while, I know a decent amount of the lore, watched gameplay, all that stuff. I got the brainrot in me without touching a single game. And for months and months this film's been on my radar and I really wanted to watch it, and from what I know, this film is pretty dang accurate to the original game.
Like, when Kiryu finishes up the convience store fight the dude flying back from the blue fire punch is in slow mo like when you finish a fight in the game. There's the whole thing with Majima and his baseball cage thingy, there's the whole quest on feeding and giving water to the Shiba for Haruka. And my favorite part, Kiryu literally chugs a staminman to continue fighting at the millenia tower cause he got his ass beat.
Plot wise, the film was kinda ehhhh. It's a loose retelling of the first game yeah, but it felt extremely rushed at certain points and that's not just from me watching the version with 1/4th of the film chopped off. And I personally chalk this up to Miike pumping out multiple films a year, with the aforementioned Western Django coming out the same year as this film.
And for the whole Kiwami Cut fan stuff, I really liked it and I think it enhanced the experience a whole lot. There's something about a helicopter flying through the city and destroying windows to Receive You that really feels different compared to if I just watched the film normally. And at the end of the vid, they play a live performance of fucking Baka Mitai with Kiryu's voice actor as the credits roll. Which is just the cherry on top.
If you're looking for a relatively funny and over-the-top Yakuza film, or looking for a better Yakuza live-action than the amazon show, or just a fan of the series in general, then this is 100% for you. If you're looking for a serious Yakuza film or a serious game film, you're better off finding something else.
Objectively, the film is at most a 7.5/10 but I give it an 8/10 for accepting and embracing the sillyness of the series and I had an absolute blast watching this film.
That's all for today and just a friendly reminder.
Just. Be. Ultra!
Actor Show Aikawa, frequent collaborator with Takashi Miike in films like his Dead or Alive trilogy, appears in the film as detective Noguchi.