Movie Reviews: Yakuza And The Family

2 Hrs 16 Mins

Rating

★★★★

Duration

2 Hrs 16 Mins

Movie Digest

From 1999 until 2019, this is the narrative of a family. It tells a story about the Yakuza world that is informative and entertaining. Yamamoto Kenji is the protagonist of the story, who joins a criminal organization when his father dies of a drug overdose. The youngster decides not to meet the same fate as his father. The passing time and the yakuza being taken over by the government make Kenji rediscover life and himself. Michihito Fujii attempts to portray the yakuza in a humane light. The moviemaker wants to emphasize the value of fatherhood and family.

The Feel-Good Part

The cinematography is the most visually appealing aspect of the movie. The cinematographer has done his utmost to capture every scene naturally. The camerawork is quite meticulous and draws a lot of attention to the image. Fujii, the moviemaker, has kept the movie very authentic and has attempted to depict all aspects of a Yakuza’s non-glamorous life. It contains all of the characteristics that define a Yakuza movie. Instead of portraying a bloody action movie, Fujii shows us the emotional side of the protagonists’ journey through the crime syndicate, emphasizing the value of family and how it molds one’s life.

The Disappointing Factor

The movie attempted to cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time. The first two sequences are a bit fast-paced. The plot of the movie appears to be kind of predictable. The characters’ relationships are tenuous at best. Shibasaki, who plays a father figure in Kenji’s life, does not demonstrate that they have a close relationship. Character development is lacking in the movie. The movie also lacks rhythm and appears to be too emotional.

In-Depth Analysis

The story follows Kenji, a young child who joins the Yakuzas following his father’s death from a drug overdose. He soon draws the attention of Shibasaki, the Yakuzas’ leader, who takes him in and treats him as if he were his son. The story follows Kenji’s life with the Yakuzas over several years. Fujii has done an outstanding job directing this movie. The movie has covered all of the essential features of a Yakuza movie which makes it generic, but the minor portions make this movie enjoyable to watch. The audience gets awestruck by the emotional sequences woven together. The movie is realistically depicted and grounded. The music has been composed well by the sound crew, and it offers a highly accurate portrayal of Yakuzas’ present mood with emotional depth. The images are pleasing to the eye. The movie explores the influence of family on human development. The script is quite emotional. The final scene, “a family,” is worth seeing.

 Star Power

Yamamoto Kenji, played by Go Ayano, is the lead character. Go Ayano brings the character to life. His performance moves all the Yakuza fans. It is crucial in bringing the emotional part of the movie to life. All of the performers in the movie provide powerful performances and make the movie human. The portrayal of emotions feels especially authentic. The casting staff did an excellent job.

Overall Opinion

A Family is a movie that has breathtaking photography to emotionally engaging dialogues.