American Yakuza - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

American Yakuza



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:

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Movie
While Viggo Mortensen didn’t really gain mass market appeal until he was cast in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the man had been working for years in the industry with some notable successes. One of them being the strange Japanese/American hybrid production, American Yakuza back in 1993. Growing up in the 90s this was a staple of late night HBO weekend showings, and I got my fill of it back then, but upon getting into film class in college I actually understood WHY it seemed to be an HBO cable TV movie and not one I remembered seeing in theaters. It seems that American Yakuza was a Toei Video co-production with the United States, and never got a theatrical release here in the states, only in Japan (where it’s release was actually pretty minimal). It wasn’t until a year later in 1994 that America got to see the film via HBO, and it stayed there until its physical release during the DVD heyday.

American Yakuza travels across some pretty rote material, with Viggo playing David Brandt, an FBI agent who has gone undercover as Nick Davis in order to infiltrate the Yakuza making a stronghold in California. After saving the life of high ranking member Shuki Sawamoto (Ryo Ishibashi), “Nick” is pulled into the fold, climbing the ranks as a low level enforcer as he continues to glean information that he can use to give to his boss (Robert Forster) in the FBI.

The Tendo Yakuza family happen to be under attack by the Italian American crime family run by Dino Campanela (Michael Nouri), and it’s up to Shuki and Nick/David to try and take them out before they’re taken out. And while Nick is still trying to bring the whole thing down on their heads, his loyalty begins to waver as the appeal of his new family tugs at his heart, and his soul.

As I said before, American Yakuza travels over previously well worn territory here, with a young cop having to decide where his loyalties lie when he is inducted into a close nit crime family. It really feels like a lighter version of something like The Hunted, or a myriad of other 90s action movies where the hero struggles with honor and loyalty in a world devoid of it. The heavy Japanese influences are made all the more palpable due to the intertwined connection with Toei Video, and it actually feels more authentic than I remembered. Ryo and Viggo play off of each other well, and the final fight is rather impressive.

If I have to levy any complaints against the film, it’s that it relies way too much on slow motion action shots, as well as suffers a bit in the editing department. Scenes can abruptly end and shift to another without warning, and it there is some choppiness in how it flows as a result. I can sort of understand why the film never got a wide release in the states, as it feels right at home with a lot of the Cable TV night time fare of the time period. That being said, American Yakuza is one of the better Cable TV productions out there, and definitely has a cult following. I used to watch this on repeat back in the mid 90s, and I can still remember staying up super late just so I could see the unedited version after my parents went to bed.





Rated R for strong violence, and for language and sexuality.




Video:

The results are pretty solid, but you have to remember that American Yakuza was a seriously low budget film in the very early 90s, and that rustic and rough look that 90s action movies had is very prevalent here. Grain can be a bit wonky here and there, but is mostly good, but I noticed some grain spikes during the darker shots in side of a hotel, or in the opening sequence gang shootout. Clarity and focus are good, but once again, can waver just a bit here and there. Colors are warm and ruddy, with that hot look that was so unique to the 1990s. Fine details are good, but again, do waver and fluctuate here and there. But overall this is a very nice looking disc for what was a VERY cheaply shot action movie from 93 (I remember the cable TV version looking pretty awful from my memory).









Audio:

Described on the back as English, the LPCM 2.0 theatrical mix from Arrow is actually more a Japanese/English hybrid track. With the majority of the film being in English, but a not insignificant part of the track featuring subtitled Japanese. Said LPCM track is good enough, with strong dialog, and a nice sense of ambiance with the score. There is a very noticeable lack of effects sounds in many of the scenes, giving it a very rough and unfinished sound to my ears. There’s plenty of fidelity and clarity to go around though, and I wouldn’t call it a bad mix. Just not a very nuanced one.









Extras:

• Commentary by Frank Cappello & Anzu Lawson
• Yakuza Style
• Decoding Honor
• Interview with Ryo Ishibashi
• Trailer
• Image Gallery

Final Score: ​

American Yakuza is not a perfect film, but it is a fun entry from Viggo Mortensen’s earlier filmography. A great supporting cast make this way more fun that it should have been, and the rough and gritty 90s samurai action film is a blast to watch. I was super excited to see that Arrow was releasing this film in HD for the first time (domestically that is, I believe an international release was done around 2022), and it’s a very solid bit of work from Arrow. The remaster is solid, although nothing amazing, and the new extras are a nice treat. This is sort of a cult/niche action flick, but one that should appeal to fans of 80s and early 90s gangster action flicks.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Viggo Mortenson, Ryo Ishibashi, Michael Nouri, Franklin Ajaye, Robert Forster
Directed by: Frank A. Cappello
Written by: Takashige Ichese, Max Strom, John Allen Nelson
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 AVC
Audio: English: LPCM 2.0
Subtitles: English SDH
Studio: Arrow Video
Rated: NR
Runtime: 96 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: January 10th, 2026

Recommendation: Very Good Watch