Yakuza: Like a Dragon

2007 1h 50m JA

👍

6.5

SOLID

★6.5TMDB · 75

ActionCrimeDramaComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Former yakuza underling Kazuma Kiryū has recently been released from prison after a lengthy incarceration and is trying to piece his life together and distance himself from his yakuza past. Unfortunately, Kiryū's problems slowly escalate as he is pursued by a former associate, the baseball-bat-wielding psycho Gorō Majima, who has a grudge to settle with Kiryū.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Kazuki Kitamura
Kazuma Kiryū
Goro Kishitani
Gorō Majima
Show Aikawa
Noguchi
Yoshiyoshi Arakawa
Gun Seller
Kenichi Endo
Imanishi
Takashi Itō
Haruhiko Kato
Kazuki
Claude Maki
Akira Nishikiyama

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Takashi Miike
Writers: Seiji Togawa, Masashi Sogo
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan, South Korea

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 19 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Japan, South Korea.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Like a Dragon Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Takashi Miike, shot by Hideo Yamamoto. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Koji Endo. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Yasushi Shimamura shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Kazuki Kitamura and Goro Kishitani and Show Aikawa carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Takashi Miike directs. Hideo Yamamoto behind the camera. Koji Endo scores. Yasushi Shimamura cuts. Produced in Japan, South Korea. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 19 years ago.
2International production across 2 countries: Japan, South Korea.
3Part of the "Like a Dragon Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Takashi Miike, shot by Hideo Yamamoto. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Koji Endo. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Yasushi Shimamura shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Kazuki Kitamura and Goro Kishitani and Show Aikawa carry the top of the cast.
9IMDB entry: tt0991243 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 75 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
11Released under 10 different titles around the world.