American Yakuza

"The mob has a new enemy."

1993 1h 36m EN

😐

5.8

MID

★5.8TMDB · 77

CrimeActionThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When Nick Davis leaves prison after one year in solitairy, he is hired to operate a forklift in a warehouse in the harbor owned by the Japanese Yakuza patriarch Isshin Tendo. The place is assaulted by the Italian Mafia lead by Dino Campanela and Nick rescues and saves the life of Shuji Sawamoto, who is the representative of Yakuza interests in America. Shuji hires Nick to work for Yakuza and becomes his godfather in the family after his oath to join Yakuza. However, Nick is a lonely FBI undercover agent assigned to penetrate the criminal organization. When the FBI discovers that Campanela is organizing a massive attack to destroy the Yakuza, Nick's boss Littman calls off the operation to leave the dirty work to the Italian Mafia. But the connection of Nick with Shuji and his goddaughter Yuko forces him to help his Japanese family.

“The mob has a new enemy.”

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Cast

Viggo Mortensen
Nick Davis / David Brandt
Ryo Ishibashi
Shuji Sawamoto
Michael Nouri
Dino Campanela
Franklyn Ajaye
Sam
Yuji Okumoto
Kazuo
Anzu Lawson
Yuko
Robert Forster
Littman
John Fujioka
Isshin Tendo

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Frank A. Cappello
Writers: Takashige Ichise, Max Strom, John Allen Nelson
Languages: English, Italian, Japanese
Countries: Japan, United States of America

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

33 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, Italian, Japanese.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Japan, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "American Yakuza Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Frank A. Cappello, shot by Richard Clabaugh. 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 David C. Williams. 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 Sonny Baskin 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

Viggo Mortensen and Ryo Ishibashi and Michael Nouri carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Frank A. Cappello directs. Richard Clabaugh behind the camera. David C. Williams scores. Sonny Baskin cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan, United States of America. Dialogue in English, Italian, Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

133 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, Italian, Japanese.
3International production across 2 countries: Japan, United States of America.
4Part of the "American Yakuza Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by Frank A. Cappello, shot by Richard Clabaugh. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by David C. Williams. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Sonny Baskin shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Viggo Mortensen and Ryo Ishibashi and Michael Nouri carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "The mob has a new enemy.".
10IMDB entry: tt0109099 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Only 77 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.