A Masterpiece!

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

The cinematography of this film was excellent. It is a slow burner and brutal in some scenes however If you like Japanese culture you will enjoy this film. Not for gaijins :)

There are some really good things in this East-meets-West film, but I have to admit that I am in the minority here, and I didn't think the movie was completely satisfying. I'm not saying it's a bad movie, because the movie does shine in some key areas. The whole package has a good visual look to it, capturing post-war Japan extremely well; this is certainly not a cheap-looking film. And the idea of the movie - a westerner finding his way into a side of Japanese society traditionally closed to foreigners - is certainly intriguing, and does lead to some very interesting moments. Western viewers who are interested in Japanese culture will certainly get a lot of insight.But as good as the movie gets at time, there are some things that hold it back from being a really great movie. For starters, there is the pacing. While I am glad that the movie was not extremely fast-paced - which would be inappropriate for a serious-minded movie like this - all the same I have to admit that it was a bit slow at times. A little tightening here and there would have worked wonders. The biggest problem, however, is with its characters. I don't think the movie got into the heads of its main characters enough, particularly with the Jared Leto character. We learn practically nothing about his past, why he decides to join the yakuza, and what is going on in his head. He is such a bland character, it's hard to care about him one way or another. I admit that I am glad that I saw this movie, since there is some really good stuff here and there. All the same, I don't think the movie is as good as it could have been. Yes, see the movie, but don't get your expectations too high, or you might be very disappointed.

Sometimes I don't understand how a movie can receive the rating it gets. At the time of this review, this movie has a 6.1. This is not a perfect movie but it is well worth watching, if you like these types of movies. The plot is simple enough. A White man is in jail for a reason we never find out about in post world war 2 Japan. He gets released sometime in the 1950's. He finds himself involved with organized crime and a turf war. We watch as this movie slowly unfolds and the plot further develops. The acting is superb. The directing, cinematography, special effects, music, are all excellent. I would highly recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys slow moving thrillers and a deep and complex story that slowly gets revealed in subtle ways. This is probably one of the best movies of the genre I have seen. It might not appeal to you but if it does, this one will stick with you.

Al the cultura and the effort due it is gorgeous. The people who work on the film gotten their homework very well and it's nice.