Before we get too deep into this review, Tokijiro: Lone Yakuza is not a movie about the post-World War II gun wielding mobsters in Japan. The movie is set in 18th century Japan when a sword made the man. Yakuza back then was still a bit of an outlaw living the life of gambling and hanging around brothels. Some men are part of a crew located in the red-light district of villages. Others roam the country fighting, betting and spending a lot of time with tattooed prostitutes. It’s a busy life. Tokijiro – Lone Yakuza is what happens when a Yakuza makes two promises without realizing that they will conflict.
Tokijiro (Bushido‘s Kinnosuke Nakamura) is a Yakuza roaming along the coast. He looks rather sour about things in life. Along with him is Asakichi (Tora-San’s Forget Me Not‘s Kiyoshi Atsumi), a bit of a comic sidekick. He’s a farmer who dreams of becoming a real Yakuza as he learns the ways from his buddy. Very quickly he learns there’s always someone wanting revenge on you. In this case three fighters with blades come for Tokijiro for someone he’d previously killed. The battle breaks out on the beach. Even with this numbers disadvantage, Tokijiro is a killing machine. He delivers blade cuts that cause his attackers to gush blood like it’s coming from a firehose. The duo arrives at the nearby village and end up at the den of vices. In this case it’s a combination brothel and gambling joint run by the local mobsters. While there, Tokijiro ends up owing a duty to the Yakuza in charge of the place. Instead of a simple favor like painting the walls or acting as security for the evening, Tokijiro is told to go into the countryside and murder Sanzo (The Seven Vow‘s Chiyonosuke Azuma). The man is the last of a rival group. He must honor his duty even though he doesn’t want to kill anyone. When he goes out there, he makes a promise to the dying Sanzo that he’ll take his wife Okinu (The Secret Sword‘s Junko Ikeuchi) and child to another village. What Tokijiro doesn’t get is that the mobster wanted Sanzo and his family murdered. Thus he sends others to track them down. During the journey, Tokijiro learns what he’s really missing from his life as a lone yakuza – love.
Tokijiro – Lone Yakuza is a glimpse into a life that’s not the usual samurai film. While Tokijiro and others walk around with their swords at the ready, they’re living a bit of a lower lifestyle. They still live by a code although it’s not quite as lofty as in a Samauri tale. Kinnosuke Nakamura gives us a warrior who is going through the motions. It is strange when he falls for the widow seeing how he’s the reason that she’s single and not-quite ready to mingle. Junko Ikeuchi plays her as someone who could get a Yakuza out of his funk. Before her, Tokijiro seems mostly motivated from a strange sense of obligation to the screw up Asakichi. He keeps telling the guy to stop wanting to be a Yakuza and return to his farm. But there’s no real excitement tilling the ground and slopping the hogs compared to a night in a wild brothel. Kiyoshi Atsumi brings that right amount of slapstick to his hopelessly inept character. You believe he’d be that guy who tags along and botches everything.
Tokijiro – Lone Yakuza is the second film from Tai Katô’s that Radiance has put out this summer. Eighteen Years in Prison came out in July. That film featured modern Yakuza characters in post-World War II Japan. Both movies are astonishing with main characters who deal with criminal lifestyles and a sense of duty to others. Tokijiro – Lone Yakuza has an epic feel with a rather brisk running time. You’ll realize that being an old school Yakuza isn’t quite as cool as it initially sounds.
The Video is 2.35:1 anamorphic. The 1080p transfer brings out life at the brothel. The Audio is Japanese LPCM 2.0 mono. Things are clean during the tense quiet moments. The movie is subtitled in English.
Interview with film critic Koushi Ueno (16:36) about the film’s place in genre cinema history. He gets into how Kato gives us this world that’s full of rules. Yet when love enters the pictures, rules might not need to be obeyed. He gives us the background of Chivalrous Yakuza films. The original story was published in 1928. The interview is in Japanese with English subtitles.
A visual essay on star Kinnosuke Nakamura (17:35) is from Japanese cinema expert Robin Gatto. He goes into how his huge family was in showbiz. He went from the world of Kabuki Theater to the motion picture industry. We learn about his time at Toei films. He quotes from interviews given by Nakamura (he passed away in 1997). Tokijiro: Lone Yakuza saved Tai Kato from getting fired by the studio after his previous two films were flops.
Trailer (1:18) lets us know about the debts owed by Tokijiro.
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow
Limited edition booklet contains an essay on the film by Ivo Smits and a review for the original release.
Radiance Films present Tokijiro: Lone Yakuza (Limited Edition). Directed by Tai Kato. Screenplay by Shin Hasegawa, Masahiro Kakefuda & Naoyuki Suzuki. Starring Kinnosuke Nakamura, Junko Ikeuchi, Chiyonosuke Azuma, Kiyoshi Atsumi, Nijiko Kiyokawa, Yôko Mihara, Hideki Takahashi, Kazuko Izumi, Jirô Okazaki & Keiko Yumi. Running Time: 90 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: August 27, 2024.
