A Yakuza in Love (1997) Koi Gokudo

Movie Rating NR Contains: Strong Language Violence Sex Nudity Mature Situations

Director: Rokuro Mochizuki Movie Genre: Yakuza, Romance Country: Japan A Yakuza in Love Score Card The following scores are based on a 0.0 to 10.0 rating scale Hover your mouse pointer over the name of each scoring category below for a description Direction: 6.6 Writing: 7.0 Acting: 6.0 Cinematography: 6.4 Sound and Score: 8.0 Functionality: 7.2 Presentation: 6.8 Genre Comparison: 6.8 General Comparison: 7.2 Overall: 6.9 Reviewed 2006-02-19 23:58:05

Rokuro Mochizuki's A Yakuza in Love is a story about a low-ranking yakuza enforcer named Kinichi and his attempts at a relationship with a waitress named Yoko. Kinichi's insecurities about this relationship drive him to resort to unethical wooing techniques such as intoxication and kidnapping. Despite this unconventional and rough start, Yoko develops feelings for Kinichi. Just as their relationship blossoms, Kinichi's drug addiction threatens to ruin everything they had worked for.

Yukio Yamanouchi's story is well written and the acting by both Eiji Okuda and Yuna Natsuo is top-notch. This movie's straightforward fashion makes for excellent cohesion and continuity. The more mainstream filmmaking style makes the overall stylistic elements of the movie come off as understated and ultimately unnoticeable. A Yakuza in Love is a bit of a wolf in sheep's clothing with its subdued nature. Upon further examination, the outstanding quality of this film shines through.

The high point of this movie is possibly its use of music. The score is similar to the music of a modern western in the same vein as Robert Rodriguez's Mariachi trilogy. The uncharacteristic music fits the theme of this movie. The mismatch of the music with the subject matter accurately parallels the impossibility of the central relationship.

Since Mochizuki started by directing pornographic movies, the aesthetics in this film, especially during the sex scenes, are appealing. It is also interesting to see how well the love story is nurtured and developed, considering the insensitive nature of Mochzuki's cinematic origins.

A Yakuza in Love is entertaining and well worth its running time. There are certain scenes, such as the very last sequence, that seem to come from left field. A great deal of the comedy comes from the absurdity of a hired killer falling for a timid, impish, waitress. Overall this is a great movie; it remains largely faithful to established yakuza movie traditions while presenting a carefully formulated character study stemming from an improbable bond between two misguided individuals.