Eiji Okuda stars as the hapless yakuza, Kinichi, who falls in love with Yoko (Yuna Natsuo), the waitress. Their twisted relationship is just getting started as his boss dies and Kinichi completely screws up an attempt at assassinating rival boss, Uzaki (Shohei Hino). Soon, Kinichi and Yoko flee to Osaka where they begin dealing drugs to get by. As enemy yakuza begin to close in the pair and Kinichi becomes more dependent on drugs, their situation worsens and threatens to explode at any moment.

Rokuro Mochizuki (Onibi, Another Lonely Hitman) directs A Yakuza In Love, one of the most twisted and painful love stories ever filmed. The film is visually stunning which balances out the sexy, funny, and brutal moments that take place. The main characters, which dominate the film, are complicated and vividly realized. No one is easy to like here but they are all fascinating.

Eiji Okuda’s portrayal of Kinichi is incredible. Viewers will be hard pressed to find a yakuza more despicable or lovable than the lazy, stubborn, and sleazy Kinichi. He’s an abusive boyfriend, a junkie, and a date-rapist but for some reason he’s an enthralling (and somewhat repugnant) character. Most viewers will probably be put off by Kinichi’s mistreatment of Yoko and will be mystified why she stays with him.

Yoko is brought to life by Yuna Natsuo (Wild Life) and is a very complex individual. Her inexperience in love leads her to make some serious mistakes with Kinichi but her surprising devotion to him reveals that she is a very strong person. Shohei Hino (Gozu, Mobster’s Confession) is great as boss Uzaki, a truly frightening character (even with his prosthetic ear).

A Yakuza In Love in not an easy pill to swallow. This is an emotionally draining film. It has many ups, downs, in-betweens, and it gets dark as most viewers familiar with yakuza films will see coming. The film has a realistic portrayal of drugs and the effects it has on people’s judgment; especially people that weren’t that bright to begin with. Rokuro Mochizuki is a fine director and A Yakuza In Love is a prime example of that.

DVD Stuff

Ah yes, another awesome release from Artsmagic. A Yakuza In Love looks great in its 1.78:1 aspect ratio and . There is an interview with director Mochizuki where he talks about the inspiration for A Yakuza In Love and he also takes a moment to crack on typical yakuza films. There are two interviews with Japanese film expert Tom Mes, one about A Yakuza In Love and another called “Mochizuki and the Yakuza Film”. Overall, this DVD rocks.