Surprisingly incoherent and boring

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

The acting in this movie is really good.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

I saw this movie several times when I was twenty something then several times when thirty something and just watched again as fifty something.. boy oh boy, it is still a friggin awesome movie. It just doesn't date. The script is thoughtful, respectful to culture and very mature.If you are looking for a ton of useless violence then move along, it is not about that. In fact, some of the fight scenes are pretty realistic from the point of view that the antagonists appear to be well aware of their mortality and show their hesitation in putting their lives on the line. There is no riddling nor intricate plot - it is straightforward and easy to follow yet portrays a brilliant story of respect, honour and tradition. Robert Mitchum and Ken Takakura are simply brilliant. Sydney Pollack directs yet another masterpiece. If you have never seen this movie, it just has to be on the bucket list.

This is just so good I can't believe that not only had I not seen it but not even heard of it. Screenplay by Paul Schrader (and his brother) just before he did Taxi Driver should have drawn attention but then maybe the Scorsese film took all the attention. Sydney Pollack's direction is assured and he gets great performances from everyone, but I reckon it is the script thats the thing. Moreover it is the only US film I have ever seen that seems to have the vaguest notion of Japan and it culture. So much of this rings true that it tingles with the excitement. The 70s streets of Tokyo and Kyoto are something to behold and the believable interaction between the main characters quite fabulous. There is bloody action here but for a film with such a title nothing like as much as expected, and all the better for it. Love, memory, betrayal, loyalty and repayment of debts both financial and emotional are all here - oh and Robert Mitchum and ken Takakura are great.

Viewed on DVD. Mostly shot on location. A time capsule of what Tokyo looked like some 40 years ago. Japanese actors look fabulous; not so much for the American actors. Minimal scrip; what there is of it is pretty silly. Direction is languid and seems to have been lost in translation (an interview with the Director indicates that the language barrier was a major problem with the film). Gorgeous print with lots of easily read (uncluttered and leisurely presented/photographed) Hiragana and Katakana symbols to practice your reading skills. Just turn off the sound (unless you are monitoring the accuracy of the subtitles) and enjoy the views! WILLIAM FLANIGAN, PhD.

This film has a strong reputation built on Schrader and Towne's writing talent and with a cast and director all in good form. While it may have been seen as strong in its time; it has faded considerably over 30 years later.Starting with the writing, it is functional but somewhat inert and lifeless and this dryness is exemplified in a scene in a kitchen when a Japanese character tells the young American what the Yakuza are and it's a straight recitation that might have been lifted from an encyclopedia. It would be unusual for an English speaker to say such a thing in that way, but for a Japanese saying it is just bad writing and editing. Then there is the long expositions of back story and how Japan is different; and also the dreaded Western perceptions of Japanese myth and ritual. All that Asian mysticism bound up with warrior culture is well beyond its use by date now. It was new in 1974, but that dates the film and its sensibility very strongly.Then there is Mitchum and Keith. Mitchum was a straight up no nonsense actor and worked well as a tough guy, but here he is too stony faced; too much like a dead fish and wooden that it drags on the film. He stands, speaks and reacts but hardly acts. Keith is not much more interesting and a lesser presence. It's not helped by direction that is sluggish, lacking dynamic energy and close to a "Starsky and Hutch" episode.Overall, a rather mediocre effort from a team that had some great highs and was very capable, but this is not one of their best. As such it has not lasted very well.