Afraid to Die

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Audience Member Masumura's cult, new wave yakuza flick, coming across like a Japanese Godard. Excellent Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member Early sixties yakuza flick that has as it drawcard the casting of Yukio Mishima in the lead role. Mishima was a celebrity author and like many who succeed in one of the arts, he isn't a natural in another. (This was before the time of his patriotic right wing fervor that ended in a failed "coup" and ritual suicide in 1970). Still, his acting style, wooden at times, is somewhat unique and I got used to it. The story of rival yakuza gangs trying to eliminate each other's under-bosses (of which Mishima is one) is rather ordinary and the film feels dated. That said, seeing this on the big screen as part of the Japanese Film Festival added some extra oomph and director Masumura adds some memorable touches. I'm on the lookout for some of his weirder stuff now. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member Very dull, but with sparingly good parts. The Banana Song is incredible. Watch it for that scene, at least. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Audience Member There's not much sense in the story line and the relationship with this criminal and his loved one is totally screwed up and at the same time the wouldn't care less attitude of the people is totally captivating. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review Audience Member After the crazy Blind Beast, I had hoped for another offbeat film from Masumura. No such luck. It's mostly notable for being Yukio Mishima's first acting gig (not too bad), but otherwise it's a pretty typical Yakuza flick. It does have a wacky musical number and one heck of a great death scene, though. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Audience Member Not only was Mishima the greatest Japanese writer, he was also pretty HOT at this age. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Afraid to Die

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