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Like a Dragon

Play trailer Poster for Like a Dragon 2007 1h 50m Action Crime Drama Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 2 Reviews 50% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
Former Yakuza gang member Kazuma (Kazuki Kitamura) has just finished serving a long prison stretch and is getting re-acquainted with the outside world in Tokyo's Kabukicho district. He meets Haruka (Natsuo), a young girl searching for her mother -- who was Kazuma's childhood sweetheart. Their quest is complicated by a Yakuza henchman named Goro (Gorô Kishitani) who is on their trail, and culminates in a battle against a friend from Kazuma's past who has become an arch enemy.

Critics Reviews

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Pieter-Jan Van Haecke Psychocinematography Like a Dragon (...) is a clear case of a film translation gone wrong. People are, in truth, far better off playing the game. Aug 20, 2020 Full Review Panos Kotzathanasis Asian Movie Pulse The result is a main narrative that functions like an action thriller that is much closer to "Agitator" than "The Mole Song" for example, while in some cases, it touches the borders of film noir, particularly in the case of the gun smuggler Apr 13, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Alessandro D ABSOLUTE PEAK CINEMA Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/26/24 Full Review R E As a Yakuza fan who just finished Kiwami, I LOVED IT. I think they captured majima perfectly, had some funny moments, and I loved seeing Easter eggs of the game. and yeah it's cheesy and you can see where they did multiple takes, but I think it does a good job of capturing the yakuza vibe! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/11/24 Full Review Winne S i am a big fan of the game series and loved the movie i think it is a must for every fan of the games Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/07/24 Full Review gage m Just play Yakuza Kiwami… Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member At first, I was concerned about how faithful of an adaptation this film would be, and to be honest, the first hour and a half did not do much to quell those fears. The movie introduces a couple who make their way through Kamurocho, robbing stores left and right, some Korean assassin, and a pair of bank-robbers who form a two-person comedy act. As the plot progresses, we find that the couple is after money for a very complex reason, which I couldn't relay as I started skipping any scenes without actual Yakuza characters around the halfway point. Furthermore, the Korean might have had some complex motive, as he first targets the couple, then their pursuers, then Jingu himself, but I wouldn't know since I couldn't be bothered. Oh, I realize I haven't introduced Jingu, but neither does the movie. Back to the main cast, Kiryu's actor is honestly not the best fit, but Majima is spot-on--well, as much as he could be given that the budget went straight to Jingu's helicopter. After a series of clashes between the two, Kiryu makes his way to fight Nishiki, who, again, the film doesn't really try to introduce or even set up as a villain. It was here in this final fight, as Kiryu is beat to the ground by Nishiki's men, that all hope seemed lost (for him and this movie's rating). However, all my misgivings were quickly forgotten, as Kiryu chugs a Staminan Spark, replenishing both his health and heat gauges before going on a rampage through Nishiki's men, and finally taking out the man himself. At last, Yumi steps forward, arming the bomb to kill Jingu and--wait, did the Korean just shoot him? Wasn't he on his side? Shouldn't the main cast be the one to deal with the main villain? What?? And now Yumi's blowing it up anyway, but he's already dead? And it's a remote bomb, so couldn't she have just run away from the explosion herself?? Well, nitpicks aside, the Staminan scene single-handedly saves this movie. Ten out of ten. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Audience Member I've only played Yakuza 4, but this movie certainly stayed true to the story telling and comedy of the game. It has its very serious moments, very intimate moments and very funny moments. As well as the wide variety of characters of which each has such defining characteristics. This movie is not in any sense of the word bland. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys movies that are, well... Good. If you don't mind reading subtitles that is. Which you shouldn't, it cuts you off from a wide variety of fantastic movies. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Like a Dragon

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis Former Yakuza gang member Kazuma (Kazuki Kitamura) has just finished serving a long prison stretch and is getting re-acquainted with the outside world in Tokyo's Kabukicho district. He meets Haruka (Natsuo), a young girl searching for her mother -- who was Kazuma's childhood sweetheart. Their quest is complicated by a Yakuza henchman named Goro (Gorô Kishitani) who is on their trail, and culminates in a battle against a friend from Kazuma's past who has become an arch enemy.
Director
Takashi Miike
Production Co
Media Blasters, Sega Corporation
Genre
Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
Japanese
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 17, 2020
Runtime
1h 50m