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Viggo Mortensen - American Yakuza (1993)
Viggo Mortensen in American Yakuza (1993)
American Yakuza
(Arrow Video Blu-ray)
Viggo Mortensen was already a recognized supporting actor when he took the lead role as Nick Davis, a convict just out of prison and staying in a fleabag hotel. Lying about his record, he’s hired to drive a forklift. American Yakuza (1993) starts like neo-noir but soon explodes into a kinetic, die-hard gunbattle. His workplace is owned by the Japanese mob, the Yakuza, and is under assault from the Italian American Campanella. Thinking quickly, and leaping with incredible dexterity, Nick saves the day for his new bosses. He’s now in a war on the Japanese side, but spoiler alert: there’s a twist.
American Yakuza surfaced at the tail-end of American anxiety over Japan’s rising economic power and touched on those fears for first-run audiences. The Japanese American coproduction, directed by Frank Cappello from a Japanese story, is populated by hot-heated ethnics on all sides. Nick is the laconic all American. Put a hat on him and he could play the mysterious stranger in a western. The limited-edition Blu-ray includes a booklet and interviews with the directors and cast. (David Luhrssen)
