The past few days, I've watched two "Japanese gangster" films. Some of the things they share in common are their stories taking place in Japan, an immense amount of violence and bloodshed, and being focused upon plotlines involving members of the criminal underworld. That being said, they are very different films.
The Outsider (2018) is about a former U.S. soldier who is being held in a Japanese prison after the end of World War II. This prisoner, Nick, saves the life of a yakuza in prison and the clan he belongs to helps free Nick in return. They offer Nick odd jobs as an enforcer and this
gaijin (outsider, foreigner) slowly moves up through the ranks of the clan. He is instrumental to the interactions of the Shiromatsu clan, to which he belongs, with its rival Seizu clan.
Unfortunately, I could find little within Jared Leto's embodiment of Nick to relate to the character. He is cold and distant, which makes him an effective and emotionally disengaged killer, but also makes him difficult to comprehend. We know very little of his back story or his motivation. I think this ultimately makes the movie similarly a bit cold and distant and lacking in motivation.
And the film dabbles in too many gangster film cliches without really presenting anything new or interesting. If you've seen films by Martin Scorcese or Luc Besson, then nothing in this movie will surprise you. Likewise, if you've seen Jared Leto's performances as Joker in Suicide Squad or Niander Wallace in Blade Runner 2049, then you've seen elements of his performance as Nick. Even though his Nick is more subdued than either the Joker or Wallace, it still feels as though Leto is trying way too hard, but missed the mark on the character and left him without much of a soul (or story).
The one actor who brings some life to his role, at least for me, is Tadanobu Asano as Kiyoshi. As one of the "elders" of the Shiromatsu clan, he breathes life into an otherwise cliché role and is enjoyable to watch on screen.
Bullet Train (2022) is an action comedy about a bunch of hitmen who have been gathered onto a bullet train as it travels from Tokyo to Kyoto. Unaware of the presence of one another, and that they are being played against one another, they are each tasked with various assignments that bring them into conflict with one another. To say more would spoil the plot.
Brad Pitt as Ladybug is loose in his role and seems to relish it. Similarly, the other actors seem to be having fun and it makes for an enjoyable film. Joey King as The Prince, Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Tangerine, and Brian Tyree Henry as Lemon bring some youthful exuberance to their characters.
This is also a film centered on members of a yakuza clan, but it breaks through the tropes and stereotypes of gangster films, and the yakuza are downplayed here. For all of the blood that is shed, it is funny at times.
The only downside I see is that it can a bit too witty for its own good on occasion, perhaps in the manner of Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels or Snatch. And there are way too many lines and jokes about Thomas the Tank Engine, but they ultimately make sense by the end of the film.
