Ryuzo to Shichinin no Kobuntachi is a fun time.

 

For today's blog post, I wanted today's subject to be something more light-hearted than the previous ones. I also wanted to take a look at one of acclaimed comedian and director Beat Takeshi's lesser talked about/well known works. So, the focus of today's post is none other than the 2015 comedy, Ryuzo to Shichinin no Kobuntachi! 

The movie follows retired Yakuza, Ryuzo. We see him living a dreary, dull life as he shares a house with his son's family. The old gangster seems to be unaffectionate towards his son and the family. In fact, his son is disapproving of his father's ways and wants him to stop being lured back into that life. Ryuzo however, can't seem to give up his past and after nearly falling victim to fraud via a Phishing scam, he decides to form a new Yakuza family with Masa and other friends from his past. These friends have different circumstances with some being in hospital due to health problems to those living in retirement homes. After settling on Ryuzo being the leader due to him scoring the most points in their point system, the group seek to go up against the new generation of would-be gangsters. As it turns out, the gangsters that the group encounter turn out to be the fraudsters that tried to scam Ryuzo out of his money. There are tragic and hilarious consequences when the two groups collide which culminates in a brilliant way. 

Beat Takeshi is a director that knows how to make a compelling movie. Despite being a comedian, a lot of people especially those outside of Japan know him for directing Yakuza movies. Ryuzo to Shichinin no Kobuntachi blends both in a great way and makes for a fresh, fun take on the genre. The movie is full of Kitano's type of humour, which might not be for everyone, but I personally am a big fan of. It does include well known gags that are practically tropes by this point in time, such as Ryuzo becoming the lover hiding in the bathroom, the old men farting throughout the movie and slapstick. That's not a bad thing! It works well in this setting. It also manages to be quite the homage to the old school Yakuza movies of the past with neat flashbacks shot in black and white. There's also the theme of the old, pure Yakuza as Ryuzo and friends go on about honour whilst their younger adversaries don't care about such ideals.

As expected, the movie is competently shot and edited. Kitano uses mostly static shots with rare exception, but everything is framed superbly and clearly. The soundtrack is also solid and reminded me of other Beat Takeshi movies in the best way. 

What I love about the movie is the fact that the old men are actually old. What I mean by that is the fact that they're not acting like young men in the sense that they show their frailty and aren't beating the heck out of the younger antagonists. They're weary and don't have an aura of invincibility about them. They make mistakes and aren't at all like most Hollyweird "old men". 

As far as performances go, Tatsuya Fuji is a legend of cinema and does a brilliant job portraying old Yakuza stalwart, Ryuzo. Like the rest of the cast, he's fully committed to the role and is very convincing. He's got great comedic timing, which Kitano certainly would have helped with. Each of the Old Yakuza characters are a little zany, each being unique and helps differentiate them from one another. 

Bonus points for having used the Rising Sun flag in a fun way despite all the lies that have been told about it. 

Overall, Ryuzo to Shinchinin no Kobuntachi is a fun time full of hilarious moments with a committed cast that help elevate it and a talented director in Beat Takeshi that has made some cinematic gems in his day. I'd recommend it to those that want to kick back with a comedy or those that want to watch a lesser known Kitano movie.