Like a Dragon

Like a Dragon
Original theatrical poster.
Directed by	Takashi Miike
Written by	Masashi Sogo
Based on	Yakuza by Sega
Starring	Kazuki Kitamura Goro Kishitani Show Aikawa Yoshiyoshi Arakawa Kenichi Endo Tomorowo Taguchi
Music by	Koji Endo
Production company	Sega ArtPort CJ Entertainment
Distributed by	Toei Company
Release dates	March 3, 2007 (2007-03-03)
Running time	110 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese Korean
Box office	$286,799

Like a Dragon or Yakuza: Like a Dragon known in Japan as Like a Dragon Movie Version (龍が如く 劇場版, Ryū ga Gotoku Gekijōban) is a 2007 Japanese crime film directed by Takashi Miike. A live action adaptation of the 2005 PlayStation 2 video game Yakuza, the film stars Kazuki Kitamura, Goro Kishitani, Show Aikawa, Yoshiyoshi Arakawa, Kenichi Endo and Tomorowo Taguchi. This game's storytelling was inspired by yakuza films and is the original episode of a successful franchise that has since expanded to 6 episodes plus spin-offs and an original video film called Like a Dragon: Prologue.

The English subtitled version premiered on June 23, 2008 at the New York Asian Film Festival '08, and was released on DVD on February 23, 2010 by a Media Blasters affiliate.

Plot

Main article: Yakuza (video game)

The movie was shot on location in Tokyo's Kabukicho district which itself served as a basis for the background design of the game's Kabukicho area.

The Shinjuku Koma Theater, a main landmark in both the games and the movie version

The plot is loosely based on the original Yakuza game and is a "one-night-story" that unfolds in a hot summer night in Kamurocho, the fictitious version of Tokyo Shinjuku's Kabukichō.

The night begins with a bank robbery by a manzai duo of amateur masked gunmen, and the disappearance of ten billion yen from the Tojo Clan's deposits. Meanwhile, in Kamurocho streets, former yakuza Kazuma Kiryu and a young girl called Haruka Sawamura search for Mizuki Sawamura the youngster's mother and the former's childhood love, with Kiryu's rival, psychotic yakuza, Goro Majima and his gang on their trail.

After a meeting with Kiryu and Haruka in the convenience store Poppo, employee Satoru and his new girlfriend Yui decide to start holding up stores for money and for fun. Elsewhere in the district a mysterious South Korean hitman, Park, tracks down the culprit behind the Tojo Clan heist which leads him toward the infamous Jingu or Mister N and the Millennium Tower.

The search for Mizuki brings Kiryu to the top of the Millennium Tower and ends with a clicmatic battle with yakuza Akira Nishikiyama which is Kiryu's childhood best friend (they were raised in the same orphanage see Like a Dragon: Prologue) gone deadly enemy.

Video

Amuse Soft Entertainment released the regular DVD edition on September 28, 2007 in Japan, with a limited edition "Deluxe Box" featuring three Kubrick figures (Majima, Kiryu and Haruka).

American distributor Tokyo Shock released a licensed DVD titled Yakuza: Like a Dragon on February 23, 2010 to coincide with the North American localization of Yakuza 3. The release date was originally planned to March, probably in order to coincide with the North American localization of the PlayStation 3 video game Yakuza 3.

Prior to this official release, the English subtitled DVD was distributed in North America by Bonzai RCS, the case featured a Korean cover for some reason (it was likely an unlicensed product), it was similar to the Korean market edition by CJ Entertainment.

Soundtrack

The motion picture soundtrack features three songs by Crazy Ken Band from his 2006 album Galaxy released on the Almond Eyes label (XNAE-10010), these are Hama no Ambassador (ハマのアンバサダー, hama no anbasada, lit. "ambassador of Yokohama") featuring Fire Ball and Papa B., Kuroi Kizuato no Blues (黒い傷跡のブルース, kuroi kizuato no burusu, lit. "black scar blues") and the ending theme 12 gatsu 17 nichi (12月17日, lit. "December 17th"). The latter two are also included in the Yakuza 2 game's soundtrack.

Cast

Main article: List of Yakuza series characters

• Kazuki Kitamura as Kazuma Kiryu (桐生一馬)
• Natsuo as Haruka Sawamura (澤村遥)
• Goro Kishitani as Goro Majima (真島吾朗)
• Shun Shioya as Satoru (悟)
• Saeko as Yui (唯)
• Haruhiko Kato as Kazuki (一輝)
• Saki Takaoka as Yumi Sawamura (澤村由美) / Mizuki Sawamura (美月)
• Show Aikawa as detective Noguchi (野口刑事)
• Gong Yoo as Park the Korean hitman (朴)
• Yutaka Matsushige as Makoto Date (伊達真)
• Claude Maki as Akira Nishikiyama (錦山彰)
• Yoshiyoshi Arakawa as the Korean-Japanese weapon smuggler (武器屋)
• Kenichi Endou as Imanishi the bank robber (今井)
• Sansei Shiomi as Shintaro Kazama (風間新太郎)
• Tomorowo Taguchi as the Korean-Japanese barbershop owner
• Toshihiro Nagoshi as Jingu but listed as Mister N (ミスターN)
• Alexander Otsuka as a Yakuza (ヤクザ)

External links

• Official website
• Long Trailer on YouTube
• Ryû ga gotoku: gekijô-ban at IMDb
• Like a Dragon at AllMovie