Yakusa Movie Book: A Guide to Japanese Gangster Films - Tapa blanda

"Through yakuza movies we can see Japanese society at its most fundamental level. This is an important and valuable book." --Tadao Sato, film critic and author of "Currents in Japanese Cinema"

Italy has La Cosa Nostra, South East Asia has the Triads, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan have the Tong. Yakuza is the Japanese mafia: to do business with Japan is to do business with the Yakuza. This mob has been around for over 300 years and has become synonymous with Japanese gangster films. These gangster films have influenced everyone from Eastwood to Jarmusch. This work explores Yakuza movies, actors and directors and contains details and stills from over 120 films. It also features a recommended top 10, interviews with directors like Kinji Fukasaku and Takashi Miike, to actors such as Sho Aikawa and Bunta Sugawara and film critiques of Japanese classics like "Battles Without Honour" and "Humanity" and "Dead and Alive".