Best Hollywood Japanese Movies

[TuskCracker]

Hollywood Movies

Hollywood Movies

It was Hollywood Movies, not any movie. Great Japanese movies is a complete different topic

House of Bamboo
(1955, Film Noir, filmed in CinemaScope)


Sayonara
(1957, Marlin Brando, good movie, not great, my opionon)

Escapade in Japan
(1957, Clint Eastwood, never seen, is this any good)



Terrible "cliche-attitude abut Japan" Holywood
Black Rain
(street smart Americans goes to Japan, and teaches the go-by-the-book Japanese dective.... ....... i could wrote this plot in my sleep).

Rising Sun
(1993, Sean Connery, could Hollywood be more obnoxious)

 

[Dogen Z]

Since I started this thread, I guess I should do a summary of the recommendations, so far.

The best non-stereotypical, believable, well-acted movies about Japan are:

Sayonara--won an Oscar or two I believe
The Yakuza
(Black Rain)-- One poster said it's full of cliches
Mr. Baseball-- Mentioned several times (a personal fav)
Bad News Bears Go to Japan
Letters from Iwo Jima

Since there's one WWII movie listed, I'd like to add 2 more:

Bridge on the River Kwai
Hell in the Pacific


Sorry but I've never seen House of Bamboo nor Escapade in Japan so I can't pass judgement. And I have a feeling they are not easily available.

I've heard about Marlon Brando's House of the August Moon in which he plays a Japanese character. Is that any good?

 

[SushiShin]

Yes bridge of the river kwai was very good!
i like Alec Guiness he was a good actor back then.
pity he died he also played Obi Wan Kenobi in Star Wars episode 4 until 6

 

[tendon]

There's also Stephen Spielberg's Empire of the Sun (1987)

Terribly boring in some parts, but interesting in the interaction between the boy (the leading character) and Japanese soldiers.

 

[Dogen Z]

There's also Stephen Spielberg's Empire of the Sun (1987)

BORING...but nice music.

 

[Pachipro]

BTW Ocean Dude what did you think of "The Yakuza"? Do you think the remake next year will anything close to it?

 

[TuskCracker]

House of Bamboo
(1955, Film Noir, filmed in CinemaScope)

Easy to obtain. Buy from AMAZON.COM. I own it.

Show Tokyo in the 1950's (filmed in Japan) and "CinemaScope" was new and used well. As for the plot, well one big gaping hole in the plot.

 

[Dogen Z]

BTW Ocean Dude what did you think of "The Yakuza"? Do you think the remake next year will anything close to it?

IMO it's a great movie with 2 excellent actors. It's well worth doing again although I fear it might be changed into a kind of Bruce Willis Die Hard type of movie (I hope not!) Thanks for the recommendation!

However, I'm not sure Black Rain is so much poorer in comparison. I liked Black Rain.

 

[Dogen Z]

A little more elaboration. "The Yakuza" is almost a Japanese action movie with American actors added while "Black Rain" is an American action movie with a Japanese background. Japanese culture and the Japan of that era is presented without much exaggeration. In both movies, the Yakuza finger cutting ritual is shown.

I've heard that modern Yakuza don't cut off their fingers anymore and lot of young kids now sport tattoos, even those that look like yakuza. So the new movie should try to give us a fresh look. I'm looking forward to it and hope that it try to go the stereotypical route.