The heiress to half of the Yakuza crime syndicate forges an uneasy alliance with an amnesiac stranger who believes an ancient sword binds their two fates. She must unleash war against the other half of the syndicate who wants her dead.
A modest action thriller based on a graphic novel written by a Brazilian about the Japanese Yakuza in Sao Paulo. The novelty of the idea lies in the interesting crossroads of culture – a Japanese Yakuza story fit within the Brazilian neon cities and jungle towns. Director Vicente Amorim brings the story to life with neon swaths of light, capitalizing on the fight choreography and acting by soon-to-be pop star MASUMI, Jonathan Rhys Davies, and Tsuyoshi Ihara.
“Yakuza Princess” follows an orphaned girl, Akemi (MASUMI), raised by her grandfather in Sao Paulo Brazil. The Japanese neighborhood in Sao Paulo is the largest community of Japanese people outside of the home country. Upon learning of her existence the Yakuza hunt down Akemi, who must take her role as the heiress to the international gang. Jonathan Rhys Davis plays Shiro, a local assassin who lost his memory but carries the Muramasa, a cursed sword deigned to be Akemi’s inheritance. Together the two initiate a war between two halves of the notorious gangsters.
This unique setting provides opportunities to show a tried-and-true action thriller story against the backdrop of Portuguese and smalls inlets of the Amazon rainforest. The film crosses between English and Japanese mainly, but the addition of Portuguese gives this film a truly international market. I loved the subtle comparisons between the neon lights of Japanese cities and Brazilian cities. Many locations could just as easily be in Japan itself, but the Portuguese signage brings us back to this small community.
Director Vicente Amorim doesn’t waste a second with this film diving straight into both Akemi and Shiro’s stories. A slight mystery plays out over the course of the film, bringing these strangers together to fight evil Yakuza gangsters. You can tell Vicente’s deep well of expertise comes into play here as any other modestly budgeted movie might shroud its action scenes with gratuitous cuts and jerky handheld motion. Instead, there’s artistry injected into every shot, aiming to elevate even the most mundane scenes into eye candy. Amorim’s constant use of contrasting neon-colored lighting divides scenes in two with noir expression.
Interestingly this film serves as a first time out for newcomer MASUMI (a stage name for the singer-songwriter-actor.) She clearly gives the film her all, with subtle facial expressions of raw anger or annoyance or sadness. This subtlety matches up with Rhys Meyers’ more physical performance lumbering from a hospital to the streets, exploding with violence from time to time. While Meyers isn’t given much to work with in terms of performance, he ekes every possible second out of his performance with wandering eyes. Lastly, commendations go to Tsuyoshi Ihara for lending the only sophisticated air to any character present.
“Yakuza Princess” originates from a graphic novel around the same idea. The story told only sets up more events to occur, but as far as origin stories go, it works. Mostly the film suffers from an uninventive villain bait-and-switch, as well as a lingering mystery that detracts from Akemi’s journey. She spends most of the film running or fighting her way out of danger before she learns of the true purpose of the Muramasa (cursed samurai sword she inherits from her grandfather).
As an action film, “Yakuza Princess” delivers plenty to enjoy. The martial arts matchups fit into neon-soaked alleyways dressed in Portuguese instead of Japanese. It highlights the sublime beauty of Brazil while still telling a coherent story. It drags in certain spots due to the unimpressive villain, but the uniqueness of its geography attracted me in the first place. I’d place this firmly in the exciting world of international action cinema, dead center of the pack, and definitely an exciting combination of elements.
“Yakuza Princess” recently had its World Premiere at the 2021 Fantasia Festival
and Magnet Releasing will release it in the U.S. on Friday, September 3rd
