YAKUZA WEAPON (aka GUKUDO HEIKI, 2011)

Streaming on Amazon Prime!
Directed by Tak Sakaguchi & Yudai Yamaguchi
Written by Tak Sakaguchi & Yudai Yamaguchi
Starring Tak Sakaguchi, Shingo Tsurumi, Mei Kurokawa, Takashi Nakanishi, Akihiko Sai, Arata Yamanaka

YAKUZA WEAPON is adapted from manga, I believe, but as far as movies go, it’s a damn entertaining one. Tak Sakaguchi plays Shozo Iwaki, the brash son of a Yakuza ganglord who is the victim of a coup by a rival gangster, Kurawaki. In the opening moments, we see that Shozo is a bit of an ass, showboating around and bragging about his Yakuza status and powerful father. After his father is killed and he is wounded badly by Kurawaki, Shozo is rebuilt with a gatling gun weaponized hand and a missile-launching knee. Fully loaded and cockier than ever, Shozo sets out to revenge his father’s death.

Though I know Shozo is supposed to be a brash and cocky character, writer/director/actor Tak Sakaguchi exudes Jersey Shore levels of smarm that makes it extremely hard to identify with and care for. It is possible some of this is lost in the translation from one culture to another, but Sakaguchi’s attempts at being cool are anything but. Because of that, it’s hard to become invested in this story since it centers on such a douche-tard.

That said, one can’t help but marvel at the creative perversity of the over the top effects in this one. On top of the gatling gun arm and knee missile, Shozo takes glee in decimating his opponents in an almost half hour long climax battle with a multitude of zombie ninja warriors. By the time the master warrior shows up with his cyborg weapon girl strapped to his back, you’ve experienced enough action for ten movies combined. The final battle as Shozo fights the weaponized woman being shot by the warrior is absolutely insane. The cyborg woman’s toes turn into machine guns. Her vagina turns into an RPG. And while fucking the woman weapon, her head slides down to reveal a cannon.

Having seen and loved VERSUS, I imagined YAKUZA WEAPON to be chock filled with mayhem and the latter half is. But unlike VERSUS, which is a rollercoaster ride through a deranged action addict’s mind, YAKUZA WEAPON doesn’t have the main character to invest in. Still, those final fight scenes are absolutely badass and worth checking out.

Check out the trailer here!!