MOVIE REVIEW: Full Metal Yakuza (1997)

[CW: sexual assault, necrophilia]

We may not hear much about BCI (brain-computer interfaces) and cybernetics, man’s obsession with machine is still present in every line at the Apple Store. Obsession with organized crime is still quite pronounced: people still binge “The Sopranos” [TV-HBO], “Sons of Anarchy” [TV-FX], and the “Power” TV series on STARZ. What happens when you merge tech and crime, and add an Asian flavor? You either get “pig-butchering scam” centers or this Takashi Miike gem from 1997 called Full Metal Yakuza.

When slacker Hagane (Tsuyoshi Ujiki, Cure [1997], “Yoshitsune” [TV-NHK]) joined the yakuza, he wanted to be just like his idol, Tosa (Takeshi Caesar, Izo [2004], Kamikaze Taxi [1995]). But he would never be able to match his idol Tosa — a tatted tough guy some ways up the ranks— because he is a fearful man with no personal or physical presence; he gets disrespected by the whores he pays for sex and the street punks. When Tosa went to jail for a botched hit on a rival yakuza gang leader, Hagane was there to pick him up 7 years later with other gangsters like Taka (Kazuki Kitamura, Samurai Fury [2025], Parasyte part 2 [2015]). When the other yakuza drove off and left both Tosa and Hagane alone at the rented rest house, the two men died in a hail of bullets from hired assassins. They’ll never know who did it as their lives ended in blood under bright blue skies. At least, that would have been it if not for Dr. Hiraga.

Genpaku Hiraga (Tomorowo Taguchi, Gantz [2010], Kunoichi Lady Ninja [1998]) calls himself a genius, but is honest to Hagane that others call him a perverted mad scientist. Hagane realizes why that’s important as he sits in the doctor’s lab: he is Dr. Hiraga’s latest creation. Tosa’s heart and parts of his body were salvageable, as were Hagane’s head and brain. With both yakuza stitched together into a single powerful body with added abilities and…“unique” skills, Dr. Hiraga made what he called a “cyborg hero”: the Full Metal Yakuza. There was one flaw: the body could not handle the emotions of a normal human and would short-circuit if the emotions were too intense. Rage, sadness, lust, and revenge would be the end of Hagane, but the resurrected yakuza gangster would not be denied.

And so Hagane went on a rampage of revenge through both camps of allies and enemies alike for clues on who was responsible for his murder, searched his soul on the beach for meaning as a cyborg, rejoined with his fellow yakuza buddy Junji (Koji Tsukamoto, Nightmare Detective [2006]), and found love with Tosa’s girlfriend Yukari (Shoko Nakahara, Tokyo Gore Police [2008]). He would be tested by underboss Maeda (pink film legend Yuuichi Minato, Flower and Snake: Ultimate Rope Discipline [1987], Madame O [1967]) but slash and smash his way through his enemies. His body steaming, sparking, and screaming the entire way, not even death would stop Hagane from reaching his revenge — yet its peace is denied to him in the final scene, as all revenge has a price.

[ SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT ]

In the vein of 8 Man, Astro Boy and several Metal Heroes of the sentai genre before him, Hagane has a choice to be better than the sum of his parts after being rebuilt into something more powerful and more dangerous. Knowing it could destroy him, the gangster chooses revenge and all the pain that comes with life and living. I like this track of thought because it gives into the emotion aspects of true humanity: at one point Hagane screams from a mortal wound given to him by Taka, and begs to know if he is still human — asking if the wound he bleeds from is proof. If the audience is paying attention, it was never about the flesh but the emotion (or inability to regulate it) that kept Hagane human. While this exploration of the human emotional range is fine, Full Metal Yakuza merely hopes you’ll find it — it does not demand it of the viewer. It’s too busy delivering some of the wildest and outrageous practical effects they can muster.

Directed by Takashi Miike (Audition [1999], Sukiyaki Western Django [2007]) in one of his last direct-to-video productions before breaking into feature-length films, Full Metal Yakuza plays like an anime built to satisfy niche sensibilities that would be weird to the Japanese. There’s some off-the-wall comedy coming out of left field, and “pink film” sex stuff that necessitated its creation as a direct-to-video production. Kicking severed heads across town, ridiculous defensive maneuvers, BDSM scenes, group sexual assault, penis transplants, sex dolls made out of flesh in the shape of female Power Rangers— the cartoonish and often sexualized nature of it all can be quite distracting from the mayhem and bloodshed expected from a yakuza film. If you’re looking for something far out of the ordinary to watch, I recommend this movie…but do not take it too seriously.

CHOICE CUTS:

• This film is unrelated to the anime called “Full Metal Alchemist”.
• NSFW: There is a lot of effort to talk about penis size and alterations throughout the film. Not to mention the sexual assault and necrophilia in the third act.
• Dr. Hiraga is less mad scientist and more pervert, as the majority of his experiments are used to increase sexual pleasure.
• The effort to keep Tosa’s back tattoo alive as a story element was Herculean, as it tied into the pride of the yakuza subculture.
• The defensive maneuver programmed by Dr. Hiraga looks ridiculous, but it always stands out in combat situations as the goofiest looking thing I’ve seen in many years.

• I love how Hagane eats the bullets that bounce off his skin like popcorn in his off hours.
• The greenish lighting of the streets during Tosa’s attack scene reminded me of the street lighting in the Battles Without Honor or Humanity series.
• According to the movie, a deceased body in 1997 goes for JP¥ 2 million (roughly USD $13,000 today).
• “Hagane” means steel in Japanese, and a few heroes also share the name and mechanical nature.