American Yakuza appears in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Although I suspect the image accurately represented the source, the movie tended to seem oddly blah.
Sharpness usually seemed reasonably accurate, though not much of the film looked truly well-defined. It leaned soft more often than I would expect.
No issues with jagged edges or moiré effects manifested, and I witnessed no edge haloes. Grain felt appropriate but I saw a handful of small specks.
Colors veered toward fairly natural tones, albeit with cool blues as a semi-frequent tint. Though the hues didn’t stand out as memorable, they seemed adequate.
Blacks came across as a bit inky, and shadows could come across as somewhat flat. Because I felt most of the visual issues I witnessed stemmed from the original photography, I gave the image a “B-“, but this remained a somewhat flat presentation.
Though multi-channel audio was the norm in 1993, Yakuza only came with an LPCM stereo soundtrack. This prompted me to deduct points from my grade, as simple two-channel audio for a film from 1993 seemed primitive.
That said, the soundscape managed to use those two speakers pretty well. Music demonstrated positive stereo spread.
Effects boasted appealing localization and also blended smoothly. Nothing about the soundfield dazzled but it offered some punch.
Audio quality held up well, with speech that came across as natural and free from edginess. Music appeared reasonably full.
I found effects to sound accurate and fairly robust. The lack of surrounds made this mix dated even in 1993, but it still worked pretty well given those limitations.
When we shift to extras, we launch with an audio commentary from director Frank Cappello and actor Anzu Lawson. They sit together for a running, screen-specific look at story and characters, cast and performances, stunts, sets and locations and music.
Though it can feel fluffy at times, Cappello brings some insights and even self-criticism, whereas Lawson doesn't seem quite as informative. I can't call this a particularly good track but it comes with enough content to merit a listen.
Footnote: in the category of "what the who now?", Lawson claims a couple of times that Yakuza co-star Franklin Ajaye worked in 1976's Car Wash with Forest Whitaker. Ajaye did play a lead in Car Wash but Whitaker didn't enter movies until 1982. I tried to figure out what potential mistaken identity led her to feel Whitaker acted in Car Wash and came up utterly empty.
Three video programs follow. Yakuza Style spans 12 minutes, 36 seconds and offers more from Cappello.
The filmmakers tells us what brought him to movies as well as his career progression and aspects of the Yakuza production. Happily, Cappello doesn't repeat much from the commentary, so this becomes a solid little chat.
Decoding Honor goes for 37 minutes, 39 seconds. Shot in 2024, we get a chat with actor Viggo Mortensen.
The performer looks at his early career, his time on Yakuza, and his film experiences after 1993. While I can't claim Mortensen becomes a fascinating interview subject, I feel glad we hear from him, and he offers enough worthwhile material to make "Honor" worth a look.
Lastly, Interview with Actor Ryô Ishibashi runs 10 minutes, 40 seconds and involves his thoughts about his life and career along with some memories of the Yakuza shoot. We find another enjoyable collection of memories here.
In addition to the movie’s trailer, we get an Image Gallery with 20 publicity shots. They seem ordinary.
Despite a good cast that includes a pre-fame Viggo Mortensen in one of his earliest leads, American Yakuza ends up as a dud. The movie becomes a tedious compilation of cinematic tropes that feels like the straight-to-video product it is. The Blu-ray comes with decent picture and audio as well as a mix of bonus features. Unless you feel the need to must see every Mortensen movie ever made, avoid this boring tale.
