The Yakuza (US/Japan, 1974)

American private-eye Harry Kilmer returns to Japan to rescue a friend's kidnapped daughter from the clutches of the Yakuza.

I'm cheating a bit here writing about a film which was both an American production as well as Japanese, but I'm also allowing it because it's so great and takes us on a trip to the world of the Yakuza. Directed by Sydney Pollack (Three Days of the Condor) the film really has that Kinji Fukasaku raw-ness to it, with blunt force and loud slashes. It doesn't overdo it with violence but truly succeeds in telling an engaging and bitter story of old friends, revenge and Japanese customs. Since a lot of the actors and extras were native Japanese, Pollack had to direct many scenes using an interpreter. 

James Bond, then played by Sean Connery, had visited Japan a few years earlier and I can't help but make the comparison and laugh. Where You Only Live Twice (1967) was a shallow and wrongful take on Japan, The Yakuza told a superb story and did it with respect. Great example of 70's crime-noir.

Genre: Action/Crime/Drama

Violent Streets (Japan, 1974)

The Western Japan Alliance has control of most of Japan, and only Tokyo is left for them to gain. Starting with the purchase of clubs in Ginza, a yakuza war between Western and Eastern Japan begins! In the midst of it all, a retired yakuza is caught in the middle of a growing conflict between two rival clans.

Violent Streets is a web of different plot strands that clashes with each other, ending up in messy fights and shootouts. The director, Hideo Gosha, is best known for his samurai films, so it's interesting to see his step into the world of yakuza movies.

A fantastic and violent gangster flick from the 70's.

Genre: Action/Crime/Drama