Yakuza Princess

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1:47

Yakuza Princess

R

2021

1h 51m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

34%

Tomatometer

41 Reviews

35%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

Set in the expansive Japanese community of Sao Paulo in Brazil -- the largest Japanese diaspora in the world -- YAKUZA PRINCESS follows Akemi (MASUMI), an orphan who discovers she is the heiress to half of the Yakuza crime syndicate. Forging an uneasy alliance with an amnesiac stranger (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) who believes an ancient sword binds their two fates, Akemi must unleash war against the other half of the syndicate who wants her dead.

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Critics Consensus

Visually stylish but a narrative non-starter, Yakuza Princess serves as an unhappy reminder that action is rarely a substitute for an interesting story.

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Jana Monji

RogerEbert.com

10/11/2021

1/5

There's not much to recommend about this film outside of bringing attention to the sizable ethnic Japanese population in Brazil.

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

09/17/2021

2/4

But while there are sudden bursts of violence throughout, Amorim paces things so sluggishly it ends up being up to the performances to maintain the viewer's interest.

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Mike McCahill

Guardian

09/08/2021

3/5

Like street-cart fusion cuisine, this film will fill a hole, if you have a particular hankering.

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Daryl MacDonald

InSession Film

04/26/2024

D

Stilted acting, and more interest in style than storytelling.

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Josh Parham

Next Best Picture

06/08/2022

2/10

With such inert propulsion, unattractive designs, and terribly conceived dialogue, the weight of the film's deficiencies crushes any precious few positives.

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Carla Hay

Culture Mix

10/18/2021

Japanese women rarely get to star in an action flick, so it's a shame that Yakuza Princess is such mindless junk that isn't even a worthy showcase for the female protagonist. The men in this incoherent movie actually get most of the screen time.

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Frans B

@FransB Dec 29

Don't understand the negative mouthwash about this movie ... Good, solid story, great cinematography makes it visually stunning. Cast excels convincingly in character. Well directed and brought to screen. Lots of action, intrigue, emotion, drama, mystery and suspense. Well worth a watch

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alan g

@agenser 01/04/2025

Unnecessarily gory and hyperviolent. Weak plot. Elements of Ruroni Kenshin.

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Mark B

05/05/2024

It was... too long, a bit plodding and a bit too much manifest destiny BS without really making you believe it. You could edit 20 minutes without losing much or, better still, do something interesting. It seemed like there were too many writers pulling in different directions. Okay though.

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RELLISH

03/20/2024

It had very good elements in the filmmaking, & MASUMI'S performance as Akemi, has me wanting more from her, but the movie as a whole shouldn't have been released til they figured out the quirks and actually had a high Concierto piece for the end. It Dive bombed so much at the end, it felt like they ran out of budget, would've been a stronger Film if it was a Short vs a Feature.

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David B

03/10/2024

Even though I started watching this from the beginning, it took a long time for things to start to make sense - I stuck around for that, since the action was good enough to keep me watching until it made sense...but the "setup for sequel" ending was disappointing...

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07/05/2022

I enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to a sequel.

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Vicente Amorim

Director

Jonathan Rhys-Meyers

Shiro

Masumi

Akemi

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Yakuza Princess: Trailer 1

1:47

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Synopsis

Set in the expansive Japanese community of Sao Paulo in Brazil -- the largest Japanese diaspora in the world -- YAKUZA PRINCESS follows Akemi (MASUMI), an orphan who discovers she is the heiress to half of the Yakuza crime syndicate. Forging an uneasy alliance with an amnesiac stranger (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) who believes an ancient sword binds their two fates, Akemi must unleash war against the other half of the syndicate who wants her dead.

Director: Vicente Amorim
Producer: Tubaldini Shelling, André Skaf
Screenwriter: Fernando Toste, Kimi Howl Lee
Distributor: Magnet Releasing
Production Co: Filmland International
Rating: R (Strong Bloody Violence|Some Language|Graphic Nudity)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 3, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 3, 2021
Box Office (Gross USA): $31.4K
Runtime: 1h 51m

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