Episode #45 – Minbo: The Gentle Art of Japanese Extortion (ミンボの女)
Minbo: The Gentle Art of Japanese Extortion (1992)
ミンボの女 [Minbo no Onna]
1992’s Minbo is a satire of Japanese criminals trying to strong-arm a hotel. It so angered the real yakuza that they mounted a direct assault on director Juzo Itami. Japanese cinema professor Patrick returns to the show in order to discuss the film’s multiple layers and its clever subversiveness.
Written and Directed by Juzo Itami
A grand old Japanese hotel is trying to get a prestigious contract as the site of a summit meeting of important foreign officials. Unfortunately, this hotel is quite popular with the Yakuza (Japanese gangsters) and is a favorite target of theirs for extortion. They employ a variety of schemes to con the hotel out of ‘hush-money.’ The hotel needs to rid itself of the Yakuza and finally begins to fight back by hiring Mahiru Inoue, a lawyer who is an expert at dealing with these criminals on their own terms.
Cast
Nobuko Miyamoto – Mahiru Inoue
Yasuo Daichi – Suzuki
Akira Takarada – Kobayashi
Takehiro Murata – Taro Wakasugi
Shirô Itô – Iriejima
Akira Nakao – Ibaki
Hôsei Komatsu – Hanaoka
Tetsu Watanabe – Akechi
Minbo: The Gentle Art of Japanese Extortion – Japan On Film
