If you're ever confronted by a Japanese crime boss and he tells you to give him the finger, he's not asking to be sworn at. Chances are it's going to hurt..., a lot. Which made it odd that Nick Lowell (Jared Leto) could nonchalantly cut off two of his digits without bringing even a tear to his face. Try biting your finger and you'll see what I mean. If you get into the flow of this picture it moves along kind of seamlessly, but there are oh, so many contradictions involved that it removes much of the credibility from the story. Like the stated aim of Yakuza members voluntarily giving up family life to swear loyalty to the boss. But then Nick continues his relationship with Miyu (Shioli Kutsuna), even after her brother Kiyoshi (Tadanobu Asano) warns him off, thereby committing not one but two infractions against Japanese gangland culture. Not only that, but Kiyoshi then gives Nick a ceremonial 'daisho' sword with which to protect Miyu's honor, after learning that she became pregnant!
There's also the confrontation between the Shiromatsu and Seizu clans that results in the death of Shiromatsu boss Akihiro (Min Tanaka), resulting from Orochi's (Kippei Shîna) traitorous turn. In retaliation, Nick barges into a Seizu family meeting and slashes his throat, with no consequences! Seizu boss Hiromitsu (Nao Ohmori) simply tells Nick to go on his way, returning to Miyu to close out the story without too much trouble. I'm no expert on Yakuza, but much of what occurs in the movie simply wouldn't happen in real life, though it does make for an entertaining gangster flick. Seen that way, you can have a decent time with "The Outsider", realizing that it's outside the realm of possibility.
There's also the confrontation between the Shiromatsu and Seizu clans that results in the death of Shiromatsu boss Akihiro (Min Tanaka), resulting from Orochi's (Kippei Shîna) traitorous turn. In retaliation, Nick barges into a Seizu family meeting and slashes his throat, with no consequences! Seizu boss Hiromitsu (Nao Ohmori) simply tells Nick to go on his way, returning to Miyu to close out the story without too much trouble. I'm no expert on Yakuza, but much of what occurs in the movie simply wouldn't happen in real life, though it does make for an entertaining gangster flick. Seen that way, you can have a decent time with "The Outsider", realizing that it's outside the realm of possibility.