The Outsider (2018 film)

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The Outsider

Film release poster

Directed by Martin Zandvliet

 John Linson
Produced by
 Art Linson
 Ken Kao

Screenplay by Andrew Baldwin

Starring  Jared Leto

 Tadanobu Asano
 Rory Cochrane
 Shiori Kutsuna
 Emile Hirsch
 Kippei Shiina
 Music by Sune Martin

Cinematography Camilla Hjelm Knudsen

Edited by Mikkel E.G. Nielsen

Production  Linson Entertainment

company  Waypoint Entertainment

Distributed by Netflix

Release date  March 9, 2018

Running time 120 minutes

Country United States

Language  English
 Japanese

The Outsider is a 2018 American crime drama thriller film directed by Martin Zandvliet and
written by Andrew Baldwin. It stars Jared Leto, Tadanobu Asano, Rory Cochrane, Shiori
Kutsuna, Emile Hirsch, and Kippei Shiina, and follows an American who becomes a member of
the Japanese yakuza.
The film was released by Netflix on March 9, 2018 and received generally unfavorable reviews
from critics.

Contents
[hide]

 1Plot
 2Cast
 3Production
o 3.1Development
o 3.2Casting
o 3.3Filming
 4Release
o 4.1Critical response
 5References
 6External links

Plot[edit]
This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively
detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and
making it more concise. (March 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this
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Nick Lowell (Jared Leto), a captive American soldier, the only non-Japanese inmate in a
Japanese prison at some unspecified point in time after the Second World War. The inmates are
subjected to physical abuse and forced labor on a daily basis. While taking a bath in the
community bathroom he notices traditional Irezumi tattoos on most other inmates, which are
strongly connected with Yakuzacriminals. Nick saves a Yakuza named Kiyoshi (Tadanobu
Asano) from being hanged to death, who repays his debt by arranging Nick's release, after which
he is brought to the Shiromatsu Yakuza clan's headquarters in Osaka. The Shiromatsu clan has
been trying to get a foot into the copper trading business at the local harbor, which is run by
Anthony Panetti (Rory Cochrane), an American businessman. Panetti hates the Japanese, but a
rival Yakuza clan has managed to negotiate an agreement by letting an American join their ranks
and have him take over the negotiations. Nick agrees to negotiating a deal and "cancel out" the
other American, but instead of coming to an agreement he violently beats Panetti on the head
with a typewriter. It remains unclear if the heavily bleeding man survives.
When the rival Seizu Yakuza clan from Kobe challenges the Shiromatsu clan at their own strip
club later, Nick smashes a glass into the face of their leader, nearly causing a shootout. Kiyoshi
starts to like Nick, gives him an expensive apartment and a suit. He even entrusts Nick with
driving his drunk sister Miyu (Shiori Kutsuna) home after he catches her partying at the
Shiromatsu establishment. Nick betrays the trust of his new Yakuza brother by spending the
night with Miyu. Nick gets involved more and more with the Shiromatsu clan, his chosen role
being that of a very violent thug who isn't afraid of being involved in murder. He continues his
relationship with Miyu and gets an Irezumi tattoo on his back. At this point Nick seems to have
learned enough Japanese to understand much of the Japanese the others are talking, but hardly
ever speaks Japanese himself.
The Shiromatsu clan is under pressure from the rivaling clans, mostly because the ageing
Shiromatsu patriarch refuses to go with the time. For example he refuses to join in on a very
profitable stocks transaction, and fails to see the importance of the emerging market for exported
electronics. Kiyoshi sends Nick to the harbor to handle a black market weapons deal, where he is
attacked by four Seizu clan members, killing two of them. The Shiromatsu clan leader is furious
because he cannot afford a clan war and demands responsibility to be taken in the form
of Yubitsume (the voluntary amputation of a joint of one's index finger). Nick performs this
without hesitation, and steps up again a moment later to also cut off a joint of his ring finger.
Kiyoshi adds a joint of his index finger as well. The severed joints are sent to the Seizu clan
leader, who accepts the apology. During a Sumoevent the Seizu clan leader offers the
Shiromatsu patriarch the possibility to retire in peace by assimilating his clan, which the old man
refuses. Kiyoshi and the others start to suspect that there must be traitors among them. Nick is
brought to a Yakuza initiation ritual at an old temple inside a forest and decides to become a full
member of the clan.
When Nick walks through a narrow street behind his fellow clan members one evening, he is
recognized by Paulie Bowers (Emile Hirsch), an American soldier sitting at a restaurant table.
The awkward conversation reveals the plot must be set at least three years after the end of the
Second World War, that Nick was the former Captain of Bowers' unit, and that the United States
Military assumes Nick has died on duty. Bowers feels treated very rudely by Nick and starts
blackmailing him by implicating that Nick might have taken part in war crimes. Nick suddenly
changes his mind, fakes an apology and treats Bowers to an American beer in his apartment,
where he slits his throat with a kitchen knife. Meanwhile Miyu is beaten and nearly raped by her
former lover Orochi, who still has feelings for her and cannot understand why she would fall for a
foreigner. Nick learns about the incident and is about to leave to take revenge when Miyu stops
him by telling him that the she is pregnant. Nick shows up at Kiyoshi's place and confesses the
relationship with his sister, and offers to leave Japan if Kiyoshi wants so. Arguing that Nick is now
responsible for keeping Miyu safe, Kiyoshi gives him a Daishō, a pair of Samurai swords left to
him by his father. Together the bury Bowers' body in the woods.
Nick saves the patriarch from being strangled to death by a tailor. When they try to escape by
car, two Seizu members fire several shots through the windows, killing Kiyoshi. Back at the
headquarters it becomes clear that about one fifth of the clan members have switched over to the
Seizu clan, most importantly Orochi. Nick immediately suggests a clan war, to which the
patriarch agrees. After a killings spree the Seizu clan leader offers peace talks at the harbor,
which turn out to be an ambush. The patriarch and many other Shiromatsu clan members die,
Nick is wounded by a shot in the leg. In the final scene Nick shows up at the Seizu clan Dōjō with
his Katana sword and demands a duel with his former brother Orochi. Orochi refuses to fight him,
arguing that Nick was just a foreigner, that he could never be a Yakuza, and that owning a
Katana didn't give him any right to demand a duel. When Orochi hands him back his Katana,
Nick seizes the moment, quickly draws the Katana and slits Orochi's throat. The other clan
members want to kill him, but Seizu intervenes on his behalf and tells him to leave.

Cast[edit]
 Jared Leto as Nick Lowell
 Kippei Shiina as Orochi
 Shiori Kutsuna as Miyu
 Tadanobu Asano as Kiyoshi
 Nao Ōmori as Seizu
 Min Tanaka as Akihiro
 Emile Hirsch as Paulie Bowers
 Rory Cochrane as Anthony Panetti
 Young Dais as Takeshi

Production[edit]
Development[edit]
On November 16, 2016, Netflix entered negotiations with Bloom and AFM to acquire exclusive
global rights to the film.
Casting[edit]
Michael Fassbender was considered to star in the film when Daniel Espinosa was in talks to
direct. Then, Japanese filmmaker Takashi Miike was slated to direct the film with Tom Hardy in
the titular role. However, the search for a new lead after Hardy's departure from the project
conflicted with Miike's own commitments, which caused his dropout as well. Jared Leto was
confirmed to join the cast on April 5, 2016.[1] Leto grew out his hair and beard for most of 2016 to
prepare for the role of Nick Lowell and assume the appearance of an American prisoner of
war. Tadanobu Asano was added to the cast on May 12.[2] Rory Cochrane was confirmed to join
the cast on November 16.[3] Emile Hirsch was added to the cast on December 6.
Filming[edit]
Principal photography began in Tokyo, Japan in early October 2016. Principal photography
wrapped in December 2016.[4]

Release[edit]
The film was released on Netflix on March 9, 2018.[5]
Critical response[edit]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 20%
based on 15 reviews, and an average rating of 3.6/10.[6] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted
average score of 30 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[7]

References[edit]
1. Jump up^ "Jared Leto To Star In Action Thriller 'The Outsider'". Deadline. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
 2. Jump up^ "Jared Leto's 'The Outsider' Adds Japanese Actor Tadanobu Asano (Exclusive)". The
Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
3. Jump up^ "Netflix Circling Jared Leto Crime Thriller 'The Outsider' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
Retrieved 16 November 2016.
4. Jump up^ https://www.instagram.com/p/BNb3udSD2xl/?taken-by=martinzandvliet&hl=es
5. Jump up^ "What to watch on Netflix in March 2018 - best films and TV shows for International
Women's Day". Mirror. UK.
6. Jump up^ "The Outsider (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
7. Jump up^ "The Outsider Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 13, 2018.

External links[edit]
 The Outsider on IMDb

[show]

Films directed by Martin Zandvliet

[show]

Netflix films and documentaries

Categories:

 2018 films
 2010s action films
 2010s crime drama films
 American action films
 American crime drama films
 American films
 Netflix original films
 English-language films
 Films set in Japan
 Yakuza films
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