Penned by Schrader and his brother Leonard and Robert Towne, THE YAKUZA marks the artists’ first foray into commercial filmmaking. Retired detective Robert Mitchum is pulled back into the criminal underground to rescue a colleague’s daughter abroad, facing off against the brutal Japanese syndicate. Mitchum’s hangdog investigator goes transcendental as dives further into a world of spiritual intrigue and expressions of loyalty and honor. (Jake Isgar)

1974 / Warner Bros. / dir. Sydney Pollack