
            Harry Kilmer (along with friend George Tanner) were in Japan after the war in the Pacific ended. During this time Kilmer met and fell in love with a beautiful Japanese woman named Eiko Tanaka. But for some reason Kilmer cannot fathom and which Eiko will not tell him, she will not marry him. Finally he leaves Japan and returns home to the USA where he does some police and detective work to earn a living.Tanner continues a business relationship with some very shady underworld figures in Japan (the Yakuza) and in particular with the local boss Tono. In fact he is selling guns to this mafia like organization, but on one transaction he fails to deliver. As a consequence the Yakuza kidnap Tanner's daughter and Tanner turns to Kilmer to help him try to recover his daughter safely.So Kilmer returns to Japan to do what he can for his then friend. He visits Eiko of which their mutual love is quite apparent but who will still not marry him. We also meet her brother, Ken Tanaka who once was a Yakuza himself but resigned and became a respectable swordsman instructor in the ancient tradition of Japanese warfare by the sword. Ken is a master swordsman.Ken is a strange man ("he who never smiles"), and only reluctantly helps Kilmer to rescue Tanner's daughter. He does so because of the totally Japanese concept of obligation or rather burden called "giri", a social tradition of the old world of Japan.It is by this tradition, in fact, that Ken is bound to assist Kilmer since Kilmer did in fact, save Eikos life during those terrible days after the war. It is then that Ken takes up the sword once again to actually fight (rather than teach), and joins Kilmer in the rescue.The result is a bloody battle to (successfully) rescue Tanners daughter. Unfortunately two of the Yakuza men guarding the captive are killed in the fight, so now the Yakuza, and in particular the boss Tono put a price on heads of both Kilmer and Ken. And while Kilmer can just get on a plane and fly home where the Yakuza will not bother him, Ken is a different story and will definitely die at Tonos bidding.Kilmer decides he cannot do this after what Ken has done for him. He seems to feel the "giri" himself and, in fact, feels he is obligated to Ken. They talk it over and decide there is no choice but to try to kill Tono. It is either Ken or Tono, they figure.Kilmer and Ken then undertake the most dangerous venture, to break into and attack the secure Yakuza compound where Tono hangs out along his henchmen. This could be a form of suicide especially since Japanese (and Yakuza) tradition require that Tono die by the sword and not by a gunshot (Kilmer has two or three guns but Ken only his sword). As a Yakuza Ken can only use a sword.They break in and hold the mob at bay briefly. Ken says I come (only) for Tono, but this makes little difference to the mob and a battle ensues where between Ken's master swordsmanship and Kilmer's threatening (and sometimes deadly) gunfire they succeed in wiping out this mob. (Note that the Yakuza gangsters have only swords, no guns.)At some point earlier in the movie we learn of another strange Yakuza custom concerning the custom of "giri". If the person who is obligated cannot repay his burden he may make a symbolic offering by severing the one of his small fingers (his pinkie) at the joint and giving it to the person to whom he is indebted. If the person accepts the token of forgiveness of burden then the matter is resolved. We see this ritual twice as Ken offers this "giri" to his older brother (who is actually only a brother in the Yakuza sense), but who is socially a prominent businessman and one of enough influence to have covered up the massacres.(NOTE: The following is a serious spoiler-do not read it if you plan to see the movie): Ken (much against) his Yakuza brothers will, performs this ritual and is unhappily forgiven his burden by this brother. Kilmer on the other hand learns something from the brother he could never have imagined. It turns out that the reason Eiko could never marry Kilmer is that she is married to Ken. Ken is actually her husband, not her brother. He had hid in a cave after the war and only several years later found his wife, now comfortably set up with a small tea house business bought for her by Kilmer. Thus when Ken returns this totally torn man must honor Kilmer for saving and then helping his wife because of his "giri" and so tells Kilmer that he is her brother.In the end Kilmer takes a taxi to the airport but is himself torn by his "giri" to Ken. He tells the cab driver to turn around and goes back to see Ken. Kilmer tells him he came back because there is something important he must talk to him about. This is true, but while Ken goes for tea Kilmer himself performs the ritual of severing his pinky and in the tradition, putting it in a handkerchief, offers it to a shocked, but an emotionless Ken when he returns. Kilmer asks Ken to accept his token of apology for what HE HAS DONE (to Kens life however unwittingly), and asks him to please forgive Eiko as well. Ken, of course accepts, and says the words which seem to be the traditional response "no man has a greater friend."Finally the two men with bandaged pinkies go to the airport for a final goodbye and Kilmer leaves, very emotionally, for home.
    

The Yakuza


            
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The Wind and the Lion

The McKenzie Break


            Burt Reynolds stars in and directed this volatile action thriller about an Atlanta cop by the name of Tom Sharky, a Sgt whose gung-ho tactics on a narcotics case gets him demoted to the Vice Squad. There he forms a colorful crew of individuals into a "machine" whose target is to bring down a crimelord known only as Victor (Vittorio Gassman). Playing vital cogs in "Sharky's Machine" as police officers are (Brian Keith) as Pappa, (Charles Durning) as LT Friscoe, (Bernie Casey) as Arch, and (Richard Libertini) as Nosh. He is also aided by (John Fiedler) as Barrett, a Forensic's Specialist. Adding intrigue and mystery to the storyline are (Earl Holliman) as Governor Hotchkins, (Henry Silva) as Billy, a drugged up hitman and (Rachel Ward) as Dominoe, a call girl who catches Sharky's interest and plays a key role in helping him discover Victor's true identity. The entire plot of the film depicts a cop's search for justice in a world of greed and corruption.
    

Sharky's Machine

The Mountain Men

Hooper

Lady in the Corner

Nickelodeon

The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory

The Quest

The Great Battles of the Civil War

Scandalous John

Welcome Home

Something Big

Wind Dancer


            A collision between a comet and an asteroid named Orpheus takes place. Now the meteor Orpheus, which is five miles wide, is on a collision course with Earth. While the United States government and military engage in political maneuvering, other smaller and faster moving fragments rain down on Earth. The major plot point involves secret orbiting nuclear missile platforms, one put up by Dr. Bradley's (Connery) team for the U.S., named Hercules and another constructed by his counterpart in the Soviet Union, nicknamed Peter the Great by Dubov. The American president (Fonda) is advised by military leaders against admitting the existence of Hercules, at the same time the Soviets are reluctant to admit to the existence of its orbital weapons.The President goes on national television and reveals the existence of Hercules, explaining it as a foresighted project to meet the threat that Orpheus represents. He also offers the Soviets a chance to save face and join in by saying they had the same foresight and have their own. Bradley requested a scientist named Dr. Alexei Dubov (Keith) to help him plan a countereffort against Orpheus.Bradley and Sherwood have already arrived at the control center for Hercules, which is located beneath the Sony Building (then called the AT&T Building) in downtown New York. Major-General Adlon (Landau) is the commander of the facility. Dubov and his assistant (and English voice) Tatiana Donskaya (Natalie Wood) arrive and Bradley works at breaking the ice of distrust held by Hercules commander Adlon. Since Dubov cannot admit the existence of the Soviet device, he agrees to Bradley's proposal that they work on the "theoretical" application of how a "theoretical" Soviet platform's weapons would be coordinated with the American ones.Meanwhile, further fragments of the meteor affect the Earth. The Soviets finally admit that they have the device and are willing to join in the effort. The satellite, christened Peter the Great by the joint US-Soviet team working at Hercules control, and Hercules are turned around to aim into space. On Sunday morning, Peter the Great's missiles are fired off because of its position along the orbit, Hercules is fired 40 minutes later.Hercules is launched, and a moment later, New York is wiped out by a fragment of the meteor (one scene shows the World Trade Center destroyed in a giant fireball). Several workers inside the control center are killed when the facility is partially destroyed. The survivors slowly work their way out of what has become a trap, dealing with the East River breaking into the tunnels. Meanwhile, the two sets of missiles are linking up into three waves of mixed nationality. The Hercules crew reach a subway station filled with other people and wait while others try to dig out. The radio stations broadcast news of the result: Orpheus has been either obliterated or shifted to a harmless trajectory. Just then, the subway station occupants are rescued.Later, the scene switches to an airport with a Soviet flag and an American flag on a hanger door. from here, Dubov and Tatiana say goodbye to Bradley and others, then they board a plane with the Soviet star and it takes off for Russia.[
    

Meteor

Death Before Dishonor

Brian Keith

Brian Keith

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Brian Keith Movies or Tv Shows (upto Dec 2024) - Watch Online

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Brian Keith's Movies and Tv Series available to Stream now ..

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