In the illustrious Hollywood tradition of movies about white dudes who are better at being Asian than actual Asians, here's your first look at the Yakuza period thriller The Outsider, in which Jared Leto becomes a Japanese gangster. Wait, whaaat? Yup. The Netflix original movie follows a white guy who works his way up the ranks to become a rare non-Japanese member of the fearsome Yakuza.
The official synopsis reads: "Set in post-WWII Japan, an imprisoned American soldier (Leto) is released with the help of his Yakuza cellmate. Now free, he sets out to earn their respect and repay his debt while navigating the dangerous criminal underworld." I assume this means that the white guy will do a lot of way crazier shit than any of the Japanese guys, to prove his worth. And romance some Japanese ladies along the way, of course.
Here's the trailer:
Oh, brother.
Directed by Martin Zandvliet, The Outsider also stars Tadanobu Asano, Kippei Shiina and Shioli Kutsuna. You know, in another grand Hollywood tradition of really great Asian actors playing supporting roles to white stars.
We actually first heard about this movie back in 2011, when Warner Bros. originally acquired the script. I said this back then, as I've said many times before and since, and I'll say it again: Hollywood can make a movie set anywhere in the world, in any era of history... and always somehow find a way for the movie to star a white guy.
The Outsider premieres on Netflix on March 9.
