As Netflix continues to strengthen its base of movies with a slew of new releases, there are quite a few films that pique the curiosity of those who view it. One such movie is from the latest release by Netflix, The Outsiders.
Jared Leto is more likely to be seen posing awkwardly or just staring at blank spaces when not in use for dialogue
The Outsiders is a movie about post-war Japan and the influence as well as lifestyle of the dreaded Yakuza, who control the underworld of Japan. Entering this story is an American soldier held captive in a Japanese prison who gains the favour of a yakuza member which then leads him to a darker fate.
The Japanese cast on the other hand kept true to their roots and did well to flesh out the atmosphere and settings
Story-wise overall, the movie had a strong starting point with the introduction into the yakuza world as well as a proper cast which helped mould the image of their cruel world, but at times, Jared Leto just felt out of place, and later on in the movie, it seems that the plot development was lost along the way. The movie tries to get us emotionally involved with Jared Leto’s character but ultimately it falls short as the scene progression feels of tempo and the ending was like a bad M.Night Shyalamam movie.
Artistically, however, The Outsiders do get some good mentions for that, the neon outlines, the depiction of 1954 Osaka, the various bars and streets and that one Sumo scene, it all comes together to mesh out a rather populated world with substance.
The soundtrack was average at best, with ambient music playing its role in the numerous dialogue intervals while we have some mambo and Jazz to fill up the club scenes but none were all too spectacular.
In conclusion, The Outsider is another example of a movie which has great to near infinite potential but sadly was let down by awkward editing and subpar plot development. It really is a pity.