【First Love Mafia】 Italian vs. Chinese Film Showdown【Beautiful stories from far away From Japan】
2026-04-24 ｜ TOSHI
Hello, this is TOSHI. I’m a Japanese woman.
Mafia films are fascinating, aren’t they? Seeing the mafia in real life is scary, but on television, its fascinating.
I’ll introduce two mafia film masterpieces, one Italian and one Chinese.
■ ‘The Godfather’ – My Impression Was Different from When I Saw It in My Youth
This is a well-known masterpiece of mafia films. However, my impression was different from when I watched it when I was young.
Synopsis
“This film depicts the Corleone family, which wields immense power in America, facing a crisis of collapse. It also portrays the criminal business that this Sicilian family is involved in.”
*Reference: See the Amazon Prime movie description page below
I was initially engrossed in it when I was in junior high school, and I’ve rewatched it many times since then. But this time, watching it again after a long time, I was still struck by it.
“Why is it so amazing?”
I was drawn in from the beginning, and even though it’s a long film, I couldn’t take my eyes off it until the very end.
As a girl, I remember liking Al Pacino as Michael, but now, watching it again, I think Marlon Brando as Vito (the Don, who’s also in the thumbnail above) is absolutely fantastic.
The film begins with Vito being asked to carry out a revenge murder during his daughter’s wedding, but even after the deal is made, the wedding continues as a lavish and happy affair, just like any other.
At the wedding, Vito dances a waltz with his daughter. I really love that scene too.
A masterpiece makes you feel like you’ve traveled to another world, doesn’t it? It’s been a long time since I felt this good.
Even if it’s morally wrong, nowadays, the god of art forgives it. Art forgives.
Since getting married, I’ve lost interest in anyone other than my husband, but while watching this movie, I was dazzled by Vito, Marlon Brando.
(The following contains some spoilers)
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Even when taking his son’s body to the funeral home, Vito dresses impeccably. “What a gentleman,” I thought at the time.
I was truly fortunate to witness the brand’s “Vito,” his mysterious, overwhelming brilliance as a mafia don, his aging, and his death.
Watching movies like this makes me understand the feelings of those who want to become actors.
I thought, “If I were reborn, I’d want to be an actor like that.”
Anyway, the movie itself is a masterpiece no matter how many times you watch it. It hasn’t lost any of its appeal even after almost half a century. I wonder if there’s anyone who finds this movie boring.
Many people have probably seen it, but if some time has passed, it might be worth watching again.
Amazon page The Godfather
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■When I was 13, “Joey Tai,” the Chinese mafia don played by John Lone, was everything to me
The other movie is probably known by Asian people of my generation.
John Lone was really popular back then, wasn’t he?
*Year of the Dragon*
This is a violent film set in New York’s Chinatown, depicting a confrontation between a detective and a young Chinese mafia boss.
Reference: *Year of the Dragon* Wikipedia
John Lone is famous for *The Last Emperor*, but I think his role as the young Chinese mafia don in this film was even more captivating.
His character’s name is “Joey Tai.” An exotic and cool name.
I was a middle school student when it was released. John Lone, “Joey Tai,” in this film was everything to me, a 13-year-old girl. Perhaps my first love.
I saw it in a big theater, and even when it started playing in smaller theaters, I followed it to see it again.
I remember reading a reader’s submission in a movie magazine that said,
“Joey’s wife was probably deceived, but I wouldn’t mind being deceived if it meant marrying Joey.”
Even though it was wrong, he had an incredible allure.
I watched it again recently after a long time, and it was a pretty extreme movie. But it was interesting.It’s a fast-paced movie.
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Note・blog of TOSHI Japanese
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※TOSHI, I had been a writer who mainly focuses on food for around 5 years. I am looking for media that will publish my essays about Japan, gourmet Mystery novel (※), etc. Feel free to contact me via ClubRosy’s X (Twitter) DM. https://twitter.com/ClubRosy
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