Ken Takakura
Birthday: 1931-02-16
Place of Birth: Nakama, Fukuoka, Japan
Biography: Ken Takakura (高倉 健, Takakura Ken), born Gouichi Oda (February 16, 1931, in Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka, Japan), was a Japanese actor best known for his brooding style and the stoic presence he brings to his roles. Takakura gained his streetwise swagger and tough-guy persona watching yakuza turf battles over the lucrative black market and racketeering in postwar Fukuoka. This subject was covered in one of his most famous movies, Showa Zankyo-den (Remnants of Chivalry in the Showa Era), in which he played an honorable old-school yakuza among the violent post-war gurentai. A graduate of Meiji University in Tokyo Takakura happened by an audition in 1955 at the Toei Film Company, and decided to look in. Toei found a natural in Takakura as he debuted with Denko Karate Uchi (Lightning Karate Blow) in 1956. Japan experienced a boom in gangster films in the 1960s as the Japanese people struggled with the generational differences between those raised in pre-war and post-war Japan and these were Takakura's stock and trade. His breakout role would be in the 1965 film Abashiri Prison, and its sequel Abashiri Bangaichi: Bokyohen (Abashiri Prison: Longing for Home, also 1965), in which he played an ex-con antihero. By the time Takakura would leave Toei in 1976, he had appeared in over 180 films. Takakura gained international recognition after starring in the 1970 war film Too Late the Hero as the cunning Imperial Japanese Major Yamaguchi, the 1975 Sydney Pollack sleeper hit The Yakuza with Robert Mitchum and is probably best known in the West for his role in Ridley Scott's Black Rain (1989) where he surprises American cops played by Michael Douglas and Andy García with the line, "I do speak fucking English". He again proved himself bankable to Western audiences with the 1992 Fred Schepisi comedy Mr. Baseball starring Tom Selleck. While he has slowed down a bit in his older years, he is still active. His most recent film was the 2005 Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles by Chinese director Zhang Yimou. Description above from the Wikipedia article Ken Takakura, licensed under CC-BY-SA,full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Movies
The Longest Tunnel
After a passenger ship sinks in 1954, Go Akutsu devises a life-saving project in the form of a tunne...
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Black Rain
Two New York cops get involved in a gang war between members of the Yakuza, the Japanese Mafia. They...
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The Yellow Handkerchief
The story is about a convict released from prison for an old murder who is thinking about returning ...
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47 Ronin
Kon Ichikawa's retelling of the classic true story of Samurai honor. When a young clan lord is force...
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Never Give Up
Special forces officer Ajisawa leaves his paramilitary group to take care of his newly-adopted daugh...
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Rogue
Coal miner Isamu Oba is forced to quit his village and leave his mother and siblings behind. Mining ...
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The Yakuza
When George Tanner does business with high-ranking Yakuza Tono, Tono kidnaps his daughter, and Georg...
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Men Fighting Whales
A film about the rivalry between Captain Gondo and the harpooner Yosuke Yamagami, working on the bes...
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Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
Takada, a Japanese fisherman has been estranged from his son for many years, but when the son is dia...
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The Kamikaze Guy
An elaborate criminal tango based around treasure hidden during WWII....
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Antarctica
Two Japanese scientists, Ushioda and Ochi, develop a bond with their sled dogs while on an expeditio...
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The Bullet Train
A Japanese bullet train is threatened with a bomb that will explode automatically if the train slows...
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Mr. Baseball
Jack Elliot, a one-time MVP for the New York Yankees is now on the down side of his baseball career....
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The World's Most Noble Guy: Taro's Whirlwind
The third film in the Taro series, following "The World's Most Noble Guy: Taro's Eternity" and "The ...
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Railroad Man
A railway stationmaster at a dying end-of-the-line village in Hokkaido is haunted by memories of his...
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Red Peony Gambler
Ryuko was raised by her father, a gambler named Senzo Yano in Kumamoto, Kyushu, after her mother die...
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Manhunt
A tough prosecutor is falsely accused of theft and goes on the run to clear his name. He is assisted...
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An Outlaw
Assassin Nanjo goes on a solitary mission to take revenge on the man who trapped him into a complica...
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A Distant Cry from Spring
The quiet life of a mother and her young son living on a farm in Hokkaido is changed by the arrival ...
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Golgo 13
Live-action adaptation of the hit manga. Golgo 13, also known by the pseudonym Duke Togo, is a profe...
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Red Peony Gambler: Flower Cards Game
The third chapter of the ‘Red Peony Gambler’ saga depicts the happiness and sadness of Red Peony Ory...
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The Outsiders
A drama about relations between Japanese immigrants and the indigenous Ainu on Hokkaido, the most no...
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Brave Red Flower of the North
An exciting tale of action on the distant northern island of Hokkaido around the beginning of the 20...
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Miyamoto Musashi V: Musashi vs Kojiro
The fifth and final installment with the build up of the epic battle between Sasaki Kojiro and Miyam...
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Mount Hakkoda
Two infantry regiments of the Imperial Japanese Army—210 men overall—tackled Mt. Hakkoda in the wint...
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Buddies
Based on a celebrated book by Kuniko Mukoda, this film directed by Yasuo Furuhata tells of a close f...
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Station
A detective goes out of his way to crack the case of a serial killer who specialises in murdering po...
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A Fugitive from the Past
Three robbers escape with loot from a heist before one of them kills the others. Their corpses wash ...
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Dearest
The posthumous wish of Eiji's wife is for her ashes to be scattered in the ocean near her hometown. ...
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Contemporary Tales of Chivalry 2
Hidejiro is a wandering yakuza with a ‘karashi botan’ (Chinese lion and peony) tattoo. Owing a favor...
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Contemporary Tales of Chivalry: The Lone Wolf
The karashi Botan returns in the third chapter of the incredible Showa Zankoden series. This time le...
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Demon
Shuji was once a feared member of the Yakuza crime syndicate, but he's reformed his ways, abandoned ...
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Manchurian Sunset
A film adaptation of the original novel by Kazuo Dan. This exciting film, set in Asia on the eve of ...
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Contemporary Tales of Chivalry 4
Fierce war breaks out when Shujiro’s rival clan attempts to sabotage his lucrative construction busi...
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Brutal Tales of Chivalry 5: Man With The Karajishi Tattoo
Hidejirō is sent to prison after killing the boss of a rival family. After being released, he discov...
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Brutal Tales of Chivalry 7: Hell Is a Man's Destiny
Young yakuza Shujiro Hanada goes to prison after losing his cool in a rigged gambling game and slash...
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Brutal Tales of Chivalry
After World War II, their town was a pile of rubble. Gennosuke, the second generation boss of the Ka...
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Showdown in Blood
Hayata and his best friend Ushijima came to Tokyo to become champions. Hayata repeatedly sought to j...
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Abashiri Prison
Abashiri Prison is located in the coldest place in Japan. Two men, handcuffed together have escaped ...
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Wolves, Pigs & Men
Sabu and his pals hold a pauper's funeral for Sabu's mother. His brother Jiro arrives home, fresh ou...
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All Rascals
Ishihama is planning a casino robbery with his wife and mother-in-law. They meet a man named Tsuneda...
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Karate Cop
A martial arts master/detective investigates a series of murders and helps a deaf bathhouse attendan...
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The Kanto Scarlet Cherry Gang
The Ni Family is the most well know and respected group of firefighters in the Kanto region. When t...
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Winter's Flower
Kanno is a Yakuza. He had to kill Matsuoka who betrayed their boss. Kanno knew Matsuoka had a 3-year...
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The Firefly
Shūji Yamaoka was a suicide pilot during the war who somehow survived Japan's surrender. After decad...
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G-men of Japan 4: Special Armed Unit Mobilization
The fourth installment of G-men of Japan...
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Robert Mitchum: The Reluctant Star
A retrospective on the career of Robert Mitchum through interviews with friends and co-workers, scen...
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The Domain
The feud between two rival delivery companies, Kibamasa and Okiyama, heats up as the head of Kibamas...
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The Homeless
Two inmates are simultaneously released from jail, but go their separate ways, only to cross paths a...
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A Portrait of the Author
Actor Takakura Ken visits Santa Cruz in Portugal and traces the footsteps of the writer Dan Kazuo, w...
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Too Late the Hero
A WWII film set on a Pacific island. Japanese and allied forces occupy different parts of the island...
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Contemporary Tales of Chivalry: Forbidden Love
The story of a lone wolf struggling with human compassion and duty....
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Lightning Karate Blow
Ken Takakura's screen debut, following his admission into Toei ranks via the studio's annual New Fac...
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Choji Snack Bar
Eiji lives a quiet life running a small Izakaya with his wife. He spends his days cooking for and se...
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The Day the Sun Rose
Shinkichi, a peasant employed as a cloth-dyer, has a dream: in the midst of the civil war which rava...
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The Path of the King
When the aging leader of the yakuza gang Maeda-gumi decides to retire, many of the gang members have...
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The Deep Blue Sea
To fulfill a friend’s dying wish, a young sailor Kenji takes on the task of delivering an heirloom t...
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Classmates
A story of young students trained to become Kamikaze pilots in World War II....
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The Last Kamikaze
With World War II is coming to its end and Japan nearing defeat, Japanese military leaders step up s...
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The Prickly Mouthed Geisha Part 2
Young geisha Kohana scrambles to realize her dream of bringing back her grandmother’s restaurant bus...
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The Revolt
When a young soldier is killed while trying to prevent his younger sister, Kaoru, from being sold in...
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With Songs in My Heart
Sayuri, a young woman born to a simple life on a farm, moves to Tokyo to pursue a life long dream of...
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The Sand City in Manchuria
When the plague threatens a small town in Manchuria, a young doctor finds himself struggling to save...
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Prison Walls of Abashiri 4
A gripping tale of friendship set against the backdrop of Hokkaido. Shinichi sets out to earn a few ...
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New Prison Walls of Abashiri
Former soldier, Suehiro Katsuji, fights violent gangs and powerful Chinese merchants during the post...
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Flower, Storm and Gangster
A gang of bank robbers plan a big robbery, but they all plot to betray each other after the heist fo...
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Romance Freestyle
The love between young college students Toki and the handsome Takaga is tested when Takaya's parents...
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Four Hours of Terror
Airline captain saves passengers from a brutal murderer on a plane during four hours of terror....
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Jet Air Base 101
The first batch of flight control officer candidates, full of yearning for the sky, are assembled at...
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Detective Duel
A friendly rivalry turns into romance for Yukiko, an elite female detective, and a handsome private ...
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Sister with Sister
Yoshiko finds new life and love interests when she takes a new job as an office worker....
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A Fishwife's Tale
Hibari Misora plays Yoshiko, the popular daughter of a fish market owner. After discovering that she...
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Glorious Fights
A young leader of the Yamazaki family of Nagasaki, Takida (Ken Takakura) is an A-bomb survivor. He f...
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Hishakaku and Kiratsune: A Tale of Two Yakuza
With his penultimate film, Uchida revisited one of his popular prewar titles, 1936’s Theatre of Life...
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The International Gang of Kobe
In 1947, in Kobe, Japan, a local street gang fights for their survival when its turf is overrun by U...
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The Prickly Mouthed Geisha and the Girl of Osaka
A geisha helps a runaway who looks just like her....
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Ken San
KEN SAN pieces together the puzzle of the life and legacy of Japan's mythical acting icon, Ken Takak...
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365 Nights
A touching drama about a love triangle between a young architect, Koroku, and two women, Ranko and T...
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Feisty Edo Girl Nakanori-san
Daughter of a lumber shop in Edo strives to protect her family business from the competitor. Sado Ma...
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Tales of President Mito
Mr. Mito, a former president of an instant food company, with two young men’s help, solves the quali...
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The World's Most Noble Guy: Taro's Rush
An upstanding young man’s racy adventure filled with conspiracies and love....
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No Advice Taken
A comical love story between two college students — Hitomi, a strong-willed girl, and Shogo, a hands...
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Outlaw Under a Blue Canopy
Sheriff Goro goes undercover to investigate drug smugglers....
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The Bullet and the Horse
A number of recently released prisoners become involved in a racket with a rancher who is a rival to...
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Patience Has An End
Young coal miner Takeda leaves Kyushu in search of a better job in Tokyo, only to fall into the lucr...
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House of Gamblers
Ken Takakura stars as Ryoji one of the Aramasa family's loyal lieutenants whao takes the burden of h...
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The Pledge
When Omuro Yahachi of the Omuro family is selected as Mutsumikai Soke's successor, the conflict betw...
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The Prickly Mouthed Geisha, Part 4
A comedy of a high-spirited geisha, Koharu, who is at risk of being trapped in a conspiracy to take ...
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The Prickly Mouthed Geisha, Part 3
Popular geisha Koharu suspects that Yusaku, a handsome stranger she falls in love with, is involved ...
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Black Rain: Making The Film
A documentary on the making of the film, Black Rain, which actually encompasses 4 parts, Production,...
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Eleven Gangsters
Two men head a team who steal a factory payroll valued at 500 million yen. Then a hoodlum gang goes ...
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The Second Bullet is Marked
Tsunokichi and Ken face off against a rival yakuza in Kyushu....
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Contemporary Tales of Chivalry: The Traitor Shall Die
The ninth and final film in the Contemporary Tales of Chivalry series....
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Brutal Tales of Chivalry 6
This is the sixth film in the Brutal Tales of Chivalry series...
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The Chivalrous Life
Ryoma is a former military man who gets to know the leader of a yakuza group and begins to work with...
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New Prison Walls of Abashiri 2
Suehiro Katsuji, a prisoner of Abashiri, is sent to Shikoku to work at a dock where a fierce turf ba...
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Prison Walls of Abashiri 3
Upon returning to his hometown of Nagasaki, recently released prisoner Tachibana Shinichi must rejoi...
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Jakoman and Tetsu
In a village subsisting on its herring fishery, a one-eyed criminal named Jakoman terrorizes the inh...
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Samurai Geisha
Popular geisha Shinji (Fuji Junko) must defy a gang who plot to steal a lucrative coal business fro...
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Miyamoto Musashi: Birth of Two Sword Style
In the third installment of Yoshikawa's novel Musashi, things continue from the 2nd film at the end ...
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Miyamoto Musashi IV: The Duel at Ichijo-ji Temple
In the fourth installment, Musashi's potentially greatest opponent Kojiro jumps in and out of the st...
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A Story from Abashiri Prison—Duel in Snow Storm
Convict son revenges innocent father's death....
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Life of Hishakaku
After eloping with a prostitute named Otoyo, Hishakaku takes refuge in the Kogane family’s turf. Ind...
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Song of Kagoshima
Yumemi, the president of Shirayuri Tours, visits Kagoshima in an attempt to save the contract with S...
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The Drifting Avenger
Ken, son of a former samurai settles with his family in the west from Japan. Soon his family is kill...
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Yakuza of the Present
In the roaring 1970s, a man who has left the world of the yakuza to become the owner of a sushi rest...
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Memoir of Japanese Assassinations
This anthology film consists of nine incidents in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when assass...
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Prison Walls of Abashiri, Part 2
Two convicts just released from prison find a green bauble filled with diamonds — and try to prove t...
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Third Generation Boss
Based on Kazuo Taoka's autobiography, this film follows a Kobe gangster as he builds the small Yamag...
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New Prison Walls of Abashiri: Stormy Cape
Former inmate Katsuji gets involved in the horse gambling business while lending a helping hand to a...
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Brothers Serving Time
While imprisoned, Tatsu encounters Danshi, a man who is a big honcho in the prison pecking order. Af...
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Gambler's Legacy
A yakuza member embarks on a trail of revenge for his murdered boss. Senzo, the successor of the Mit...
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Bloodiest Flower
A dramatic captivating tale tells of widowed Tei (Junko Fuji), she has become a coalmine operator an...
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Red Peony Gambler: Second Generation Ceremony
The industrual revolution comes to Japan with the introduction of the railroad system. This led to c...
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The Biggest Gamble
When Honjo is selected as Kansai district's chairman, Iwasa of the rival gang asks Itsuki to do ever...
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The Prickly-Mouthed Geisha Goes to Sado
Koharu, a flamboyant geisha, unexpectedly wins a trip to Sado Island in a TV contest. She is accompa...
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The World's Most Noble Guy: Taro's Eternity
An upstanding young man who is popular with the ladies takes on a corrupt group of men in his compan...
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The Domain: Kanto Legends of Chivalry
Third part of Nihon Kyokakuden series is set in Kanto in 1924. Ken Takakura playing a ship's mate be...
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Gang Loyalty and Vengeance
A modern gang version of Chushingura, chronicling almost scene for scene the Brave 47 Ronin story, t...
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Great Jailbreak
A group of prisoners attempts to break the Abashiri prison. This film can be considered a sequel to...
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The Big Boss
A shooting incident occurs at the Asahina family gambling hall in Tokyo's Joto district. It is the w...
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Storm Party
Many outlaws are gathered at the front line of the Japanese Army in a shock troop....
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New Prison Walls of Abashiri: The Vagrant Comes to a Port Town
Katsuji takes revenge on evil Tamaru who forcefully took control of the fishery business run by Kats...
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Japan's Top Gangster
A boy born in a poor village in Tokushima spends his days idly until a chance meeting sets him on th...
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Abashiri Prison: Duel in the Snow Country
Based on Ito Hajime's original story, this is the seventh installment in the "Bangaichi" series, ada...
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Abashiri Prison: Duel in the South
This is the sixth film in the "Abashiri Series," based on an original idea by Hajime Ito, and writte...
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The Boss
Teruo Ishii portrays the bitter conflict over the right to develop land in a gripping and humorous w...
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New Prison Walls of Abashiri: High Stakes at Abashiri
Prisoner Katsuji must fend for himself and his prison mates in the fierce battle involving a family ...
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Lady Sen and Hideyori
From the late 1500's through the founding of the Tokugawa Shogunate many battles were fought as the ...
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The Domain: The Naniwa Story
Second film of Makino's Nihon Kyokakuden series set in Osaka's harbor. The series also known as "The...
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The Domain: Duel at Thunder Gate
The life of entertainers in Asakusa’s pleasure quarters. An exciting yakuza story with superb action...
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Path of Japanese Chivalry: Story of All-Out Attack
Toei studios last ninkyo eiga of the 70's....
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Umi e, See You
Team DANKAI are set to compete in the Paris-Dakar Rally, an off-road endurance race spanning thousan...
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A Hoodlum At The Risk Of His Life
A reporter is framed for murder while investigating organized crime. Upon being released from prison...
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The Great Road
The story of a certain engineer from his youth until he retired from the Japanese National Railways ...
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Histories of the Chivalrous
A Kansai gang is up to conquer the whole country under the mask of a patriotic group. However after ...
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The Chop Professor
Junpei Kihara, a young president of the University's wrestling club, is nicknamed "Mr. Chop". One da...
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Yukyo-retsuden
A street vendor who eloped with his girlfriend and injured her brother loses her to illness, and now...
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Gambler Biography
Historical Yakuza gangster film set the early years of the Showa era....
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The detective whose path was crossed by a snake
Starring Ken Takakura, this TV special depicts a detective (Akira Hayasaka) who lives in a harsh lif...
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A Man's Dark Finger
A touching action film about a young yakuza who becomes infected with evil because he has the abilit...
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His Pistol is Hell
"Masayoshi Ryanko" jumps into the den of the underworld swirling with smuggling and murder, and defe...
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