Acting
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48 movies sorted by popularity
In the teeming black markets of postwar Japan, Shozo Hirono and his buddies find themselves in a new war between factious and ambitious yakuza.
The industrial revolution comes to Japan with the introduction of the railroad system. This led to clashes between boatmen, who livelihoods are threatened, and the railroad construction workers. Oryu the Red Peony returns to her home in Kumamoto to accept her position as second generation leader of the Yano Family. But the ceremony is interrupted by fighting between local boatmen and railroad works. And it seems a rival family is pulling the strings behind the clashes.
Oryu the Red Peony, a wandering female yakuza on a soul-searching journey after the death of her father. After collecting her sickly follower from jail, she is taken in by a fishing village. Feeling indebted to their generosity, she stays to work for the village and promises to leave her yakuza ways behind. When a dispute breaks out for the gambling rights to a local festival, the villagers are harassed by a gang of thugs. When the harassment turns violent, Oryu must decide wither to keep her promise or protect the villagers.
Part 3 in a long running (8+1 films) action/comedy/melodrama series about a pair of short tempered, amoral, but not evil chinpira (Bunta Sugawara and Tamio Kawachi) thinking too big of themselves.
Though he has come from a rough background on the streets, Muraki quickly rises through the ranks by means of his well-honed blackmailing instincts. Desperate to keep rolling with his freewheeling lifestyle, Muraki sees his luck begin to crumble when he sets his sights on the business partners of a powerful gang boss.
An undercover cop befriends a yakuza underling who through his contacts helps him infiltrate two rival Yakuza gangs. He pits the two rival gangs against each other in hopes that they will cross each other out.
Immigrant gangs terrorize a Japanese town with their threats, loud jazz, and tasteless fashion sense, and only the tough but suave Dr. Amamiya (Ando) can stop them, as long as he gets rid of his silly peace-loving ideals.
A group of prisoners attempts to break the Abashiri prison. This film can be considered a sequel to the Abashiri Bangaichi series, written and directed by Ishii Teruo. The friendship between two men on death row, a fleeting love affair with a traveling dancer and a deadly battle with the real culprit who has hunted him down filmed over a long period of time on location in Hokkaido.
No description available.
On a cold winter day, Goro Fujikawa (Tetsuya Watari) and Masahiko murder the mob boss of Meishin-Kai. The deed costs them time in prison, but Goro had no shred of regret. When Goro is released 2 years later, Masahiko is dying in prison hospital and entrusts his last wish; "find my sister and take care of her." Goro leaves as a free man with a mission, but soon finds that he might have been better off in jail.
Back after four years, Goro learns his younger brother's been thrown out of the gang and his girlfriend's married another man. It's payback time.
Young geisha Koshizu's wish of reuniting with the man, Yukichi, who helped her ten years ago comes true. When she learns of the trouble Yukichi's business is facing, she stands ready to come to his aid, and thus repay a debt that's long overdue.
The story centers on a young yakuza, played by Keiji Takamiya, who teams up with a group of delinquent girls to commit crimes and make money. The second film in Shochiku's series the Law / Okite.
After the war, Noboru Ando, a former kamikaze soldier, returns to a devastated Tokyo. Enraged by the violence prevalent in society, he immerses himself in the yakuza world, believing that "violence must be met with violence." Gaining notoriety for his natural bravery and fighting skills, he becomes known as the "intellectual yakuza" and creates the Ando-gumi, a gang that controls the Shibuya district. Ando's first series of yakuza films is based on his autobiography. He labored at his first studio, Shochiku, to only minor success before leaving and going onto true stardom at Toei Studios. These films were awfully early in Ando’s career - a novice actor and former yakuza given immense notoriety by his newspaper-serialized bio upon his release from prison. 1 of 5 films.
Part 5 in a long running (8+1 films) action/comedy/melodrama series about a pair of short tempered, amoral, but not evil chinpira (Bunta Sugawara and Tamio Kawachi) thinking too big of themselves. After serving four and a half years in prison, Masa and his brother Katsuji leave Kobe to go to Nagoya to help a hostess get her daughter back from her mother. As they arrive in Nagoya, they get into a scuffle with the local yakuza affiliate. Sugawara and Kawaji's chemistry is even more evident here than usual, the storyline is alright if melodramatic. Delightful start with Tatsuo Endo as a nice guy prison guard! How many times have you seen that? And we got Kyosuke Machida (henchman) with cool beard and the always good Tsunehiko Watase (young hood) on board as well. One of the best films in the series.
A melodrama based on a hit song by Yoshio Tabata. Set on Kikaijima Island, the story depicts the love between a simple-hearted island girl and a down-to-earth island man.
Set during the last days of the Tokugawa (Edo) Period, Moeyo-ken tells the story of Hijikata Toshizo and the Shinsengumi. Hijikata Toshizo is a samurai eager to test his skills and sword and make his first kill. The dojo he belongs to practices the Tennen Rishin style and teaches this to farmers. Not considered real samurai by other dojo, they receive a request for a duel by a rival dojo practicing the Kogen Itto style. Sohaku Rokusha, a teacher there, challenges them and fights with Hijikata Toshizo. The outcome of the fight creates a deadly animosity between them that lasts through the ages.
When a large crime syndicate seeks to invade Gifu's underworld, three brothers and their yakuza family are the only ones that stand in their way.
1962 Japanese movie
Miyoko Sekiguchi, who works at a second-rate trading company, and car mechanic Koji Fukumoto are in love. The morning after Koji and Miyoko went out for a drive, the strangled corpse of a call girl is discovered in Toyamagahara. Chief Akagi, Detective Sergeant Sawada, and the other detectives begin to suspect Koji during their investigation. Koji insists he's innocent, but has no evidence to prove it. Even when detectives come to Miyoko's home and workplace and her coworkers begin to look down on her, Miyoko continues to trust and love Koji...
A war breaks out on the streets between rivaling Yakuza clans.
Koji, a driver for the Tokyo-Nagoya express bus service, picked up a woman one day on the Hakone Driveway. While Koji and his assistant Saburo were checking the engine, the woman disappeared, leaving a thick envelope on the seat.
The fourth film in the Kanto Street Peddlers series. The protagonist, played by Bunta Sugawara sides with female boss Yumiko Nogawa to fight evil Hiroshi Nawa, who at one point employs rebellious young hood Tsunehiko Watase and Kagawa. Tatsuo Umemiya also shows up as a cool, leather jacket gunman who gains Sugawara’s respect despite playing for the opposing team. What eventually keeps this film from being as good as the first is the loose script that doesn’t really tie all the fun stuff into a coherent package. Much is forgiven however when the last 20 minutes arrives with several visually striking set pieces (including one death scene stylized to the point of ridiculousness) and a terrific final massacre. This was Suzuki’s last contribution to the series; the fifth and final picture would be helmed by Takashi Harada.
When the boss of the Nakano Family decides to retire and makes a loyal follower the new boss instead of his own son, it causes strife in the family. Sides are taken and lines are drawn. Meanwhile, a rival family with a land dispute with the Nakano starts pulling strings behind the scenes...
Gangsters are robbed of five hundred million yen.
1963 Japanese movie
While imprisoned, Tatsu encounters Danshi, a man who is a big honcho in the prison pecking order. After initial conflict they become sworn brothers. Tatsu and the sworn brothers he acquires weren’t really gangsters before their prison time, just ruffians. Prison, however, introduces them to plenty of gangland characters and three years later, they’re out of prison and enmeshed in the yakuza world.
Minami Yoichiro is a gang member who has killed the boss of opponent clan. Before leaving Japan forever, he visits his sister's grave and becomes involved with a rival gang. He then discovers that his sister was murdered; also it becomes apparent that the pursuing detective has a personal reason for trying to capture him. In the end both he and the girl who was escaping with him are killed. The third film in Shochiku's series Law / Okite.
A Yakuza film directed by Kôsaku Yamashita
Tired of poverty, Keiko leaves home and soon takes a lover, but leads a wanton life without paying heed to his advice. However, the younger sister Yoshiko, is an innocent and kind girl. One day, with the sudden death of their mother in a car accident, Keiko learns that she and Yoshiko are actually stepsisters, and that she is the daughter of a murderer. She now plans extortion from Yoshiko's true father who is the president of a well-known trading company.
Rumiko, the female boss from Kanto. The film is a fierce counterattack by a Yakuza woman against all men! It shows the power of a woman who fights, a woman who makes money, and a woman who explodes! More energy than in any male movie!
Movie directed by Kunio Matoi
Rumi (Yoko Mihara) and Emi (Masayo Banri) are sisters who dance nightly at the Blue Moon cabaret, which happens be the headquarters of a drug ring. Offstage, Rumi captivates the gang boss, Iwahara (Shuntaro Emi); while Emi attracts the portly club manager, Yajima (Saburo Sawai). Meanwhile their older brother Shinichi (Ryo Kuromaru), a seaman, is unwittingly assisting Iwahara with his drug running. When Shinichi’s ship is sea-jacked by another drug gang, an outraged Iwahara suspects him of treachery and has him beaten and confined in a dungeon-like basement. Rumi and Emi try to free him, but a gang hitman discovers them - and their attempt ends in failure. Now under suspicion themselves, the girls try to escape, but luck goes against them and they are taken to an island where Iwahara and his crew plan to ambush the rival gang.
Japanese mystery film directed by Michiyoshi Doi.
5 criminals organize a jailbreak in search of a cache of stolen diamonds.
Shintoho crime film directed by Kyotaro Namiki.
Two pharmaceutical companies in Tokyo and Osaka engage in a fierce battle of wits over the sale of aphrodisiacs. Shigeru Amachi and Yumiko Nogawa, special sales agents known as "propers," operate in the shadows.
Kind-hearted girl next door beauty (Junko Ikeuchi) turns the heads of all the handsome boys, so three other models decide to push her off the nearest cliff. But her aunt is a witch who grants her monstrous powers to transform into a beast and get her revenge.
A hit-man returns to Japan after a long sojourne.
