Acting
Akira Hisamatsu
Born
1909-02-22 (117)
Place of birth
Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
Known for
Acting
Credits
60 titles
Known for
6.9When a mysterious stranger muscles into two rival yakuza gangs, Tokyo's underworld explodes with violence.
Youth of the Beast
1963
6.6Volunteering as a "comfort woman" on the Manchurian front, where she is expected to service hundreds of soldiers, Harumi is commandeered by the brutal Lieutenant Narita but falls for the sensitive Mikami, Narita's direct subordinate. Seijun Suzuki's Story of a Prostitute is a tragic love story as well as a rule-bending take on a popular Taijiro Tamura novel, challenging military and fraternal codes of honor, as seen through Harumi's eyes.
Story of a Prostitute
1965
7.2After botching his latest assignment, a third-ranked Japanese hit man becomes the target of another assassin.
Branded to Kill
1967
6.6In the shady black markets and bombed-out hovels of post–World War II Tokyo, a tough band of prostitutes eke out a dog-eat-dog existence, maintaining tenuous friendships and a semblance of order in a world of chaos. But when a renegade ex-soldier stumbles into their midst, lusts and loyalties clash, with tragic results. With Gate of Flesh, visionary director Seijun Suzuki delivers a whirlwind of social critique and pulp drama, shot through with brilliant colors and raw emotions.
Gate of Flesh
1964
5.5A true-life tale of a broken woman whose hedonistic tryst with a high-class restaurateur resulted in a horrific crime of passion that littered Tokyo headlines in 1936.
A Woman Called Sada Abe
1975
7.1After yakuza boss Kurata dissolves his own criminal empire, a rival kingpin offers a position to Kurata's top operative, Tetsuya "Phoenix Tetsu" Hondo. When the fiercely loyal Tetsu declines, Otsuka taps unstoppable Tatsuzo the "Viper", a ruthless gun-for-hire, to assassinate him. As the Viper trails his target through the countryside, the agile Phoenix Tetsu grows concerned that one of his former associates has betrayed him.
Tokyo Drifter
1966
Film credits
1970s · 9 titles
5.5A true-life tale of a broken woman whose hedonistic tryst with a high-class restaurateur resulted in a horrific crime of passion that littered Tokyo headlines in 1936.
A Woman Called Sada Abe
1975
5.7Oman travels from Shanghai to Japan in search of her mother, only to be betrayed by her companion and sold to a brothel, where she becomes a geisha and gambler.
Nagasaki Butterfly
1972
4.4A group of corrupt police detectives go on a manhunt for an ex-collogue who they believe could blow their whole rotten operation wide open.
Retreat Through the Wet Wasteland
1973
4.8Based on a traditional Japanese ghost story, the movie follows a man who falls deeply in love with a mysterious woman, only to find she belongs to the world of the dead.
Hellish Love
1972
7.0Shuichi and Nobuko are an ordinary, young couple, a promising company employee and his pretty wife. They think nothing can mar their peaceful life but nothing is permanent in this world and Shuichi's company goes bankrupt. Shuichi feels lost. He misses the good times he had at bars and cabarets, especially Hiromi, a hostess. Nobuko offers to work while he hunts for a job and finds an opening at an advertising company. But as Nobuko makes the rounds of restaurants and cabarets, she finds she cannot get ads just by dint of hard work alone. All the shop owners and managers expect her to sleep with them for each big ad they buy. At first, Nobuko is shocked but, to eat, she must meet their demands.
Apartment Wife: Secret Rendezvous
1972
3.0Roman Porno film depicting the great uproar that the children cause in the division of their property, even before their parents are dead, as they claw at their greed.
The Last Laugh
1972
10.0Roman Porno from 1972.
Silent Tears
1972
NRKiyomi, a popular hostess at a bar in Shinjuku, has a traumatic childhood that makes her only sensitive to sexual intercourse with women. One day, the girl she loved as a junior hostess betrayed her and slept with her man. Uncomfortable with men, Kiyomi "swaps places" during sex with her new girlfriend, a trans woman Kaoru.
Shinjuku Midnight Story: Man and Woman
1972
NR3 senior highschool girls help make a hot air balloon for a boy during their summer holidays and took up all sort of part-time jobs in the course.
Time of First Love
1975
1960s · 41 titles
6.9When a mysterious stranger muscles into two rival yakuza gangs, Tokyo's underworld explodes with violence.
Youth of the Beast
1963
6.6Volunteering as a "comfort woman" on the Manchurian front, where she is expected to service hundreds of soldiers, Harumi is commandeered by the brutal Lieutenant Narita but falls for the sensitive Mikami, Narita's direct subordinate. Seijun Suzuki's Story of a Prostitute is a tragic love story as well as a rule-bending take on a popular Taijiro Tamura novel, challenging military and fraternal codes of honor, as seen through Harumi's eyes.
Story of a Prostitute
1965
7.2After botching his latest assignment, a third-ranked Japanese hit man becomes the target of another assassin.
Branded to Kill
1967
6.6In the shady black markets and bombed-out hovels of post–World War II Tokyo, a tough band of prostitutes eke out a dog-eat-dog existence, maintaining tenuous friendships and a semblance of order in a world of chaos. But when a renegade ex-soldier stumbles into their midst, lusts and loyalties clash, with tragic results. With Gate of Flesh, visionary director Seijun Suzuki delivers a whirlwind of social critique and pulp drama, shot through with brilliant colors and raw emotions.
Gate of Flesh
1964
7.1After yakuza boss Kurata dissolves his own criminal empire, a rival kingpin offers a position to Kurata's top operative, Tetsuya "Phoenix Tetsu" Hondo. When the fiercely loyal Tetsu declines, Otsuka taps unstoppable Tatsuzo the "Viper", a ruthless gun-for-hire, to assassinate him. As the Viper trails his target through the countryside, the agile Phoenix Tetsu grows concerned that one of his former associates has betrayed him.
Tokyo Drifter
1966
6.9A college student takes over the family business in the field of organised crime.
Tokyo Knights
1961
NRIt's a thrilling, action-packed entertainer with sparks of men versus villains in an up-and-down tale of brothers burning with masculine will and passion.
Sun and Stars
1962
6.3Katiri is a reporter so ambitiously amoral that he’ll sell out anyone—including his partner and the drug dealer he’s sleeping with—to get a scoop. But what happens when an even more ruthless female gang boss kidnaps his sister?
Smashing the 0-Line
1960
6.8A newspaper reporter's search for his girlfriend's missing father lead him into heart of the criminal underworld of Yokohama's Chinatown.
The Sleeping Beast Within
1960
7.2After his own gang sets him up to kill a rival mobster, a hit man is forced to flee with his younger brother.
Tattooed Life
1965
NRWhen Yakuza decides to take avenge his brother, the war shall begin.
Kill or Be Killed
1966
NROne summer day, the chief monk of the Hojuin Temple dies. Harumichi rushes back to town hearing about his brother's death and requests for a grand funeral. He had been unwilling to take over the family business and had chosen a life as a middle school teacher far away from home, but considering the circumstances, he changes his mind. As the new chief of Hojuin, Harumichi scrambles around day after day for donations. He has kept strictly to the straight and narrow, until he passes a bicycle race track where the sounds of cheering fans induce him into a new way of life...
The Gambling Monk
1963
7.2Based on the loosely autobiographical novel of the same name by Toko Kon. Ken Yamanouchi stars as Togo Konno, the titular bastard.
The Incorrigible
1963
7.0Kiroku boards with a Roman Catholic family and falls for the daughter Michiko. He ignores his feelings, joins a gang, gets in fights and, eventually, becomes involved with the radical Kita Ikki group.
Fighting Elegy
1966
6.2A sniper kills two prisoners in a police van, and the driver sets out to find the killer.
Take Aim at the Police Van
1960
6.5Ryoji, a wanderer, arrives in a remote mountain town, carrying a shotgun and claiming to be a hunter. He quickly becomes embroiled in a web of trouble surrounding the town's mill.
The Man with a Shotgun
1961
6.6Handsome young Katsuta tries to follow the yakuza code, but even his boss doesn't believe in it. Diamond Fuyu is less ethical, and allows the idiotic Tetsu to trick a schoolgirl he fancies, Hanako, into a type of bonded prostitution. Because of gang conflict, the Izu family (to whom Katsuta belongs) has their last gambling den taken over, and he seeks revenge. This brings him back into contact with a former lover who is also a card trickster - she is also Diamond Fuyu's sister, and is now married to Okaru-Hachi, who has mastered a clever card cheating trick called Okaru, which involves the deft use of mirrors.
Kanto Wanderer
1963
6.8The tragic tale of Kiyono, a young woman from the mountain who fell in love with Takuji, a fisherman's son, and her devotion to him during a time of war.
The Flame of Devotion
1964
NRA youth drama directed by Kiyoshi Horiike, who was adapted from "Young Tokyo no Yane" by Akira Saiga from "Oka wa Hanazakari" based on Yojiro Ishizaka. Miwako Kazuki left the English literature department and joined Toyo Critics. She was attracted by Noro, the editor-in-chief, whose wife died a few years ago and was now living with her two orphans and her old mother....
The Hill is Full of Flowers
1963
5.8Two brothers seek revenge on the yakuza responsible for the death of their father.
The Call of Blood
1964
6.0Ryuji Oshima, a gambler, kills Saiga in self-defense, and considering himself unfit to lead men, secludes himself in a temple to atone for his misdeeds. At home, when his mother, the boss of a construction gang, bids for and gets the job of building the Town Hall, other gangs set out to disrupt her business and try to kill her.
Fight of the Gamblers
1963
6.9A high-school vigilante protects his community from the extortions of mobsters from a neighbouring city.
Teenage Yakuza
1962
NRAuthentic action drama of modern gangsters.
Penitentiary Brothers
1969
NR1962 Japanese movie
Jūdai no kawa
1962
NR1965 Nikkatsu youth film.
Seishun zenki: Aoi kajitsu
1965
NR1962 Japanese movie
Wakai futari
1962
NRFourth installment of Nikkatsu's "Drifter" series, with Kobayashi Akira.
The Wild, Unruly Drifter
1960
NRAzusa has just been discharged from the hospital and is frolicking on the beach in Jushi, finally getting her freedom. Her older sister, Kozue, looks after her. Her father Shuhei moved from Tokyo to Jushi to provide a peaceful environment for his sick daughter. One day Azusa meets Tomita, a high school student, and falls in love with him at first sight. This is a masterpiece of literary lyrics, about two sisters living with bright and pure love, looking at the approaching shadow of death and giving all their feelings to limited youth.
The White Peaks of Mt. Fuji
1963
10.0A boxing melodrama. Two friends become boxers and begin training for the championship. These two boys eventually face each other in the ring.
Million Dollar Smash-and-Grab
1961
NR1962 Japanese movie
Satsujin-sha o oe
1962
8.0A young man travels to Egypt and becomes embroiled in an independence movement by chance. Produced entirely on location overseas, which was groundbreaking at the time.
The Storm over Arabia
1961
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Dahil Sa Iyo – The Song of Sad Love
1962
6.5This rarely seen gem from master Suzuki casts teenage heartthrob Koji Wada as a young misfit who suddenly finds himself the unwitting pawn in an escalating family feud that ultimately leads to tragedy. Lean, mean, and stylish as always, this tale of youth-gone-wild is both vibrant and touching. Suzuki contrasts tranquil glimpses of traditional regional life with the emergence of the new rock 'n' roll youth culture and the greed and seething cynicism of encroaching Westernism. Also released under the title "Go To Hell, Hoodlums!", this is a melodrama as colorful, shocking, and exhilarating as one would come to expect from Japan's master filmmaker.
Fighting Delinquents
1960
NR1962 Japanese movie
Hitotsu no inochi
1962
1962 Japanese movie
Wakai tsume ato
1962
NRA life insurance agent has a drinking problem causing him to lose his company a fortune. He heads to another town to sell insurance, but to his surprise, the elderly are all healthy thanks to a special local sake. Along the way, he meets an eye-patch-wearing killer, which only confounds his misadventures.
Cat Changed Into Tiger
1962
NR1962 Japanese movie
Me o tsubutte tsuppashire
1962
NROne of Sayuri Yoshinaga's first leading roles.
Hana to musume to shiroi michi
1961
NR1962 Japanese movie
Kidō sōsahan Minato no ryakudatsu-sha
1962
NR1962 Japanese movie
Jiken kisha: Kenjû kashimasu
1962
6.6On summer vacation, university student Shintaro gets involved with a magic troupe as they travel from festival to festival.
The Wind-of-Youth Group Crosses the Mountain Pass
1961
1950s · 10 titles
NREisuke Narita, a painter, visits a hot spring town in Tohoku, and for some reason, he is reminded of the events of ten years ago.
Lovers
1956
7.5A bus making its precarious way across a winding mountain road picks up some unwelcome passengers.
Eight Hours of Terror
1957
7.0In the dying months of the Meiji era, a sympathetic student befriends a married couple, but soon realizes they share a curiously strained relationship stemming from an unknown incident in their past.
The Heart
1955
6.2Asako, a former telephone operator once heard the voice of a murder suspect which has continued to haunt her. Years later her husband invites his boss, Hamazaki, over for dinner and she realises his voice is suspiciously like that of the killer. Before she can investigate further, Hamazaki is found dead and her husband becomes the prime suspect.
Voice Without a Shadow
1958
NR1958 Newspaper Association Sweepstakes Winning Broadcast Drama Movie. A heartwarming and moving story that bloomed behind the competition between two newspaper reporters, one young and the other old, who followed the whereabouts of the distressed aircraft. It is an adaptation of the prize-winning broadcast drama recruited by the Japan Newspaper Publishers and Editors Week in 1958. The original author was Tsuneyuki Mori.
JA750 Gōki Yukuefumei
1959
7.5A man is wrongfully accused of murder.
Break Down that Wall
1959
10.0A yakuza boss and his right-hand, Hawasaki, escape from prison. the film concentrates on their relationship, emphasizing loyalty and thier eventual betrayal, enroute they get involved in money trafficking, a cop killing and horse racing scams before the inevitable tragic ending. A patch-work production.
Satan's Town
1956
9.0A romantic adventure tale about a young guy working on a whale-hunting vessel and his love for a childhood sweetheart.
Pure Emotions of the Sea
1956
7.3The story deals with a juvenile delinquent gang surviving through petty thievery. However, everything gets screwed up when they accidentally steal big bucks from the Yakuza.
Age of Nudity
1959
7.6Nobuo is a hot-headed hoodlum fresh out of reform school who struggles to make a clean break with his tearaway past.
The Boy Who Came Back
1958
