Rentaro Mikuni

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Harakiri

(1962)

Action, Drama, History

Down-on-his-luck veteran Tsugumo Hanshirō enters the courtyard of the prosperous House of Iyi. Unemployed, and with no family, he hopes to find a place to commit seppuku—and a worthy second to deliver the coup de grâce in his suicide ritual. The senior counselor for the Iyi clan questions the ronin’s resolve and integrity, suspecting H...

Runtime:

135 min

Director:

Masaki Kobayashi

Cast:

Tatsuya Nakadai, Rentaro Mikuni, Shima Iwashita, Akira Ishihama, Tetsurō Tamba

8.6

100%

85

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Kwaidan

(1964)

Drama, Fantasy, Horror

Taking its title from an archaic Japanese word meaning "ghost story," this anthology adapts four folk tales. A penniless samurai marries for money with tragic results. A man stranded in a blizzard is saved by Yuki the Snow Maiden, but his rescue comes at a cost. Blind musician Hoichi is forced to perform for an audience of ghosts. An a...

Runtime:

183 min

Director:

Masaki Kobayashi

Cast:

Michiyo Aratama, Misako Watanabe, Rentarô Mikuni, Kenjiro Ishiyama, Ranko Akagi

8.0

85%

N/A

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Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto

(1954)

Action, Adventure, Drama

Struggling to elevate himself from his low caste in 17th century Japan, Miyamoto trains to become a mighty samurai warrior.

Runtime:

93 min

7.6

N/A

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The Burmese Harp

(1956)

Drama, Music, War

In the War's closing days, when a conscience-driven Japanese soldier fails to get his countrymen to surrender to overwhelming force, he adopts the lifestyle of a Buddhist monk.

Runtime:

116 min

Director:

Kon Ichikawa

Cast:

Rentarô Mikuni, Shôji Yasui, Jun Hamamura, Taketoshi Naitô, Shunji Kasuga

8.1

91%

N/A

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Vengeance Is Mine

(1979)

Crime, Drama

A thief, a murderer, and a charming lady-killer, Iwao Enokizu is on the run from the police.

Runtime:

140 min

Director:

Shôhei Imamura

Cast:

Ken Ogata, Rentarô Mikuni, Chôchô Miyako, Mitsuko Baisho, Mayumi Ogawa

7.9

100%

N/A

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Profound Desires of the Gods

(1968)

Drama

Tokyo engineer Kariya arrives on a primitive tropical island, where he interacts with the Futori clan, to drill a well to power a sugar mill.

Runtime:

173 min

Director:

Shôhei Imamura

Cast:

Rentarô Mikuni, Kazuo Kitamura, Hideko Okiyama, Yoshi Katô, Yasuko Matsui

7.8

N/A

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Zatoichi the Outlaw

(1967)

Action, Adventure, Drama

When a local gambling house kidnaps some peasants because they failed to pay their debts, a rival gambling house pays their debts and sets them free.

Runtime:

96 min

Director:

Satsuo Yamamoto

Cast:

Shintarô Katsu, Rentarô Mikuni, Kô Nishimura, Yuko Hamada, Toshiyuki Hosokawa

7.2

N/A

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A Fugitive from the Past

(1965)

Crime, Drama, Mystery

Three robbers escape with loot from a heist before one of them shoots the others. Their corpses wash up near the aftermath of a maritime calamity, provoking a policeman's interest.

Runtime:

183 min

Director:

Tomu Uchida

Cast:

Rentarô Mikuni, Sachiko Hidari, Kôji Mitsui, Yoshi Katô, Sadako Sawamura

8.1

N/A

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Zatoichi at Large

(1972)

Action, Adventure, Drama

Blind masseur and master swordsman Zatoichi finds a robbed and fatally wounded pregnant woman, whose baby he delivers before she dies. He takes the baby in search of its father and finds the child's aunt, who is about to be forced into prostitution for want of a payment the dead mother was bringing. Zatoichi determines to save the woma...

Runtime:

88 min

Director:

Kazuo Mori

Cast:

Shintarô Katsu, Rentarô Mikuni, Hisaya Morishige, Etsushi Takahashi, Osamu Sakai

7.2

N/A

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Rikyu

(1989)

Drama

Late in the 1500s, an aging tea master teaches the way of tea to a headstrong Shogun. Through force of will and courageous fighting, Hideyoshi becomes Japan's most powerful warlord, unifying the country. Rikyu, through the tea ceremony and floral arrangements, tempers his lord, helping Hideyoshi focus on a single flower or be in a simp...

Runtime:

135 min

Director:

Hiroshi Teshigahara

Cast:

Rentarô Mikuni, Yoshiko Mita, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Kyôko Kishida, Tanie Kitabayashi

7.3

N/A

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A Taxing Woman's Return

(1988)

Comedy, Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Ryōko Itakura returns as the tough-as-nails government taxing agent. This time she must figure out a way to expose a fanatical religious cult lead by a corrupt sociopath.

Runtime:

127 min

7.0

N/A

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Shinsengumi: Assassins of Honor

(1969)

Action, Drama, History

Near the end of the nineteenth century, as the balance of power shifts from Shogunate towards the Emperor, Japan restlessly awaits the dawning of a new age. But not all are content...The Shinsengumi, a small army of samurai, farmers and peasants, band together to do battle against the tide of history. Their leader, Isami Kondo is a man...

Runtime:

122 min

Director:

Tadashi Sawashima

Cast:

Toshirō Mifune, Keiju Kobayashi, Kinya Kitaoji, Yôko Tsukasa, Yuriko Hoshi

7.0

N/A

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Coup d'Etat

(1973)

Drama, History

A freestyle biopic of Ikki Kita, the ultranationalist intellectual whose ideas inspired the failed military coup in 1936.

Runtime:

110 min

Director:

Yoshishige Yoshida

Cast:

Rentarô Mikuni, Tadahiko Sugano, Taketoshi Naitô, Kazunaga Tsuji, Masako Yagi

7.2

N/A

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Sailor Suit and Machine Gun

(1981)

Action, Crime, Drama

A high-school girl inherits a declining yakuza organization, which seeks to repair its fortunes under her leadership.

Runtime:

112 min

Director:

Shinji Sômai

Cast:

Rentarô Mikuni, Yuki Kazamatsuri, Hiroko Yakushimaru, Tsunehiko Watase

6.2

N/A

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Himiko

(1974)

Drama, History

A freestyle, imagined telling of the life of shaman queen Himiko, who falls in love with her half-brother, making her powers weaken thus putting her position to risk.

Runtime:

100 min

7.1

N/A

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Miyamoto Musashi

(1961)

Action, Drama, History

In this first episode, we are introduced to Takezo, what Musashi used to be before he became the man of legend. His beginning are not exactly auspicious. He sides with the Toyotomi at Sekigahara, and as a result finds himself on the losing side of the historic battle. He and his friend Matahachi manage to escape the slaughter although ...

Runtime:

110 min

Director:

Tomu Uchida

Cast:

Kinnosuke Nakamura, Akiko Kazami, Wakaba Irie, Isao Kimura, Chieko Naniwa

7.1

N/A

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The Go Masters

(1982)

Drama

Ten years before the outbreak of the Second World War in Asia, a Japanese Go master and his Chinese rival meet in China to play a game of Go (loosely described as an Asian version of chess). It soon becomes evident that the Chinese master's son is the most talented player that the Japanese master has ever encountered, and he convinces ...

Runtime:

123 min

Director:

Ji-shun Duan, Jun'ya Satô

Cast:

Rentarô Mikuni, Misako Konno, Daolin Sun, Zongying Huang, Misako Konno

7.2

N/A

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Wuthering Heights

(1988)

Drama

Beautiful young Kinu Yamabe is drawn to low-born Onimaru, who's vital and charismatic, but viewed by his father as a demon, and by most of the remaining family as a stain to the family name. But after her first period, Kinu suffers the fate of any women born near the Sacred Mountain: she must leave the Mountain and serve as priestess B...

Runtime:

143 min

Director:

Yoshishige Yoshida

Cast:

Yûsaku Matsuda, Yūko Tanaka, Rentarô Mikuni, Tatsuo Nadaka, Eri Ishida

7.2

N/A

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A Promise

(1986)

Drama

An old woman has died and her widower with dementia confesses to killing her. After this, the story goes back in time to show the events leading up to her death.

Runtime:

124 min

Director:

Yoshishige Yoshida

Cast:

Rentarô Mikuni, Chôichirô Kawarasaki, Orie Satô, Sachiko Murase, Chôei Takahashi

7.5

N/A

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The Last Dance

(1993)

Drama

A successful Japanese movie director in his 60s becomes increasingly ill while working on his latest film. His family, friends, and doctor try to keep the secret of his terminal cancer from him, but it gradually becomes clear. Coming to terms with his own mortality is painful, and involves some major conflicts with his wife and the hos...

Runtime:

116 min

6.7

N/A

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Husband and Wife

(1953)

Drama

A married couple looking for an apartment move in with the husband's co-worker, a widower. The husband becomes jealous of the widower and his wife.

Runtime:

87 min

Director:

Mikio Naruse

Cast:

Ken Uehara, Yôko Sugi, Rentarô Mikuni

7.2

N/A

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The Catch

(1961)

Drama, War

Towards the end of the Second World War, a downed U.S. pilot is captured and imprisoned by rural Japanese villagers, who await official instructions as to how to proceed with their “catch.”

Runtime:

105 min

7.1

N/A

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Never Give Up

(1978)

Action, Drama, Thriller

Special forces officer Ajisawa leaves his paramilitary group to take care of his newly-adopted daughter, Yoriko: the sole survival of a bloodbath for which he is responsible. Years later, Ajisawa is forced to return to the scene of the tragedy for his new job as a claims adjuster where he is subsequently arrested for his suspected invo...

Runtime:

143 min

Director:

Jun'ya Satô

Cast:

Ken Takakura, Ryoko Nakano, Hiroko Yakushimaru, Rentarô Mikuni, Isao Natsuyagi

6.3

N/A

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Wolves, Pigs & Men

(1964)

Action, Crime, Drama

Sabu and his pals hold a pauper's funeral for Sabu's mother. His brother Jiro arrives home, fresh out of jail, and Sabu pointedly states that Jiro is not invited. Jiro meanwhile is planning a big job - steal 40 million in cash and drugs, and he invites Sabu and gang to act as decoys, for 50,000 each. The sting is a success, but the dou...

Runtime:

95 min

Director:

Kinji Fukasaku

Cast:

Ken Takakura, Rentarô Mikuni, Rentarô Mikuni

7.1

N/A

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The Rendezvous

(1972)

Drama, Romance

During a long train ride heading north of Japan, a young man addresses an older woman in front of him. At first she doesn't respond, but he finally gets her into a conversation when he offers her lunch. Thus begins Saito Koichi's famous romantic thriller, "The Rendezvous". The woman turns out to be a murderer on parole, whist the man a...

Runtime:

88 min

Director:

Kôichi Saitô

Cast:

Keiko Kishi, Ken'ichi Hagiwara, Yoshie Minami, Rentarô Mikuni

7.1

N/A

More Information

Mount Hakkoda

(1977)

Drama

Two infantry regiments of the Imperial Japanese Army—210 men overall—tackled Mt. Hakkoda in the winter of 1902 to prepare for war with Russia.

Runtime:

169 min

Director:

Shirô Moritani

Cast:

Shôgo Shimada, Ken Takakura, Hideji Ôtaki, Kinya Kitaoji, Tetsurō Tamba

7.0

N/A

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The Christian Revolt

(1962)

Drama, History, War

In the year 1637 in Shimabara of Tokugawa-era Japan, oppressed peasant Christians revolt against the shogunate with the aid of a charismatic Christian rebel leader Shiro Amakusa.

Runtime:

100 min

7.0

N/A

More Information

Will to Live

(1999)

Drama

It is based on the story of The Ballad of Narayama updated to the present day, with the substitution of putting a parent into an old people's home for the abandonment of the original. The film won the Golden St. George and the FIPRESCI Prize at the 21st Moscow International Film Festival.

Runtime:

119 min

7.0

N/A

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The Broken Commandment

(1962)

Drama

Ushimatsu's father told him never to reveal his lower-caste heritage; years later, he now contemplates confiding in an activist fighting against such discrimination.

Runtime:

119 min

7.2

N/A

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The Friends

(1994)

Drama

A delightful and moving coming-of-age story. One summer, three young boys take an increasing interest in an eccentric old man who lives alone in a house surrounded by an overgrown garden. The boys form a bond with the recluse and set about weeding and replanting the garden.

Runtime:

113 min

Director:

Shinji Sômai

Cast:

Rentarô Mikuni, Chikage Awashima, Akira Emoto, Naoki Sakata, Tsurube Shôfukutei

7.3

N/A

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Miyamoto Musashi VI: Swords of Death

(1971)

Action, Drama, History

In the sixth and final episode Rentaro Mikuni steals the show as Baiken Shishido, Musashi's nemesis. Mikuni is the nominal villain of the film, but he is a devoted husband and father as well. He tries to kill Musashi only to avenge the death of his brother-in-law. While Baiken (who wields a chain and sickle against Musashi's sword) is ...

Runtime:

75 min

6.9

N/A

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Boyhood

(1951)

Drama, War

When a family has to relocate due to the war, they are ostracized by their new community.

Runtime:

110 min

Director:

Keisuke Kinoshita

Cast:

Akiko Tamura, Akira Ishihama, Chishû Ryû, Rentarô Mikuni, Toshiko Kobayashi

7.0

N/A

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Thus Another Day

(1959)

Drama, Romance

A father curries favor with his bosses to further his career, but his wife has lost faith in him. She returns to her family home while they rent out their house during the summer to pay off their mortgage, and there she meets a lonely old man...

Runtime:

73 min

6.8

N/A

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Doctor's Day Off

(1952)

Having completed the first year at his new medical practice, a doctor plans to relax on his day off. However, it is not to be: on this hectic day a man just back from the war front visits the doctor with a medical emergency, followed by a woman who claims to have been molested. Then a yakuza arrives to ask the doctor to cut his finger ...

Runtime:

97 min

7.3

N/A

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The Good Fairy

(1951)

Drama

Two journalists and their lovers share an uncertain future.

Runtime:

108 min

6.6

N/A

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Shadow of Deception

(1971)

Drama, Mystery

It was five years ago when Minako spent a night with Sozo, younger brother of her ex-husband. She now lives in a local town with a rich old man who owns a dry goods store. Minako travels to Tokyo on business every three months, during which time she continues to meet Sozo, who has married the daughter of his respected teacher.

Runtime:

103 min

6.8

N/A

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Luminous Moss

(1992)

Drama, Horror

A headmaster and a novelist, looking for inspiration, regard a strange natural phenomenon before sharing stories of their own.

Runtime:

118 min

6.2

N/A

The Possessed

More Information

The Possessed

(1976)

Horror

Horror film based on the story by Ryunosuke Akutagawa.

Runtime:

97 min

8.0

N/A

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Tale of Japanese Burglars

(1965)

Comedy, Crime

Gisuke Hayashida is an illegal dentist during the day and a burglar by night. One night during a burglary he witnesses a train derailment. Some communists are found guilty of causing the incident, but he knows it wasn't them. He can save innocent people but for that he must confess his own crime.

Runtime:

117 min

7.8

N/A

More Information

The Outsiders

(1958)

A drama about relations between Japanese immigrants and the indigenous Ainu on Hokkaido, the most northerly island of Japan. From a novel by Taijun Takeda.

Runtime:

113 min

6.0

N/A

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