Furuhata Ninzaburo vs SMAP

1999 2h 13m JA

🤯

9.0

MASTERPIECE

★9.0TMDB · 4

MysteryCrimeThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Furuhata is called in to investigate a murder committed by the well-known Japanese boy band SMAP.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Masakazu Tamura
Furuhata Ninzaburo
Masahiko Nishimura
Shintaro Imaizumi
Takuya Kimura
Takuya Kimura
Shingo Katori
Shingo Katori
Masahiro Nakai
Masahiro Nakai
Goro Inagaki
Goro Inagaki
Tsuyoshi Kusanagi
Tsuyoshi Kusanagi
Keiko Toda
Maeda

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Masayuki Suzuki
Writers: Koki Mitani
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

ERA

Did you know

27 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Furuhata Ninzaburo Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Masakazu Tamura and Masahiko Nishimura and Takuya Kimura carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0331249 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

Only 4 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Masayuki Suzuki directs. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

127 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Part of the "Furuhata Ninzaburo Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Masakazu Tamura and Masahiko Nishimura and Takuya Kimura carry the top of the cast.
5IMDB entry: tt0331249 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
6Only 4 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Runtime: 133 min · 2h 13m
Status: Released
Original language: JA
IMDB: Furuhata Ninzaburo vs SMAP (1999)

Part of

Furuhata Ninzaburo Collection

Furuhata Ninzaburō is a Japanese television series that ran periodically on Fuji Television from 1994 until its final episodes in 2006. It was written by Japanese playwright Kōki Mitani and is often referred to as the Japanese version of Columbo. The series is a police detective drama starring actor Masakazu Tamura as Furuhata Ninzaburo and Masahiko Nishimura as his stereotypically bumbling sidekick, Shintaro Imaizumi. The program aired weekly and featured a guest villain each time, usually a famous talent in Japan. Pop-stars like SMAP, television hosts like Sanma Akashiya and even sports figures like Ichiro Suzuki have been featured on this program. It was one of the most popular television dramas in the history of Japanese television, having spawned several seasons and TV specials.