Wild Life

1997 1h 42m JA

🙌

8.0

BANGER

★8.0TMDB · 2

DramaThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

An ex-boxer working for a game parlor owner gets caught up in a complex blackmail operation he doesn't understand. Before long he's caught between two yakuza bosses and a mysterious thief who motivation is unknown. Add in the boss' daughter who has a crush on him and watch him struggle to make sense of it all and come out alive.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Kosuke Toyohara
Hiroki Sakai
Mickey Curtis
Kenzo Tsumura
Yūna Natsuo
Rie
Jun Kunimura
Ijima
Ken Mitsuishi
Yoichiro Saito
Kenichi Yajima
Akiko Izumi

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Shinji Aoyama
Writers: Shinji Aoyama, Hiroyuki Kurokawa
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 / 8

ERA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CRAFT

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Shinji Aoyama, shot by Takahide Shibanushi. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Isao Yamada. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Hani Mituhashi shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Kosuke Toyohara and Mickey Curtis and Yūna Natsuo carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0120513 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 2 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Shinji Aoyama directs. Takahide Shibanushi behind the camera. Isao Yamada scores. Hani Mituhashi cuts. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

129 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
3Directed by Shinji Aoyama, shot by Takahide Shibanushi. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Isao Yamada. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Hani Mituhashi shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Kosuke Toyohara and Mickey Curtis and Yūna Natsuo carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0120513 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 2 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.