The Black Gambler: The Gambling Syndicate

1965 1h 26m JA

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 3

Crime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Place your bets! Japan's greatest gambler, Koji Himuro (Akira Kobayashi), faces off against an international cabal of gamblers with only his wits and his incredibly skilled left hand against every conceivable way to cheat someone in a game.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Akira Kobayashi
Koji Himuro (Gambler)
Manami Fuji
Reiko (Gambler)
Michino Yokoyama
Tokiko (Himuro's lover, Madam of Bar 'Toto')
Kiiton Masuda
Anekoji (Reiko's father. Former viscount who loves gambling)
Asao Koike
Inumaru (Gambler)
Isao Tamagawa
Takakura (casino owner)
Masahiko Tanimura
Hanada (Metropolitan Police detective)
Yoshiro Kato

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Kō Nakahira
Writers: Ryuzo Nakanishi, Ei Ogawa
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

RUNTIME

Did you know

86 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

61 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Himuro the Gambler Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Kō Nakahira, shot by Yoshihiro Yamazaki. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Akira Kobayashi and Manami Fuji and Michino Yokoyama carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Kō Nakahira directs. Yoshihiro Yamazaki behind the camera. Harumi Ibe scores. Masanori Tsujii cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

186 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
261 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Part of the "Himuro the Gambler Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Kō Nakahira, shot by Yoshihiro Yamazaki. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Harumi Ibe. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Masanori Tsujii shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Akira Kobayashi and Manami Fuji and Michino Yokoyama carry the top of the cast.
9IMDB entry: tt2472102 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 3 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.