New Hoodlum Soldier Story: Firing Line

1972 1h 32m JA

👍

7.1

SOLID

★7.1TMDB · 14

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The story is presented as a voiced-over narrative by Arita (Takahiro Tamura), speaking long after the events of the film. In a remote army base in Manchuria, near the Soviet border, long-serving corporal Arita hates the military and looks forward to the day he may leave. Although a university graduate, he has several times deliberately failed the exam for promotion and thus remains a corporal after four years' service.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Shintarō Katsu
Kisaburo Omiya
Takahiro Tamura
Arita
Joe Shishido
Michiyo Yasuda
Koichi Ose
Hideji Ōtaki
Jun Takigawa
Teruo Matsuyama

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Yasuzō Masumura
Writers: Masatoshi Tojo, Yasuzō Masumura
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

54 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Part of the "The Hoodlum Soldier Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Yasuzō Masumura, shot by Setsuo Kobayashi. 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 Kunihiko Murai. 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 Toshio Taniguchi 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

Shintarō Katsu and Takahiro Tamura and Joe Shishido carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0228849 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 14 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Yasuzō Masumura directs. Setsuo Kobayashi behind the camera. Kunihiko Murai scores. Toshio Taniguchi cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

154 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Part of the "The Hoodlum Soldier Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
3Directed by Yasuzō Masumura, shot by Setsuo Kobayashi. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Kunihiko Murai. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Toshio Taniguchi shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Shintarō Katsu and Takahiro Tamura and Joe Shishido carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0228849 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 14 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.