Foul Play

1955 1h 20m JA

😐

6.0

MID

★6.0TMDB · 1

Mystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Private eye Bannai Tarao (Chiezo Kataoka) and his assistant Masako (Chizuru Kitagawa) investigate the mysterious murder of a baseball player who was killed in the middle of a game.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Chiezo Kataoka
Bannai Tarao
Susumu Namishima
Hidehiko Nitta
Chizuru Kitagawa
Masako Takamori
Yuriko Tashiro
Yuko Kawase
Sumiko Hidaka
Emi Ishikawa
Kenji Susukida
Takamasa Ishiguro
Masao Mishima
Haruo Kuboki
Takamaru Sasaki
Inspector Osawa

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Sadatsugu Matsuda
Writers: Yoshitake Hisa, Yoshitake Hisa
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

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

71 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Bannai Tarao series" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Sadatsugu Matsuda, shot by Shintarō Kawasaki. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Chiezo Kataoka and Susumu Namishima and Chizuru Kitagawa carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt4929628 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Sadatsugu Matsuda directs. Shintarō Kawasaki behind the camera. Shiro Fukai scores. Fumio Soda cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

180 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
271 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Part of the "Bannai Tarao series" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Sadatsugu Matsuda, shot by Shintarō Kawasaki. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Shiro Fukai. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Fumio Soda shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Chiezo Kataoka and Susumu Namishima and Chizuru Kitagawa carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt4929628 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.