The Seven Faces of Bannai Tarao, Private Eye

1956 1h 25m JA

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 1

Mystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Detective Tarao goes undercover to battle an evil gun smuggling business.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Chiezo Kataoka
Kogiku Hanayagi
Kōji Nanbara
Eijirō Kataoka
Yuriko Tashiro
Jun Usami
Eijirō Yanagi
Shin Tokudaiji

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

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

70 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 Shoei Nishikawa. 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 Takio Niki. 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 Kogiku Hanayagi and Kōji Nanbara carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt5111854 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Sadatsugu Matsuda directs. Shoei Nishikawa behind the camera. Takio Niki scores. Fumio Soda cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

185 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
270 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 Shoei Nishikawa. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Takio Niki. 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 Kogiku Hanayagi and Kōji Nanbara carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt5111854 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.