The Magic Hour

2008 2h 16m JA

🙌

7.5

BANGER

★7.5TMDB · 44

Comedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A hustler who gets in trouble with a gang boss in the port town of Sukago agrees to make good with the don by putting him in contact with a mysterious hitman — an assassin the hustler has no idea how to contact. Instead, he hires an actor to play the role, though the thespian has no idea what he's getting into.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Cast

Koichi Sato
Taiki Murata
Satoshi Tsumabuki
Bingo
Eri Fukatsu
Mari Takachiho
Haruka Ayase
Natsuko Shikama
Toshiyuki Nishida
Teshio
Yoshimasa Kondo
Konno
Yuki Amami
Woman in Mourning Dress
Kenji Anan
Nojima

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Koki Mitani
Writers: Koki Mitani
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 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 18 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Koki Mitani, shot by Hideo Yamamoto. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Koichi Sato and Satoshi Tsumabuki and Eri Fukatsu carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt1077089 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 44 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Koki Mitani directs. Hideo Yamamoto behind the camera. Kiyoko Ogino scores. Soichi Ueno cuts. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 18 years ago.
2Directed by Koki Mitani, shot by Hideo Yamamoto. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Kiyoko Ogino. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Soichi Ueno shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Koichi Sato and Satoshi Tsumabuki and Eri Fukatsu carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt1077089 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 44 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
8Classified under 8 themes, including "assassin", "yakuza", "criminal underworld", "struggling actor".