The Viper Brothers

1971 1h 27m JA

🙌

7.7

BANGER

★7.7TMDB · 3

ComedyAction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

After spending several years in prison, yakuza punk Masa (Bunta Sugawara) and his underling, Katsuji (Tamio Kawachi) are back out in the mean streets of Kobe to make a name for themselves amongst the local yakuza organization.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Bunta Sugawara
Masataro (Goro Masa)
Tamio Kawachi
Katsuji (Immortal Katsu)
Noboru Andō
Yukichi Hayasaki
Tomomi Satō
Sayako Kozuki
Bin Amatsu
Tatsuya Yamakita
Ryōji Hayama
Wasaburo Umeda (Takihana second-in-command)
Akitake Kōno
Kingoro The Tattoo Master
Keijirō Morozumi
Tatsuichi (Takihana Gang)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Sadao Nakajima
Writers: Kōji Takada
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

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

55 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Viper Brothers Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Sadao Nakajima, shot by Shigeru Akatsuka. 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 Shunsuke Kikuchi. 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 Tadao Kanda 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

Bunta Sugawara and Tamio Kawachi and Noboru Andō carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0321692 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Sadao Nakajima directs. Shigeru Akatsuka behind the camera. Shunsuke Kikuchi scores. Tadao Kanda cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

187 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
255 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Part of the "The Viper Brothers Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Sadao Nakajima, shot by Shigeru Akatsuka. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Shunsuke Kikuchi. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Tadao Kanda shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Bunta Sugawara and Tamio Kawachi and Noboru Andō carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0321692 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 3 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.