Third Generation Boss

1974 1h 36m JA

🙌

8.0

BANGER

★8.0TMDB · 1

Crime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Based on Kazuo Taoka's autobiography, this film follows a Kobe gangster as he builds the small Yamaguchi-gumi into Japan's largest criminal clan.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Ken Takakura
Kayo Matsuo
Minoru Ōki
Toshiaki Minami
Kyōsuke Machida
Noboru Andō
Rinichi Yamamoto
Tsunehiko Watase

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Shigehiro Ozawa
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 / 6

ERA

Did you know

52 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Yamaguchi Gang Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Shigehiro Ozawa, shot by Hanjirō Nakazawa. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Ken Takakura and Kayo Matsuo and Minoru Ōki carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0072112 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Shigehiro Ozawa directs. Hanjirō Nakazawa behind the camera. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

152 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Part of the "Yamaguchi Gang Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
3Directed by Shigehiro Ozawa, shot by Hanjirō Nakazawa. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Ken Takakura and Kayo Matsuo and Minoru Ōki carry the top of the cast.
5IMDB entry: tt0072112 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
6Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Hanjirō Nakazawa
Runtime: 96 min · 1h 36m
Status: Released
Original language: JA
IMDB: Third Generation Boss (1974)

Part of

Yamaguchi Gang Collection

An unfinished trilogy of jitsuroku yakuza films produced by Toei about the Yamaguchi Gang, starring Ken Takakura as Kazuo Taoka. After the first and second entries ("Japan's Top Gangster" and "Third Generation Boss") and a spin-off starring Bunta Sugawara ("The Tattooed Hitman"), the series was cancelled due to political pressure, and the planned third entry was reworked into a standalone ninkyo film ("Path of Japanese Chivalry: Story of All-Out Attack").