Japan's Violent Gangs: The Boss and the Killers

1969 1h 32m JA

🤯

10.0

MASTERPIECE

★10.0TMDB · 1

CrimeDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

An honorable yakuza syndicate deeply rooted in Kyoto fights for survival when a new breed of gangsters threaten their very existence.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Koji Tsuruta
Fumio Watanabe
Takashi Shimura
Hitomi Nozoe
Sanae Kitabayashi
Asao Uchida
Tatsuo Endō
Kei Taguchi

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Junya Satō
Writers: Fumio Kōnami, Junya Satō
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

ERA

Did you know

57 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CRAFT

Did you know

Part of the "Japan's Violent Gangs" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Koji Tsuruta and Fumio Watanabe and Takashi Shimura carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0226217 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Junya Satō directs. Hanjirō Nakazawa behind the camera. Masanobu Higurashi scores. Osamu Tanaka cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

157 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Part of the "Japan's Violent Gangs" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
3Directed by Junya Satō, shot by Hanjirō Nakazawa. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Masanobu Higurashi. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Osamu Tanaka shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Koji Tsuruta and Fumio Watanabe and Takashi Shimura carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0226217 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.