The Drifter from the Sea

1960 1h 24m JA

💀

3.5

SKIP

★3.5TMDB · 6

ActionCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Plans to build a touristic hot spring on the island of Izu Oshima run afoul of the Kobe yakuza group, which intends to use the island as a relay base for drug smuggling.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Akira Kobayashi
Ruriko Asaoka
Tamio Kawachi
Joe Shishido
Hisako Tsukuba
Hiroshi Nihon'yanagi
Yuzo Kiura
Saburo Hiromatsu

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Tokujirō Yamazaki
Writers: Kenzaburo Hara, Hisao Ohkawa, Gan Yamazaki
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

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

66 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Drifter Series" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Tokujirō Yamazaki, shot by Shinsaku Himeda. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Akira Kobayashi and Ruriko Asaoka and Tamio Kawachi carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Tokujirō Yamazaki directs. Shinsaku Himeda behind the camera. Seitaro Omori scores. Akira Suzuki cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

184 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
266 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Part of the "The Drifter Series" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Tokujirō Yamazaki, shot by Shinsaku Himeda. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Seitaro Omori. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Akira Suzuki shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Akira Kobayashi and Ruriko Asaoka and Tamio Kawachi carry the top of the cast.
9IMDB entry: tt4415554 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 6 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.