The Viper Brothers: The Blackmailers

1973 1h 28m JA

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 2

ActionCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Upon his release from prison, Masa (Bunta Sugawara) is disappointed to not be picked up by his brother Katsu (Tamio Kawaji). After hitching a ride on a bus full of old women, Masa finds out that Katsu tried to fake a car accident and get some money for Masa to live on after prison. Together, the two decide to blackmail the woman (Yoko Horikoshi) who hit Katsu, who happens to be the daughter of a rich company president (Seizaburo Kawazu). 6th film in a series of 8.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Bunta Sugawara
Masa
Tamio Kawachi
Katsu
Tsunehiko Watase
Mao
Seizaburō Kawazu
President Ri
Yuriko Mishima
Rie Saotome
Rena Ichinose
Akira Shioji

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Norifumi Suzuki
Writers: Kōji Takada, Norifumi Suzuki
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

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

53 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 Norifumi Suzuki, shot by Jūhei Suzuki. 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 Kenjiro Hirose. 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 Shintarō Miyamoto 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 Tsunehiko Watase carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0323172 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Norifumi Suzuki directs. Jūhei Suzuki behind the camera. Kenjiro Hirose scores. Shintarō Miyamoto cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

188 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
253 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Part of the "The Viper Brothers Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Norifumi Suzuki, shot by Jūhei Suzuki. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Kenjiro Hirose. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Shintarō Miyamoto 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 Tsunehiko Watase carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0323172 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 2 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.