The Gambler's Counterattack

1971 1h 37m JA

🤯

8.5

MASTERPIECE

⭐

7.4

IMDB

★8.5TMDB · 2★7.4IMDB · 29

DramaCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Aiba is a gang boss who has just got out of jail, and finds everything has changed. His old gang has broken up, and only a few people still respect him. So he becomes a consultant to another gang who are about to be clobbered by a much larger gang moving in from out of town. Aiba proves a crafty tactician, and does very well at playing gangs off against each other in order to save the smaller gang. His advice is not always taken by those he tries to help, but he is generally proved right.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Koji Tsuruta
Aiba Yusaku
Tomisaburō Wakayama
Yano
Fumio Watanabe
Head of Kikuna Clan
Tetsuro Tamba
Chief Inspector
Rinichi Yamamoto
Hiroshi Kondō
Jojiro
Hideo Murota
Kawashima
Kenji Imai
Kizaki

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Junya Satō
Writers: Junya Satō, Yoshihiro Ishimatsu
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

55 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Junya Satō, shot by Masahiko Iimura. 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 Tomisaburō Wakayama and Fumio Watanabe carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0224635 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 2 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Junya Satō directs. Masahiko Iimura 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

155 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Part of the "Gambler Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
3Directed by Junya Satō, shot by Masahiko Iimura. 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 Tomisaburō Wakayama and Fumio Watanabe carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0224635 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 2 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Masahiko Iimura
Original score: Masanobu Higurashi
Editing: Osamu Tanaka
Runtime: 97 min · 1h 37m
Status: Released
Original language: JA
IMDB: The Gambler's Counterattack (1971)
IMDB rating: 7.4/10 · 29 votes

Part of

Gambler Collection

Gambler (Bakuto) is a series of 10 ninkyo films starring Koji Tsuruta produced by Toei between 1964 and 1971. Not to be confused with Tsuruta and Toei's Gamblers (Bakuchi-uchi) series.