Tarao Bannai

"The Legendary Detective Returns"

1978 1h 44m JA

🤯

9.5

MASTERPIECE

★9.5TMDB · 2

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Baseball player Takatsuka is murdered mid-game in front of a large crowd. The autopsy reveals that he has been killed by a needle coated with a poison used by the Ainu tribe for hunting. The next morning, sports photographer Kawase is killed in the same manner. Kawase’s sister, Yuko, hires Taro Banai, the detective with seven faces, to uncover the truth.

“The Legendary Detective Returns”

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Cast

Akira Kobayashi
Bannai Tarao
Aki Yashiro
Yoko Natsuki
Masako Niimura
Toshio Egi
Ann Lewis
Singer
Toshiaki Minami
Midori Takei
Atsuko Kawaguchi

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Norifumi Suzuki
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 / 8

ERA

Did you know

48 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Tarao Bannai Remake Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Norifumi Suzuki, shot by Tetsuya Desaki. 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 Masao Yagi. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Akira Kobayashi and Aki Yashiro and Yoko Natsuki carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The Legendary Detective Returns".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0357947 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Norifumi Suzuki directs. Tetsuya Desaki behind the camera. Masao Yagi scores. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

148 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Part of the "Tarao Bannai Remake Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Norifumi Suzuki, shot by Tetsuya Desaki. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Masao Yagi. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Akira Kobayashi and Aki Yashiro and Yoko Natsuki carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "The Legendary Detective Returns".
8IMDB entry: tt0357947 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 2 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.