Three Gamblers

1967 1h 25m JA

🤯

8.5

MASTERPIECE

★8.5TMDB · 4

CrimeDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Three closely associated gamblers have adventures in Yokohama, Hokkaido, and Macao. Gambling trio endure hardships to rescue Naojiro’s family.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Cast

Koji Tsuruta
Naojiro Oshima
Kyōsuke Machida
Kansuke Sugiyama
Ryō Ikebe
Kunitaro Nagano
Sanae Kitabayashi
Sato
Tōru Abe
Kichinosuke Koizumi
Tatsuo Endō
Shorin O
Hōsei Komatsu
Denpo Cho
Akitake Kōno
Toyomatsu Inoue

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Shigehiro Ozawa
Writers: Akira Murao, Shigehiro Ozawa
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

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

59 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Shigehiro Ozawa, 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 Toshiaki Tsushima. 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 Kozo Horiike 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

Koji Tsuruta and Kyōsuke Machida and Ryō Ikebe carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0226404 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Shigehiro Ozawa directs. Jūhei Suzuki behind the camera. Toshiaki Tsushima scores. Kozo Horiike cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

185 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
259 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Part of the "Gambler Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Shigehiro Ozawa, shot by Jūhei Suzuki. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Toshiaki Tsushima. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Kozo Horiike shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Koji Tsuruta and Kyōsuke Machida and Ryō Ikebe carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0226404 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 4 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Jūhei Suzuki
Original score: Toshiaki Tsushima
Editing: Kozo Horiike
Runtime: 85 min · 1h 25m
Status: Released
Original language: JA
IMDB: Three Gamblers (1967)

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.