Sleepless Town

1998 2h 2m JA

👍

7.4

SOLID

★7.4TMDB · 18

DramaRomanceCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Kenichi is a half-Japanese, half-Chinese man of the underworld. You can sell him anything except children's organs. His domain is in Kabukicho, a gangland controlled by various Shanghai gangs intent on taking control. His former partner-in-crime, Fu-Chun, is rumored to have returned to Kabukicho, having fled years earlier after killing the number two of gangland boss, Yuan. Yuan wants to get even and attempts to do so by using Kenichi.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Takeshi Kaneshiro
Kenichi Ryuu
Mirai Yamamoto
Natsumi Sato
Kippei Shiina
Wu Fu-chun
Lung Sihung
Yang Weimin
Eric Tsang
Yuan Chenggui
Kathy Chow Hoi-Mei
Xiu Hong
Seijun Suzuki
Ye Xiaodan
Tomorowo Taguchi
Kenji Tozawa

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Lee Chi-Ngai
Writers: Hisashi Nozawa, Lee Chi-Ngai
Languages: Japanese, Mandarin
Countries: Hong Kong, 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

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Japanese, Mandarin.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Hong Kong, Japan.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

AWARDS

Did you know

Directed by Lee Chi-Ngai, shot by Arthur Wong Ngok-Tai. 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 Shigeru Umebayashi. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

AWARDS

Did you know

Editor Eric Kwong Chi-Leung 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

Takeshi Kaneshiro and Mirai Yamamoto and Kippei Shiina carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0169929 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Lee Chi-Ngai directs. Arthur Wong Ngok-Tai behind the camera. Shigeru Umebayashi scores. Eric Kwong Chi-Leung cuts. Produced in Hong Kong, Japan. Dialogue in Japanese, Mandarin.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

128 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Japanese, Mandarin.
3International production across 2 countries: Hong Kong, Japan.
4Directed by Lee Chi-Ngai, shot by Arthur Wong Ngok-Tai. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Shigeru Umebayashi. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Eric Kwong Chi-Leung shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Takeshi Kaneshiro and Mirai Yamamoto and Kippei Shiina carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0169929 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 18 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.