The Viper Brothers and the Young General

1975 1h 31m JA

🤯

9.0

MASTERPIECE

★9.0TMDB · 1

CrimeDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The last in the series. Sugawara runs into two mahjong cheaters (Ichiro Araki and Mako Midori + sidekick Takuzo Kawatani) whom he takes for friends in need as his naivety prevents him from seeing their true nature.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Bunta Sugawara
Tamio Kawachi
Mako Midori
Ichiro Araki
Kirin Kiki
Saburō Bōya
Hideo Murota
Takuzō Kawatani

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Sadao Nakajima
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

51 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Viper Brothers Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Sadao Nakajima, shot by Shigeru Akatsuka. 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 Kenjiro Hirose. 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 Isamu Ichida 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

Bunta Sugawara and Tamio Kawachi and Mako Midori carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0323175 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Sadao Nakajima directs. Shigeru Akatsuka behind the camera. Kenjiro Hirose scores. Isamu Ichida cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

151 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Part of the "The Viper Brothers Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
3Directed by Sadao Nakajima, shot by Shigeru Akatsuka. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Kenjiro Hirose. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Isamu Ichida shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Bunta Sugawara and Tamio Kawachi and Mako Midori carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0323175 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.