The Most Terrible Time in My Life

1994 1h 32m JA

🙌

7.5

BANGER

★7.5TMDB · 13

DramaActionCrimeThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Maiku Hama is a private detective working in Yokohama. Hama comes to the aid of a Taiwanese waiter named Yang and agrees to track down his missing brother. Through a series of double-crosses Hama gets embroiled in a gang war and a revenge plot between the two brothers

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Masatoshi Nagase
Maiku Hama
Kaho Minami
Byakuran
Yang Haitin
Yang Hai Tin
Te-chien Hou
De Jian
Joe Shishido
Joe
Shiro Sano
Masaru Kanno
Kiyotaka Nanbara
Hoshino
Haruko Wanibuchi
Lily Hama

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Kaizo Hayashi
Writers: Kaizo Hayashi, Daisuke Tengan
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

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CRAFT

Did you know

Part of the "Maiku Hama Private Eye Trilogy" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Kaizo Hayashi, shot by Yuichi Nagata. 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 Yôko Kumagai. 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 Nobuko Tomita 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

Masatoshi Nagase and Kaho Minami and Yang Haitin carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0108509 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 13 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Kaizo Hayashi directs. Yuichi Nagata behind the camera. Yôko Kumagai scores. Nobuko Tomita cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

132 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Part of the "Maiku Hama Private Eye Trilogy" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
3Directed by Kaizo Hayashi, shot by Yuichi Nagata. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Yôko Kumagai. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Nobuko Tomita shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Masatoshi Nagase and Kaho Minami and Yang Haitin carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0108509 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 13 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Yuichi Nagata
Original score: Yôko Kumagai
Editing: Nobuko Tomita
Production design: Tomohisa Masumoto
Costume design: Masae Miyamoto
Runtime: 92 min · 1h 32m
Status: Released
Original language: JA
IMDB: The Most Terrible Time in My Life (1994)

Part of

Maiku Hama Private Eye Trilogy

Kaizo Hayashi wrote, produced, and directed this three part series centering around the exploits of his creation Maiku Hama, a Generation X answer to the private eye.