Lady Joker

2004 2h 1m JA

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 3

ThrillerCrimeDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Men and women caught up in a downward spiral of corruption, discrimination, poverty and death are the focus of this detective-thriller/social-drama inspired by the unsolved 1984 kidnapping of a Japanese candy company president.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Satoshi Tokushige
Yuichiro Goda
Tetsuya Watari
Seizo Monoi
Mitsuru Fukikoshi
Katsumi Ko
Ren Osugi
Junichi Nunokawa
Koji Kikkawa
Shuhei Handa
Haruhiko Kato
Yokichi Matsudo
Miho Kanno
Keiko Shiroyama
Jun Kunimura
Satoru Hirase

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Hideyuki Hirayama
Writers: Kaoru Takamura, Wishing Chong
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

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 9% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 22 years ago.

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 Hideyuki Hirayama, shot by Kōzō Shibazaki. 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 Goro Yasukawa. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Satoshi Tokushige and Tetsuya Watari and Mitsuru Fukikoshi carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0498521 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 3 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Hideyuki Hirayama directs. Kōzō Shibazaki behind the camera. Goro Yasukawa scores. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 9% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 22 years ago.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Hideyuki Hirayama, shot by Kōzō Shibazaki. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Goro Yasukawa. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Satoshi Tokushige and Tetsuya Watari and Mitsuru Fukikoshi carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0498521 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 3 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
9Classified under 9 themes, including "corruption", "based on novel or book", "kidnapping", "based on true story".