Helpless

"At dawn, armed with an ardent patience, we'll walk right into the magnificent cities, arthur rimbaud."

1996 1h 20m JA

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 13

DramaCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Believing his boss double-crossed him, recently released gangster Yasuo is on his way to find the betrayer, but before setting out, he asks Kenji to care for his mentally challenged sister and a mysterious black bag.

“At dawn, armed with an ardent patience, we'll walk right into the magnificent cities, arthur rimbaud.”

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Cast

Tadanobu Asano
Kenji Shiraishi
Ken Mitsuishi
Yasuo Matsumura
Yoichiro Saito
Akihiko
Kaori Tsuji
Yuri Matsumura
Tarō Suwa
Cook
Hiroko Isayama
Waitress
Toshiya Nagasawa
Sakanashi

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Shinji Aoyama
Writers: Shinji Aoyama
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

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Part of the "Kitakyushu Saga" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Shinji Aoyama, shot by Masaki Tamura. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Shinji Aoyama. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Shuichi Kakesu shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Tadanobu Asano and Ken Mitsuishi and Yoichiro Saito carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Shinji Aoyama directs. Masaki Tamura behind the camera. Shinji Aoyama scores. Shuichi Kakesu cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

180 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
230 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Part of the "Kitakyushu Saga" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Shinji Aoyama, shot by Masaki Tamura. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Shinji Aoyama. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Shuichi Kakesu shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Tadanobu Asano and Ken Mitsuishi and Yoichiro Saito carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "At dawn, armed with an ardent patience, we'll walk right into the magnificent cities, arthur rimbaud.".
10IMDB entry: tt0116515 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Only 13 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.