Ryo Ikebe Movies
- 1986
Mountain-climbers may be the most appreciative audience for this long (2 1/2 hour) film by Junya Sato on Japanese sportsman Naomi Uemura. Uemura had a difficult childhood that led him to take on incredibly dangerous challenges all by himself, in which he remarkably succeeded again and again. He was the first Japanese to reach the peaks of Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn, Kilimanjaro, and several other mountain ranges, including the granddaddy of them all, Mt. Everest. Not content with demonstrating his prowess only in scaling one mountain after another, Uemura also crossed Greenland's arctic wastes alone. In 1984 while descending from the summit of Mt. McKinley in Alaska, Uemura disappeared and his body was never found. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Toshiyuki Nishida, Chieko Baisho, (more)
- 1985
- R
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In Paul Schrader's unusual biopic, Ken Ogata stars as Yukio Mishima, perhaps the most celebrated Japanese novelist of the last five decades. The film begins with Mishima's youth, then moves forward in episodic fashion to his 1970 suicide, symbolically committed at a military site. Originally titled Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, the film is neatly divided into a quartet of acts, and the screenplay does not flinch in its depiction of Mishima's hyperactive sex life. Among the many neat directorial touches is the decision to offer the narrative in black-and-white, while depicting scenes from Mishima's novels in vibrant color. Written off as self-indulgent by those impatient with Schrader's fragmentary technique, Mishima was produced in Japan by Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas, an offshoot of Coppola's involvement with Japanese director Akira Kurosawa's Kagemusha. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ken Ogata, Masayuki Shionoya, (more)
- 1981
The infamous "Criminal 22" is at large in Tokyo. This is a vicious, sadistic murderer who takes special delight in "offing" cops. Detective Ken Takakura makes it his mission in life to wipe Criminal 22 from the face of the earth. If The Station plays like an American crime-and-punishment picture at times, it comes by this honestly. Like Kurosawa's High and Low, the film was adapted from an "87th Precinct" novel by Ed McBain (aka Evan Hunter and Salvatore Lambino). The Station bears no relation to the 1990 Italian film of the same name. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ken Takakura, Chieko Baisho, (more)
- 1977
In this Japanese sci-fi adventure Earthly space explorers engage in a deadly battle with an alien ship just outside the atmosphere of Venus. The fate of our planet hangs in the balance. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
This Japanese-American co-production is set sometime in the near future. The United Nations Space Bureau sends its star vessels to the treacherous terrain of Venus. The traveller's initial encounters with the Venusians do not bode well for a lasting peace. However, when another planet invades the 2nd rock from the sun, Earthlings and Venusians band together to ward off their common foe. Kensaku Marita, Yuko Asano and Ryo Ikebe top the cast. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1975
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Director Teruo Ishii's sequel to his own Chokugeki! Jigokuhen (1974) once again stars Sonny Chiba as Koga, but this film's tone is completely different, replacing gritty action with sophomoric humor. The storyline concerns Koga's gang of thieves plotting to steal a priceless diamond from a master criminal, but Ishii plays the film for gross laughs as Koga puts dandruff and mucus in someone's drink, urinates to douse a fire, and breaks wind in his friend's face. Tetsuro Tanba, Mitsuru Sato, and Yutaka Nakajima co-star in this silly romp which -- although Chiba gets to rip out a man's heart at one point -- is unlikely to satisfy all but the youngest action fans. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sonny Chiba, Makoto Sato, (more)
This exciting action film from prolific director Teruo Ishii stars Sonny Chiba as Kouga, a descendant of a long line of ninja warriors who has put his amazing physical abilities behind him and lost his way. Eventually, however, Kouga teams up with a hitman named Sakura (Mitsuru Sato) and his friend Hayato (played by former world lightweight boxing champion Shozo Saijo) to rip off the Japanese mob. Yutaka Nakajima co-stars in this gritty martial arts film, followed by a sequel, Executioner 2: Karate Inferno (Chokugeki Jigokuhen: Dai Gyakuten)(1975), also directed by Ishii. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sonny Chiba, Makoto Sato, (more)
- 1968
Originally released in Japan as Chintao Yosai Bakugeki Meir Ei, Siege of Fort Bismarck is set during World War I, when (though not commonly acknowledged) the Japanese fought aggressively against Germany - a series of events that gain immense historical significance in retrospect because they marked Japan's very first use of naval aviation in warfare. As the tale opens, the Germans have built an outpost fort on the coast of China, christened Fort Bismarck. But Japan casts its lot with the Allies, thus its military leaders want to capture Fort Bismarck and rout the Kaiser's forces. Unfortunately Japan has no air force -- at least not until they purchase two planes from the French. Though heavily outflanked, the Japanese forces team up with the Brits and finally cripple the German fighting machine via aerial assault. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1964
Japanese sci-fi director Inoshiro Honda and special effects wizard Eiji Tsuburaya teamed up again (Rodan, Godzilla, Mothra) for this thriller/adventure. Set in the futuristic 1980, a group of Tokyo scientists discover that Earth is in the direct path of a star with a gravitational pull 6,000 times than that of Earth's. As a space ship finds itself close to the orb, its team of astronauts are able to transmit important information to Ground Control. Collaborating with other specialists from various nations, the scientists frantically attempt to save the world from a catastrophic collision. Running at only 77 minutes, this version omits the original--and bizarre--Japanese ending wherein a gargantuan walrus emerges from the cracked glaciers of the South Pole. ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ryo Ikebe, Akihiko Hirata, (more)
Masahiro Shinoda's brilliant film opens with mobster Murakami just getting released from prison for murdering a member of a rival clan, only to learn that during his internment, the two syndicates arranged a truce. Not unlike the protagonist in Albert Camus' The Stranger, Murakami's motives for killing were vague and that life holds little value for him. At an illegal gambling parlor, he finds himself drawn to a mysterious waif-like young woman named Saeko (Mariko Kaga) who lives life from one thrill to the next. Though she seems remarkably adept at losing large sums of money, she asks Murakami to find games with larger and larger stakes. Soon they become involved in an intense mutually destructive relationship. High stakes gambling and racing her little sports car eventually grow tiresome, and Saeko becomes attracted to drugs. Instead of dope, Murakami offers to let her watch him kill a rival clan leader, describing it as the ultimate thrill. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ryo Ikebe, Mariko Kaga, (more)
- 1961
Two war buddies help each other defend their businesses against gangsters in this crime drama. ~ Rovi
- 1960
With his name firmly ensconced in film history as the creator of the Godzilla and Rodan films, director Inoshiro Honda continues to shape and mold a dramatic sci-fi story in Battle in Outer Space. As in the record-setting Star Wars sagas of the future, special effects also get star billing here. The nations of the earth are banding together to fight off invaders from outer space. At the core of their defense is an attack in which two space ships from the earth land on the moon -- the aliens have set up their base of operations there. But this pre-emptive strike is not enough because back on terra firma, heat-ray guns are called into action as the invasion of flying saucers swings into a full-scale operation. Parents will soon note that this outer space rumble is geared to the youngsters in the audience. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ryo Ikebe
- 1957
The Japanese Snow Country weaves a simple but deeply involving tale of a painter and the woman he loves. The painter falls hard for his latest subject, a beautiful geisha girl. Unfortunately, their relationship is compromised by the well-meaning intrusions of his family and friends. Like many of director Shiro Toyoda's best films, Snow Country takes a gentle, almost humorous squint at the question of individuality vs. conformity. The provincialism of the characters is emphasized by the vast expanses of snowy wastes surrounding the village where the story takes place. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1956
Like most of director Yasujiro Ozu's work, Early Spring is a deceptively simple family drama: a middle-aged office worker, bored with dreary routines of his job and his marriage, succumbs to a brief fling with the office flirt. His wife inevitably discovers his infidelity, but when he accepts a transfer to the country, she follows him to start their life anew. Ozu's depiction of marital difficulties is hardly depressing. Instead he employs his signature warmth, sensitivity, and humor to create a touching, thoughtful film. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
- 1951
This romantic drama set in wartime Java depicts a doomed love story between a Japanese army deserter and a Javanese villager. Kon Ichikawa lost the final cut on this film and, as a result, left Shin Toho studios. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
- 1950
This documentary-style police drama depicts life in the back alleys of Tokyo's Shimbashi district. The film's camera work shows the beginnings of Ichikawa's innovative style ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
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