Tadao Nakamaru Movies
- 1992
In this exciting live-action adventure from Japan, a young police officer is turned into a cybernetic superhero after he's shot by a gang of drug dealers. With his new superhuman powers, 8 Man joins forces with the law enforcement community to put an end to violence and crime in Tokyo. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 1975
This is a badly re-edited and "Americanized" version of a popular Japanese disaster movie, The Submersion of Japan (1973). The trouble begins when scientists learn that Japan's islands are sinking and must be evacuated within two years. The story chronicles the ways in which various people react to the decree. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
A race of malevolent aliens bent on world domination unleash the ultimate weapon of destruction on mankind, leaving them with no hope for survival but the power of the mighty Godzilla. Their galaxy dying, the endangered aliens discover a planet that could save them from extinction if it wasn't already populated. In order to solve that significant problem, the scheming extraterrestrials construct Mechagodzilla, a 400 foot destroyer of worlds armed with powerful lasers and guided missiles. As Godzilla prepares to face off against his powerful intergalactic doppelganger, the traitorous Professor Mafuni lends his genius to the aliens to create the mighty Titanosauraus. Titanosauraus is a massive amphibious dinosaur that Professor Controls via a biomechanical connection with his android daughter Katsura. But just as it begins to appear as if all hope has been lost for both Godzilla and the human race, Interpol agents discover that Titanosauraus has one weakness that may give the Godzilla the crucial edge that he needs in order to emerge victorious. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- 1970
In this Japanese melodrama, an up-and-coming office worker has an affair with his ex-lover whom he refused to marry. The woman is impoverished and in trouble after she aborted her lover's baby. It is a mutual friend who informs the young businessman, who married another for her status, of the woman's problems. When he goes to see her, the affair is renewed. Unfortunately, someone takes pictures of their lovemaking. The photographer was hired by the mutual friend. In order to save her lover from ruin, the woman tries to get the pictures back, but she dies trying when she accidentally falls out of a window. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
A pair of luckless would-be warriors find themselves caught in the middle of a skirmish between rival gangsters in this darkly comic samurai film. Tabata (Etsushi Takahashi) and Genta (Tatsuya Nakadai) are two hungry ronin who meet in a windswept town which has fallen so deeply upon hard times that the proprietor of the only restaurant has committed suicide in her own dining room. Tabata is a former farmer who dreams of living the exciting life of a samurai, while Genta tried to give up the violent and nomadic life of a swordsman but hasn't had much luck finding other work. The village is dominated by a clan of yakuza who are caught up in a power struggle, and as the two factions split off and declare war on one another, the two new friends find themselves hired by differing sides -- Tabata as a samurai, Genta as a messenger. However, one of Tabata's first assignments is to assassinate Genta, even as his new pal offers him helpful hints on his newly adopted trade. Kiru (aka Kill!) was written and directed by Kihachi Okamoto, one of Toho's leading action directors during the 1960s, who earned a reputation for his strong but cynical perspective on the violence of men. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 1967
In this moral drama, the captain of a Japanese trawler must make a difficult decision. The story begins as the boat returns to port after yet another unsuccessful fishing expedition. The company that he works for is most upset and on his next trip, assigns a company official to supervise their procedures. The captain is most displeased with his new passenger, but eventually comes to respect him. Finally, they discover an enormous school of fish. Just as they are bout to haul it in, the captain receives a distress signal from a foundering yacht. Now he must decide: the fish, or the people aboard the other boat? ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
This star-studded and relatively lavishly produced fact-based war drama, set in 1945 Japan during WW II, chronicles the attempts of Japan's War Minister, (played by Toshiro Mifune), to prevent Emperor Hirohito from publicly broadcasting the declaration of surrender. The War Minister rallies those officers around him who also want to keep the war going. The conspirators murder the leader of the Imperial Guards and storm the palace. Fortunately they are stopped by the palace guard. On learning of this failure, the War Minister commits suicide. At least one Western reviewer of this 1967 film (for Variety) still bore very harsh memories of the war and attributed all sorts of face-saving propagandistic intent by the Japanese to this relatively innocuous movie. He was particularly distressed that the aura of sanctity surrounding the Emperor remained intact and was even enhanced by this film; even so, he praised it as expertly acted and entertaining in its own right, despite being an apparently "official" film. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Toshiro Mifune, So Yamamura, (more)
Woody Allen took a Japanese spy movie called Kagi No Kagi, and replaced its original dialogue with an entirely new plot. In its revised state, this film follows the adventures of agent Phil Moskowitz who is on a deadly mission to secure the recipe for the "world's greatest egg salad." However, Moskowitz, with the help of the beautiful Suki and Terri Yaki, must prevent this unique recipe from falling into the hands of the evil Shepherd Wong. The group Lovin' Spoonful recorded the majority of the songs for this film. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi
- Starring:
- Woody Allen, Tatsuya Mihashi, (more)
- 1966
Toshiro Mifune stars as a shipwrecked sailor who joins a Japanese priest in his search for the bones of Buddha in this children's adventure. The duo are hounded by the forces of a nearby king from his castle fortress. The heroes show the king the error of his ways and even provide him with a pretty woman to take as his queen. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Toshiro Mifune, Mie Hama, (more)
- 1965
In this Japanese drama, an impoverished farmer's son sells himself to a rich merchant. His owner assigns him to care for his granddaughter's parrot. When the man invites his household on a cruise, the passengers are marooned on a tiny island. There the true natures of the men are revealed. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi
- Starring:
- Somegoro Ichikawa, Yuriko Hoshi, (more)
- 1963
In this Japanese WW II drama set in northern China near the war's end, a youthful officer disregards advice and launches an attack against the Chinese. As a result his unit is slaughtered and he is taken captive. Later a reward is posted for his return. To earn the reward the leader of a band of Chinese guerrillas takes four fighters and sets off to free the Japanese hostage as he prefers Japanese rule to Communist rule. The guerrillas must race against an avaricious Chinese intelligence agent who also wants the reward. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1963
In this Japanese adventure, a brave sailor--called Sinbad in the English language version Americans could relate to him--must stop a wicked premier from overtaking the kingdom. To do so he enlists the aide of a pirate band. In addition to ridding their land of the villain, they also get rid of the mean old witch who turns people to stone. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Toshiro Mifune, Jun Funado, (more)
- 1961
The Japanese Secret of the Telegian features Koji Tsurata as a reporter and Akihiko Hirata as a detective, both investigating a series of interrelated murders. All the victims had been in on a wartime scheme to steal a fortune in gold. The killer (Tadao Nakamaru) also one of the thieves, has stumbled upon a scientific discovery that enables him to reduce himself to mere particles, thereby enabling him to escape without detection. The murderer utilizes a transmission machine to ship himself from one place to another--so long as the machine is kept in a state of "4.2 degrees below zero." The villain's complex scheme to eliminate his old comrades in crime and claim the gold for himself comes to grief when his marvelous machine malfunctions. Our question: if Nakamaru is in possession of a revolutionary machine that could potentially net him billions in marketing, why does he bother with such mundane matters as murder and theft? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1961
In this patriotic Japanese WW II drama, the army demonstrates its courage and willingness to do anything to win as they endeavor to sneak into Communist China to bring back the flag of a defeated enemy regiment. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1960
In the Japanese detective saga/action film Ankokugai no Taiketsu (AKA Last Gunfight), the legendary Toshiro Mifune portrays Fujioka, a detective facing corruption charges. As the story opens, he receives a demotion and gets reassigned to a crime-ridden district overrun by two notoriously violent and ruthless Yakuza clans: the Oka and the Kazuka. The Oka attempt to buy Fujioka off and recruit him as an ally against the Kazuka, but the detective befriends Murayama, a former Kazuka member hell-bent on revenge against the Oka for rubbing out his wife. Fujioka thus prepares to take on the Oka as adversaries. The tone of the film is (given its subject matter) somewhat atypical: light, playful and fun. Koji Tsuruta, Yoko Tsukasa, Jun Tazaki and Makoto Sato co-star. Though this film went long unreleased theatrically in the United States, students of Japanese cinema will be fascinated to know that it did air quietly on New York's Channel 7, late one night in March 1967. Ankokugai no Taiketsu also screened at the 2007 Berlin International Film Festival, 37 years after its Japanese premiere. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress (original Japanese title: Kakushi Toride No San Akunin) stars Minoru Chiaki and Kamatari Fujiwara as a pair of misfit soldiers. Running from the enemy after a disastrous defeat, the two soldiers fall in with general Toshiro Mifune, who is in search of a huge cache of gold. Mifune is also desirous of freeing princess-in-exile Misa Uehara from the clutches of the evil victorious army. Several large and small battles ensue before Mifune can realize his goal. If the plot of Hidden Fortress sounds vaguely familiar to you, try this exercise: substitute two robots for Chiaki and Fujiwara, Mark Hamill for Mifune, and Carrie Fisher for Uehara. George Lucas himself admitted that Hidden Fortress was a principal inspiration for his Star Wars saga; stretching the point farther, both Hidden Fortress and Star Wars had their roots in John Ford's The Searchers. Originally released in a 137-minute form, The Hidden Fortress was sliced to ribbons by its American distributors, and years later received extensive restoration. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Toshiro Mifune, Misa Uehara, (more)
