Kiichi Nakai Movies
- 2008
A love grows between two people in a place where compassion is in short supply in this historical drama. Born in Japan, Liu Lang (Kiichi Nakai) has spent most of his life in China, and even though it's his home, he doesn't always feel as if he belongs. One day in 1914, Liu gets in a fight with a man who has spoken ill of his wife; Liu loses control of himself and seriously injures the man, leading to his arrest. Liu is sentenced to life in prison for his crime, and behind bars he strikes up a cautious friendship with Liang (Guo Tao), a strong-tempered criminal who is also serving a life sentence. Liu happens to see a woman named Zhou Hong (Miao Pu) is who serving time in the women's wing of the prison, and he senses a kinship with her. Liu learns that Zhou was found guilty of killing her husband who repeatedly beat her, and while they have little opportunity to speak, through glances and chance meetings the two develop a strong affection for one another. Over the decades, the love between Liu and Zhou helps them survive life in lockup, while the political and social landscape of China changes dramatically outside the walls of the penitentiary. Huangfeng (aka Crossing Over) was the opening night feature at the 2007 Tokyo Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
A fierce woman warrior joins a wandering demon hunter on his quest to recover the missing body parts and regain his natural form in director Akihiko Shiota's adaptation of Osamu Tezuka's popular manga of the same name. Years ago, malevolent ruler Daigo Kagemitsu promised to deliver his unborn son to the forty-eight devils of the underworld in exchange for the power to conquer his country. When his son was born with forty-eight body parts missing, Daigo knew he had gotten his wish and cast the infant child into the river. Rescued from certain death and given the name Hyakkimaru (Satoshi Tsumabuki) by a poor herb doctor, the boy was outfitted with a glass eye, fitted with artificial limbs, and raised amidst the confusion of war. Now, every time Hyakkimaru slays a demon, he regains another one of his missing body parts. One day, as Hyakkimaru does battle with a particularly fierce spider demon, a scrappy female thief named Dororo (Kou Shibasaki) takes notice and comes to his aid. Fascinated by the strange sword affixed to Hyakkimaru's artificial arm and awestruck by the fact that he somehow managed to grow a new leg after defeating the giant spider, Dororo agrees to follow Hyakkimaru on his journey after learning of his story from an ageing minstrel. But while Dororo is a fearless ally indeed, she has a troublesome habit of getting into mischief at the most awkward times. Later, as Hyakkimaru prepares to face off against his powerful father - he leaves his new friend behind in order to face his fate alone. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kou Shibasaki, Satoshi Tsumabuki, (more)
- 2007
Bayside Shakedown producer Chihiro Kameyama returns with this crowd-pleasing comedy drama spawned by the hit television series detailing a renegade district attorney's efforts to target political corruption in the bustling metropolis of Tokyo. Kohei Kuryu (popular singer Takuya Kimura) is a stereotype-shattering prosecutor who prefers jeans and flannels to the typical suit and tie. Previously exiled to a position in a nearby town, Kohei returns to the Josai branch of the Tokyo's public prosecutor after a six-year absence. While his smitten assistant Maiko initially chides Koei for failing to stay in contact, the truth is that she's thrilled to see him return. Soon enough, Koei is taking on his first new case - an apparently open-and-shut trial involving a security guard who has pleaded guilty for manslaughter after killing a man during a late night argument. The case gets complicated, however, when the accused guard suddenly changes his plea to not guilty. When Koei discovers that the guard is a pivotal figure in the alibi of a former transportation minister (Kazuyoshi Morita) suspected of pocketing a major kickback that very same night, the lawyer and his assistant set out in search of the security guard's missing van - the one piece of evidence that could make or break the entire case. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Takuya Kimura, Takako Matsu, (more)
- 2005
Masahiko Makino's willfully offensive comedy Nezu No Ban concerns a beloved comedian (Hiroyuki Nagato) who from his deathbed asks to see the private parts of a woman. The people he has worked with for years attempt to make that dream a reality, but their success has unintended consequences. Based on a traditional Japanese theatrical style that utilizes exceedingly vulgar language, the film continues onto a series of funerals as the various people who worked with the old man die themselves. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kiichi Nakai, Hiroyuki Nagato, (more)
- 2005
- PG
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On the heels of such extravagant historical swordplay epics as Hero and House of Flying Daggers, Mainland Chinese director Zhang Yimou returns to the reins to tell this intimate tale of an aging father who attempts to remedy a longstanding rift with his grown son. Summoned to Tokyo by his daughter-in-law, Rie (Shinobu Terajima), village fisherman Gou-ichi Takata (Ken Takakura), arrives at a city hospital to find his son, Ken-ichi (Kiichi Nakai), bedridden by liver cancer. Though Gou-ichi attempts to use the visit as a catalyst to heal a decade-long dispute between the pair, stubborn Ken-ichi rejects his father's attempt at reconciliation outright. Subsequently handed a videotape by Rie before departing back to the countryside, Gou-ichi returns home unsuccessful in his efforts to build a bridge of peace between himself and his ailing son. Upon watching the videotape, a research project exploring the Chinese folk arts that was shot by Ken-ichi in the Southern province of Yunnan, Gou-ichi is oddly affected by the onscreen failure of his son in convincing well-known opera singer Li Jiamin (playing himself) to perform the titular song, a classic operatic piece espousing the values of friendship. Now determined to travel to Yunnan and videotape the performance that his son could not, Gou-ichi embarks on a life-changing quest that will not only give him a greater understanding of the relationship between himself and his own son, but set into motion a healing process that will also have a profound impact on the troubled opera singer and the man's long-lost illegitimate son as well. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ken Takakura, Kiichi Nakai, (more)
Directed by He Ping, the multi-layered Warriors of Heaven and Earth combines traditional Chinese cinema with the hallmarks of spaghetti Westerns. Set in the eastern portion of the Silk Road, a popular eighth century Asian trade route, the film chronicles the stories of two heroes: Tang Dynasty imperial emissary Lai Xi (Kiichi Nakai) and soldier-turned-mercenary "Butcher" Li (Jiang Wen). After having served the Chinese emperor for some 20 years, Lai is eager to return home, though he must complete a final task before doing so; specifically, tracking down Li, as he once led a mutiny against the emperor's orders. Li, meanwhile, is busy recruiting a caravan to help him escort a Buddhist monk to the capital of China. While Lai is successful in finding Li, they agree to postpone their duel-to-the-death until the monk has been safely transported. Of course, after dealing with marauding Turks, the heat of the desert, and local bandits, it becomes unclear whether either man will survive to kill the other. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jiang Wen, Kiichi Nakai, (more)
When the Last Sword Is Drawn opens in Tokyo in 1899, when an elderly man, Saito (Koichi Sato), brings his young grandson to see a local doctor, Ono (Takehiro Murata). Saito notices an old photo of a samurai in the doctor's home and asks him about it. As it turns out, the photo is of Yoshimura (Kiichi Nakai of Warriors of Heaven and Earth), and both men had a strong connection to him. Saito and Ono take turns reminiscing about their experiences, and the film flashes back 30 years to the tumultuous beginnings of the Meiji era, when the emperor, bent on modernization, consolidated his power, and the shogunate with its samurai was phased out. Saito remembers Yoshimura as a fellow member of the Shinsegumi, a samurai group divided between loyalty to its shogun and the defense of the emperor. Saito looked down on the money-grubbing, shabbily dressed Yoshimura from the moment they met, and even decided to kill him. But Yoshimura soon proved his prowess with the sword, and his commitment to samurai ideals. Ono remembers Yoshimura as the disgraced father of his best friend. Yoshimura abandoned his village and his clan during a famine to join the Shinsegumi, and as the story unfolds, his motives come to light. Caught in the middle between conflicting forces, their way of life rendered obsolete, Saito loses contact with Yoshimura during a bloody battle and assumes he is dead. Ono tells him of the misunderstood samurai's true fate. When the Last Sword Is Drawn, directed by Yojiro Takita, won several Japanese Academy Awards in 2003, including Best Actor (Nakai), Best Supporting Actor (Sato), and Best Picture. It was shown at Subway Cinema's 2004 New York Asian Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- 2001
In 1994, nerve gas was released in the Japanese city of Matsumoto, which led to the death to the death of seven people and severe illness in several hundred others. In time, the attack was proved to be the work of a fanatical religious cult known as Aum Shinrikyo (who were responsible for several other terrorist attacks), but in the initial rush to determine who was the culprit, a man named Toshio Kanbe was accused by the press of the crime, and the widespread scrutiny turned his life into a shambles, even though it was later proved that he was innocent of wrongdoing. Nippon No Kuroi Natsu -- Enzai is a drama that looks at Kanbe's story, as it is researched by a pair of high school students. Makoto Sasano (Kiichi Nakai) is the producer of a popular television magazine show, News Express, who assigns three of his best reporters to cover the gas attack in Matsumoto; one of the young reporters files a story claiming that the gas in question could be easily manufactured with common ingredients, and it's discovered that Toshio Kanbe (Akira Terao), the man who first reported the gas, has most of the ingredients in his home. Kanbe vigorously proclaims his innocence, but continued reports by News Express reporter Koji (Yukiya Kitamura) call his honesty into question, even though Sasano and his staff discover that their earlier story was false and that it would be all but impossible for the gas to be produced by anyone but an expert. Nippon No Kuroi Natsu -- Enzai was screened at the 2001 Berlin Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kiichi Nakai, Akira Terao, (more)
- 2000
This satirical spin on the ninja genre from veteran director Masahiro Shinoda opens in 1581 with the invasion of Iga, a "hidden land," by Oda, a rampaging warlord. 50,000 troops sweep through Iga -- a province already developing as a center for ninja arts -- slaughtering everyone and everything in their path. Among the few to survive is a ninja by the name of Juzo (Kiichi Nakai). Ten years later, when a new warlord, Toyotomi (Mako Iwamatsu), has taken power, Juzo is sought out by his former master to kill the tyrant, who is busy making plans to invade Korea and Ming-dynasty China. As Juzo embarks on his mission, he enters into a game of mutual complicity with the enigmatic Kohagi (Mayu Tsuruta), a spy for Toyotomi who nearly kills and then seduces the ninja. When Juzo finally does arrive at Toyotomi's castle, he meets Kazama (Takaya Kamikawa), another Iga ninja, who wants to stop Juzo so that he can get enough credibility to become a legitimate samurai. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shohei Hino
- 1993
Plans have long been set to enable Seishiro to marry the daughter of the castle warden. He is from too humble a background to marry so exalted a personage, so the head of the Iwai family has formally adopted him in order to give him the necessary social standing. All is proceding in an orderly way when an unknown woman appears at the castle, claiming she is unable to remember who she is. She simply calls herself Fusa. Seishiro falls in love with her and marries her. They raise a family, but every day her loving husband wakes with the fear that she will recover her memory and be forced to leave him. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kiichi Nakai, Yuko Asano, (more)
- 1993
Veteran director Shinji Somai helms this coming-of-age tale about a school-aged lass named Renko (Chieko Tabata) struggling to come to terms with her parents' divorce. The film opens with Renko's mother Nazuna (Junko Sakurada) and father Ken'ichi (Kiichi Nakai) coolly talking about their impending breakup. The following day, Ken'ichi drives off with his belongings to his new apartment. Nazuna tries as best she can to fill the void, but Renko still dreams about reuniting her fractured family. Her first attempt -- locking herself in the bathroom -- ends terribly, complete with tearful arguments and angry recriminations. The second attempt, a surprise visit by her father during a vacation along Lake Biwa, also ends badly. This time, Renko realizes that there is no fixing her parents' broken bonds. While on a walk during a fire festival, she manages to accept it and move on. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kiichi Nakai
- 1987
Princess From the Moon (Taketori Monogatari) is based on an ancient Japanese legend. Toshiro Mifune plays a 9th century bamboo cutter who comes across a curious glass capsule, housing a tiny baby girl who holds a crystal ball in her hand. Once released, the infant instantly becomes a five-year-old; the astonished Mifune, whose own child has recently died, decides to adopt the girl. It isn't very long before the child becomes a beautiful adult (Yasuko Sawaguchi), whose blue eyes--a decided rarity in Japan--attract every man within hailing distance. Mifune hopes to hide his daughter away from predatory males, but the girl is constantly courted by eligible bachelors. By and by, the crystal ball begins to emit a strange sound, alerting the girl that she must return to the Moon, whence she came and where she will reign as princess. See Princess From the Moon only if you have an open mind and open heart. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Toshiro Mifune, Ayako Wakao, (more)
- 1987
The Japanese actress and film director Kinuyo Tanaka had a career as significant to that country's movie industry as Lillian Gish's was in the U.S. -- it spanned the early days of silent movies and continued well into the 1970s. This biographical drama covers her career up to the point when she is working on The Life of Oharu (1952) with director Kenji Mizoguchi. In addition to reviewing the great actress's professional life, the movie provides a brief tutorial in the history of Japanese cinema. In real life, she continued to be a potent presence both in front of and behind the camera until her death in 1977, winning an award at the Berlin Film Festival for her acting work in Sandakan 8 ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sayuri Yoshinaga, Bunta Sugawara, (more)
- 1987
This nostalgic backward glance at the earliest days of Japanese talking pictures was originally titled Kinema no Tenchi. The year is 1933: Narimi Arimori plays a lovely young girl who is groomed for film stardom by director Ittoku Kishibe. Narimi's biggest obstacle is a lack of talent, but Kishibe sees to it that the girl is hired for minor roles so that she can glean experience. Her big break comes when she replaces the star of a major production. When time comes for a crucial emotional scene, Narimi finds she can't play her role convincingly and runs embarrassed from the set. At this point, the girl's father Kiyoshi Atsumi, himself a frustrated actor, tells his daughter a sad story concerning the truth of her parentage. Overcome with grief, Narima successfully pulls off her big dramatic scene and goes on to become a major Japanese star. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
The environment and the movie stars at a Japanese film studio in the early '30s are recreated in this drama that looks back on a distinctive period in cinematic history. Using celebrated director Yasujiro Ozu as a model, fictional director Ogata (Ittoku Kishibe) discovers a new female star quite by accident. Koharu Tanaka (Narimi Arimori) works selling candy at a studio theater when she is given a part as a bit player. After the studio's top leading lady is embroiled in a scandal, Koharu is suddenly thrust into the limelight when she replaces her in a film and gains instant fame and fortune. But the going is not always easy, and she soon seeks help from unexpected quarters. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Narimi Arimori, Kiyoshi Atsumi, (more)
- 1986
The Japanese title for this drama about human relationships, "(new) times of joys and sorrows," is descriptive of the story. Director Keisuke Kinoshita (director of the first, 1958 Ballad of Narayama) reprises the theme of a lighthouse keeper featured in his 1957 film of the same title (without the "new"). Rather than simply pick up where the characters and story left off, Kinoshita explores the relationships between a lighthouse keeper and his family and friends over many years. Yoshiaki (Go Kato) tends the lighthouse and lives with his wife Asako (Reiko Ohara) and three children. He and his family move constantly as he goes from one assignment to another, introducing stunning new locations and new characters with each change, but his friendships with other lighthouse keepers remain strong. One of the recurring characters is his egotistical father (Hitoshi Ueki), who visits the family each time they move and seems to mellow with age. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Reiko Ohara, Hayao Okamoto, (more)
- 1985
This gripping docudrama is a fictionalized account of what could happen to a Japanese family when one of their sons shames them in front of the entire nation. Director Masaki Kobayashi has used real events so the dramatic turns in the film are based on fact -- a 1970s shootout in the mountains between a band of Japanese terrorists and the police in which many men on both sides died. The Kidoji family bids good-bye to their son Otohiko (Kiichi Nakai) as he heads off for the mountains, keeping his objective a secret from them. After the shootout, other families publicly apologized for their sons' behavior out of a deep-seated sense of responsibility. Not so Otohiko's father -- he goes against cultural norms and says his son is an adult and is solely responsible for his own actions. The agony caused by society's stigma, the son's actions, and the father's lonely stance drive Otohiko's mother to suicide. The daughter in the family has to go to America after a clandestine wedding, and at first, the younger son in the family rebels against his father. After meetings with Otohito in prison, the younger son starts to reconsider his own attitude, but even now, fate is waiting in the wings with one more surprise for the long-suffering paterfamilias and his family.
~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tatsuya Nakadai, Mayumi Ogawa, (more)
- 1985
- R
Burmese Harp (Biruma No Tategoto) is Japanese director Kon Ichikawa's color remake of his own classic 1956 film of the same name (aka Harp of Burma), retelling the story of a Japanese soldier whose horrible experiences in Burma during World War II pave the way to his becoming a monk. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Koji Ishizaka, Kiichi Nakai, (more)
- 1983
Long kissing scenes and a mention of abortion do not balance out the stiff dialogue in this film about a Japanese-Hawaiian who falls in love with a wind surfer on a trip to Japan, only to be accidentally killed when her jealous and evil boyfriend tries to eliminate her new flame. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Seiko Matsuda, Kiichi Nakai, (more)
- 1983
A windsurfer becomes the true love of a young girl promised to another in an arranged marriage. ~ All Movie Guide
