Hiroyuki Sanada Movies

Veteran filmmaker Kihachi Okamoto revives his similarly named 1960s television series about happy-go-lucky avenger-for-hire Sukeroku (Hiroyuki Sanada) who prefers to brandish a wooden pole or a rope rather than a sword. The film opens with Sukeroku returning to his home in the mountainous Joshu region after a seven-year absence to visit his mother's grave. He quickly encounters not only old flame Osen (Kyoka Suzuki) -- who is still clearly in love with him -- but also his boyhood rival Taro (Takehiro Murata) -- who tells him that local samurai Katakura (film legend Tatsuya Nakadai) is the target of revenge. Sukeroku tries to get hired as one of the avengers but is told that four professionals have already been hired for the job. When the dignified Katakura meets his fate, Sukeroku begins to plot revenge on a more personal note. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

Jun Ichikawa -- who directed such restrained Ozu-esque family dramas as Tokyo Kyodai and Tokyo Yakyoku -- completely departs from his humanistic mode of storytelling to direct this taunt psychological omnibus thriller about two working stiffs at the end of their rope. The first section focuses on a high-strung cabby named Kita (Koji Yakusho), who, after zipping around Tokyo for a number of years, is not sure if he is driving down the street or the streets are driving past him. He picks up Anzai (Jimpachi Nezu), who is eagerly anticipating a rendezvous with his mistress in a hotel across town. Kita asks Anzai what he does for a living and Anzai responses with the joke that he makes charcoal balls (tadon) for living. One thing leads to another, and soon Kita, in a sudden violent outburst, forces Anzai to fashion tadon out of mud by the side of the road. The second section focuses on Asami (Hiroyuki Sanada), a hack novelist suffering from writer's block. After spending too much time in his studio stewing over his inadequences, he ventures to a nearby oden stand and orders some chikuwa (a hot dog shaped morsel made of fish paste). The snickering man behind the counter tells him that they are out of normal chikuwa, but they have some special chikuwa he can try. The writer agrees and then walks to a nearby restaurant run by a fan of the author Tomoro Taguchi, though he discovers that the establishment is filled with the sour and snide faces of his critics. He beats a path to the restroom only to find that his chikuwa is absent. The author promptly goes crazy on one and all at the restaurant. This film was based on a pair of short stories by Makoto Shiina. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

The ukiyo-e (woodblock print) artist Sharaku is an enigmatic puzzle in the world of Japanese art. Working at an age when such masters of the trade as Hokusai and Utamaro were at their zenith, Sharaku suddenly emerged out of obscurity and produced roughly 140 strikingly brilliant portraits of Kabuki performers, only to disappear just as suddenly. To date, no one knows about his true identity or about his post-ukiyo-e career. Veteran director Masahiro Shinoda tries to fill in the blanks with this lavish period production. Set in the 1790s, the film centers on Tombo (Hiroyuki Sanada), a lowly Kabuki player who gets dumped from his troupe after breaking his foot. He joins a ragged traveling outfit run by former courtesan Okan (played by Shinoda's wife, Shima Iwashita). While not on-stage, he takes up drawing, for which he realizes he has considerable ability. His talents are noticed by Tsutaya Juzaburo (Frankie Sakai), a ukiyo-e publisher who is desperate for a replacement after his star artist Utamaro (Shiro Sano) defected to his rival's stable. Sharaku's work immediately creates a stir in Edo, particularly with the rigidly moralistic Prime Minister Matsudaira Sadanobu (Hachijusuke Bando). After falling for a beautiful teenaged geisha (Riona Hazuki), the latest sexual plaything of the rich and lecherous Utamaro, Tombo feels more and more constrained by his anonymous fame and the increasing tyrannical demands of Juzaburo. Soon, freedom and love seem more appealing than riches or art. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

Makoto Wada directs this Twilight Zone-like portmanteau film about the grotesque, the bizarre, and the just plain weird. The first segment features a slightly drunken man (Hiroyuki Sanada) and a very tense woman (Mieko Harada) clutching a suitcase, who are riding an elevator together. When the lift suddenly stops and the lights dim, the guy clearly hopes for impromptu romance to bloom. Instead, the woman freaks out, accusing him of stopping the elevator on purpose. Soon she's brandishing a switchblade, defending whatever is in her luggage to the death. The second segment details how a young woman's (Mami Kumagai) moment of upward career mobility is undone by a mysterious -- maybe otherworldly -- boatman. The third section tells of a novelist (Haruhiko Saito) who fails to buy a train ticket on his way back to his hometown village and is forced to explain himself to a frightfully unsympathetic station manager (Ryuko Hagiwara). The fourth segment relates a story about a rich merchant (Kaoru Kobayashi) who happens upon his former mistress (Hitomi Kuroki) while escaping a thundering rainstorm. The two share a room at a nearby inn and make love. In the middle of the night, the mistress is plagued by horrible visions and soon the merchant is seeing them too. The final section is about a reporter (Ken Ishiguro) and photographer (Kyusaku Shimada) who enlist the help of the wrong pilot in order to make deadline for their tyrant of an editor. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

Following up on his wacky documentary-like look at an emergency room (Byoin e Iko), Yojiro Takita returns to a hospital setting in this zany film about terminal cancer. Yuko (Kyoko Koizumi) is a vivacious beautician who, unbeknownst to her, has terminal stomach cancer. Her local hospital -- more of a family clinic, really -- is run by two brothers: Ichiro (Hiroyuki Sanada), who passionately believes in the miracles of modern aggressive drug therapies, and Tamotsu (Hiroshi Mikami), who thinks that terminal patients should die with dignity. He's building a hospice on the hospital grounds. When Yuko finally learns the hopeless nature of her condition, she quickly dumps chemo and tries to settle in the hospice. She realizes she still has three or so months to live and sets out to pack as much living in that short time as she can, which includes starring in a TV commercial and falling for Tamotsu. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

Kazuki Omori directs this wacky screwball comedy about injured pride and high-strung mobsters. Stockbroker turned yakuza Shoichi Yoshinari (Hiroyuki Sanada) has been presented with a thankless task. He is to invite an oyabun (mob don) of an associated gang to emcee a succession ceremony -- the passing of the baton from the older to the younger generation. Shoichi's assignment is tough because the oyabun (Ken Ogata) is the clan's second choice, after the wizened top choice fell ill. Pride is terribly important in the hermetic world of the yakuza, and asking a godfather to play second banana is asking a lot. Thankfully, the oyabun seems like an affable sort. Unfortunately, Shoichi realizes upon arriving at the oyabun's rural estate that he hit on his knockout of a wife (Yuko Kotegawa) while on the road. Things get worse when the first choice makes a sudden recovery and Shoichi is faced with the tickling task of informing the oyabun that his services are not needed. Humiliated, the oyabun goes on a bender, and then proceeds to crash a funeral thinking it's the succession ceremony. When the first choice speaker keels over, Shoichi is faced with the near impossible assignment of asking the drunk, irate, and embarrassed oyabun to speak once again. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

This is the fourth of a series of samurai movies based on a popular Japanese television series. Among the other features of this goofy production is its soundtrack, combining Mexican and Country-Western music. The villains are garishly made-up individuals who are killing almost indiscriminately at the behest of a new local magistrate. The hero is reputed to be a coward, since he relies on his detective skills more than swordplay to get to the root of the matter. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

In this ninja cartoon a young ninja is up against a wicked sorcerer ~ All Movie Guide

Shogun's Ninja revolves around two rival ninja clans whose constant battle for superiority has spanned decades and cost countless lives. During a critical point in their war with one another, one of the rival kings sends his commander on a mission to retrieve two mystical daggers. With these legendary knives, the clan hopes to learn the "secrets of the ninja," which are rumored to come with them. The film features Hiroyuki Sanada, Sue Shiomi, Sonny Chiba, and Noribumi Suzuki. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

The world of drugs, mobsters, fascists, and assorted other criminal types is taken on single-handedly (almost) by the hero (Hiroyuki Sanada) as he fights for justice. His chief enemy is a man dedicated to Hitler, with a sadistic female sidekick thrown in for good measure. Other foes keep the hero and his few friends (a secret agent and the owner of a bar) busy fighting off the forces of evil right through to the end. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Starring in his third release in 1982 (the others were Moeru Yuja and Hoeru Tekken,) Hiroyuki Sanada plays a fighting hero one more time. In this story, he is Aki Hoshino, a pre-med student at Tozai University who becomes inspired to rip off millions (in yen) that the school collected as "special fees" from parents wanting to assure their offsprings' acceptance into the hallowed institution. Unfortunately, a current ex-employee of Tozai (and ex-Olympic gymnast) has the same idea, as does one of the region's crime bosses -- who makes off with the booty leaving Aki and the ex-employee (Shinichi Chiba -- appropriately named Daisuke Kamikaze), to form an unbeatable alliance. As they set out to retrieve the ill-gotten money from the "wrong" hands, the action lunges into fist and feet fights, rope-swinging attacks, hang-gliding, and any number of innovative challenges. The heroes are not alone in their quest; fate delivers them an ally and a love interest in the form of a female jockey, Kei Kinjo (Kumiko Akiyoshi). In this unique approach to robbery, viewers are given the chance to root for whichever thief they prefer. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

In this Japanese fantasy, the wrathful ghost of a shogunate warrior emerges from a thunderstorm to exact revenge on those behind the terrible 1638 Shimbara Revolt in which 18,000 rioters were slaughtered. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide