Shinichi Tsutsumi Movies

This postmodern mystery-thriller from director Hiroshi Nishitani embodies a big-screen cinematization of the popular Japanese television series Galileo. Shinichi Tsutsumi stars as Ishigami Tetsuya, a brilliant but eccentric mathematician-cum-high school science teacher who develops a crush on the fetching Hanaoka Yasuko (Yasuko Matsuyuki), a saleswoman of bentos (or small, wooden lunchboxes unique to Japan). Hanaoka, as it turns out, is something of a criminal. Having successfully murdered a man in tandem with her daughter, she needs a foolproof alibi, and Ishigami draws on his scientific genius to help them construct one. The police are just as determined and resourceful, however, and enlist the support of their own scientist in the murder investigation, the equally brilliant and eccentric physicist Yukawa Manabu - who just happens to be an old classmate of Ishigami's. Thus marks the beginning of an aggressive, unchecked battle of wills between the two scientists to completely outwit one another. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Set in a digitally recreated postwar Tokyo (in 1958), Takashi Yamazaki's Always -- Sunset on Third Street tells the story of a few people who live and work in a rundown neighborhood, and their impact on one another's lives. Mutsuko (Maki Horikita) arrives from the country, awed by the size of Tokyo, and eager to take on her new position working for the president of an automobile company. She's disappointed when she learns the "automobile company" is a small garage run by the struggling but industrious Suzuki (Shin'ichi Tsutsumi of One Missed Call), and he's upset when he learns that the auto mechanic he thought he was hiring is actually a bicycle repairwoman. Soon enough, Mutsuko settles in with Suzuki, his wife (Hiroko Yakushimaru of Princess Raccoon), and their impish little boy, Ippei (Kazuki Koshimizu). Across the street, Chagawa (Hidetaka Yoshioka of The Hidden Blade) runs the candy store, but he's also a frustrated novelist who earns a little money by writing boys' adventure stories. He has a crush on the local pub owner, Hiromi (Koyuki of The Last Samurai), and she uses that to her advantage when she's saddled with Junnosuke (Kenta Suga of Godzilla: Final Wars), the abandoned son of an acquaintance. One night, she convinces the drunk, smitten Chagawa to take the boy in, promising to visit occasionally. She does, and soon the unlikely trio begins to resemble a family themselves. Always -- Sunset on Third Street is based on a popular manga, and was a hit in Japan, winning a number of awards. The film had its North American premiere at the Subway Cinema's 2006 New York Asian Film Festival with director Yamazaki in attendance. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

In Sabu's Drive, a group of bank robbers ends up in a panic when their driver, Mickey (Toshio Kakei), double-crosses them, taking off with all the loot and leaving them stranded. Meanwhile, Asakuru (Shinichi Tsutsumi of Sabu's Postman Blues) has just seen the doctor about his debilitating tension headaches. One of Asakuru's few pleasures is driving by the corner where a pretty young woman, Sakai (Kou Shibasaki of Battle Royale), takes her lunch break every afternoon. But on this day while he watches the girl, his reverie is interrupted by the bank robbers, who commandeer his car, ordering him to pursue Nishi. Unfortunately for them, Asakuru refuses to drive over the speed limit, let alone run a red light. The gang quickly grows frustrated and stops at a café to formulate a plan. But word is out about their "successful" robbery, and a meddlesome waiter recognizes them and threatens to blow the whistle. He runs into some bad luck, and soon the gang is on the move again, Asakuru in tow, and encountering some strange luck of their own. The angriest (Susumu Terajima of Ichi the Killer) has an edifying run-in with a punk rock band. The youngest member (Masanobu Ando, also from Battle Royale) rediscovers his aptitude for baseball, while Nishi (Ren Osugi of The Twilight Samurai) finds out there may be something more important to him than the cash. Meanwhile, Mickey has an epiphany of his own when his escape plans are thwarted by some angry spirits. Drive was shown at the 2004 New York Asian Film Festival, presented by Subway Cinema. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

Yoshimitsu Morita's long filmography includes everything from art-house hits to romantic drama by way of porno comedies, but Keiho is his first psychological mystery-thriller. Keiho diverts from recent Japanese thrillers as its focus is not so much a journey into existential darkness, but emergence of long-hidden secrets through patient investigation. Stage actor Masaki Shibata Shinichi Tsutsumi has murdered a man and his wife. He confesses his crime; he says his motive was that the woman, who is five months pregnant, criticized his one-man show. It could be an open-and-shut case except for the 'diminished responsibility' clause of Japan's criminal law. Masaki has to go through psychological examination to determine his sanity. A police psychiatrist declares he has a split personality, but his female assistant, named Kafka as a result of her father's literary tastes, does not agree. She begins her own research into Shibata's background and comes up with disturbing discoveries. On the other hand, a cocky police detective is also busy doing his own investigation and comes up with evidence that the victim raped and killed a girl when he was a teenager, but escaped punishment for the crime because a psychiatric examination found him not guilty. Further investigation reveals hidden identities, but the mystery is never solved. As the curtain falls, we are informed that the case is still continuing. It is not the crime or the criminal that is being explored so much as the complications of human psyche, but it is somewhat too confusing for the viewer, whose interest cannot be sustained with the incomprehensible twists and turns of the plot. Keiho Dai sanjyukyu jyo was one shown in competition at the 49th International Berlin Film Festival in 1999. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide

Acclaimed director Sabu follows up on his kinetic comedy D.A.N.G.A.N. Runner with this wacky comedic thrill ride about a bored postman on a collision course with fate. Sawaki (played by Sabu regular Shinichi Tsutsumi) is a sick and tired of his tedious toils with the daily mail. One day he encounters his old high school chum Noguchi (Ren Osugi) who works as a yakuza drug mule. Despite his job's considerable occupational hazards -- a missing pinky being one -- Noguchi loves his job, arguing that being a mobster at least makes life interesting. This chance meeting strikes a chord with the postman. While playing hooky from work, he starts to read his charges' letters. One written by a dying lass with cancer named Sayoko (Keiko Tohyama) staying at a local hospital piques his interest. He sets out to visit her the following day and immediately falls in love. In the same ward, he also meets another cancer patient named Joe (Keisuke Horibe) -- a pathologically honest hitman who Sawaki takes an immediate shine to. Meanwhile the police are hot on the trail of Noguchi and start to believe that Sawaki is a part of his drug courier biz as well. After they find Noguchi's disembodied finger in the postman's apartment, they think he's a bloodthirsty loon ball as well. Soon -- in typical Sabu style -- the mobster, the postman, and the hitman are running after each other and for their lives, with the cops in hot pursuit. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide