Mikijiro Hira Movies

Based on actual events that served as the inspiration for the 1963 film of the same name, Takashi Miike's 13 Assassins follows a group of noble samurai as they seek to slay a tyrannical, politically connected lord before he seizes control of the entire country. Japan, 1844: as the era of the samurai winds to a close, a sadistic young lord uses his powerful political ties to commit heinous atrocities against the common people. Recognizing the dangers to both his country and its citizens should the lord manage to gain any more power, a concerned government official secretly recruits 13 of the most skilled swordsmen he can find to defeat the evil lord once and for all. But reaching their target won't be easy, because the elusive lord is constantly flanked by legions of fearless bodyguards. Realizing that the bodyguards would decimate his modest task force in a traditional battle, the assassins' leader (Koji Yakusho) lays an ingenious trap that will give his men the upper hand, and waits patiently for their prey to take the bait. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The effects of schizophrenia reverberate through three generations of educated Indian women when a woman is diagnosed with the psychotic disorder and those around her, including her westernized daughter, struggle to maintain normal lives. As Azumi 2 gets underway, remaining assassins Azumi and Nagara set out in pursuit of their final target - the notorious Masayuki Sanada. But Sanada is fully prepared for the confrontation; he's hired the dreaded Koga Ninja Clan to dispense with Azumi, and they won't stop until their mission has been completed. The Koga Ninja Clan aren't the only foes that Azumi has to worry about either, because Kiyomasa's failed retainer Kanbei is out for blood as well. With enemies closing in from all sides, things are beginning to look decidedly grim for the assassin forced to choose between love and duty. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Edogawa Rampo -- a pen name that is also a homonym in Japanese for Edgar Allen Poe -- amassed a major cult following after writing a series of short stories that masterly meld the erotic and the grotesque. Unlike previous films about of his work -- such as Noboru Tanaka's masterful Stroller in the Attic -- this piece is not so much an adaptation of his work than a dreamlike vision of his inner workings. Set during the 1930s, Rampo (Naoto Takenaka), after learning that his piece Osei Tojo was censored by the government, reads a newspaper article about an incident that bears freakish similarity to his suppressed story. The article details a murder investigation surrounding Sonoko (Michiko Hada), the wife of an antique dealer who was found suffocated in an large oblong chest. At the funeral, Rampo is immediately drawn to Sonoko, who exudes a certain femme fatal magnetism. She fires his creativity and soon he is banging out a sequel to his censored work. In his story, Osei becomes the lover of a debauched aristocrat (Mikijiro Hira) who likes to sexually humiliate the recent widow. Meanwhile, a straight-arrow detective, Kogoro Akechi (Masahiro Motoki), ventures to the count's estate to further investigate the murder. While writing this tale, he passionately pursues Osei in real life -- or at least what he thinks is real life. This film was famous in Japan for its turbulent production history. Producer Kazuyoshi Okuyama was displeased with original director Rintaro Mayuzumi's faithful, delicate version of the film and reshot 80 percent of the film, fashioning it into a flashier, bawdier affair. Both versions were released in Japan. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

In this unexciting, predictable mystery story, Detective Tajima (Tsunehiko Watase) has dogged the riddle of a homeless man's murder for almost 40 years, and in the opening scene, he meaningfully hands over the manuscript of this and other cases to Kenzo, a local printer (Mikijiro Hira). From that point onward, flashbacks show that a prostitute named Hana (Yuko Tanaka) was suspected in the murder of the vagabond, and that Detective Tajima and the printer Kenzo seem to have had an ongoing relationship for some time. The young Kenzo ran away from home at one point and met both the murder victim and the prostitute. In spite of severe cross-examination, the boy refuses to say anything relating to the murder or the prostitute -- presumably out of a desire to protect her since she was especially kind to him -- more a good friend than a casual acquaintance. As the truth of the matter comes forward, the 15-year statute of limitations leaves the real murderer scot free -- further undermining the already diminished drama of the story. Yuko Tanaka won the "Best Actress" award at the 1983 Montreal Film Festival for her interpretation of Hana. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Utamaro was an artist who lived in Edo (which was later to become modern-day Tokyo) in the late 18th century. This film, which has a complex and wide-ranging storyline, recreates the world of that time, as it appeared in Utamaro's paintings. In one the many scenes captured by the story, Utamaro watches the goings-on in a brothel while hidden in its attic. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

In this Japanese melodrama, a youthful truck driver does all he can to keep away from hospitals and physicians. Then he meets a pretty nurse while visiting an ailing friend. Later, following a traffic accident, he reluctantly undergoes a check up and must reveal that he has terminal leukemia. The kindly nurse takes him to her home to spend the last few months of his life in peace. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Zatoichi (Shintaro Katsu), the blind swordsman, encounters an elderly man who claims to be his long-lost father. The nomadic warrior, who has never had any personal ties to anyone as an adult, believes that he may finally have found a bond with his past. Only later does he discover that the man is an imposter. In contrast to most of the movies in this long-running series, Adventures of a Blind Man, by the very nature of its plot, offers a look into the background of the blind swordsman. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi