Akahige 1965  N/R, 185 min.
Genre: Foreign / Drama
aka: Red Beard
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Cast: Toshiro Mifune, Yuzo Kayama, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Yoko Naito, Terumi Niki, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Reiko Dan, Akemi Negishi, Kyoko Kagawa, Kamatari Fujiwara
Set in the early 19th century, this long film tells the story of Dr. Kyojio Niide, "Red Beard" (Toshiro Mifine, in his last film for Director Kurosawa), who works at a charity clinic in a poverty-stricken area. Dr. Niide takes a new intern, Noboru (Yuzo Kayama) under his wing. Noboru is arrogant and rebellious, not understanding why so much time is spent on the poor. Over time, Red Beard brings the young doctor around.
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Departures 2008  N/R, 131 min.
Genre: Foreign / Drama
aka: Okuribito
Director: Yojiro Takita
Cast: Masahiro Motoki, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Ryoko Hirosue, Kazuko Yoshiyuki, Kimiko Yo, Takashi Sasano, Yukiko Tachibana, Tetta Sugimoto, Toru Minegishi, Tatsuo Yamada
Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki) is a cellist who loses his job when his orchestra disbands. He and his wife Mika (Ryoko Hirosue) move back to Daigo's hometown in northern Japan, and Daigo answers an employment ad titled "Departures." The job entails working for a mortuary as a gatekeeper between the departed and the family of the departed. While all around him disapprove of his new job, Daigo takes pride in what he does and discovers his true purpose in life. Winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
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High and Low 1963  N/R, 143 min.
Genre: Foreign / Drama / Thriller
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Cast: Toshiro Mifune, Kyoko Kagawa, Tatsuya Mihashi, Yutaka Sada, Tatsuya Nakadai, Takashi Shimura, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Isao Kimura, Kenjiro Ishiyama, Takeshi Kato, Jun Tazaki, Nobuo Nakamura, Yunosuke Ito, Minoru Chiaki, Yoshio Tsuchiya
Wealthy businessman Kingo Gondo is ordered to pay a ransom to the kidnappers of his son (Kyoko Kagawa). He is ready to pay the ransom when he finds his son safe at home. In a case of mistaken identity, his chauffeur's (Yutaka Sada) son is the kidnap victim. The kidnapper calls Gondo, admits that he made a mistake, and still demands the ransom money. Now, Gondo must decide between another person's safety and his own financial security.
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Kagemusha 1980 PG, 179 min.
Genre: Foreign / Drama
aka: The Shadow Warrior
The Double
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Cast: Tatsuya Nakadai, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Daisuke Ryu, Masayuki Yui, Kenichi Hagiwara, Koji Shimizu, Jinpachi Nezu, Hideji Otaki, Kaori Momoi, Mitsuko Baisho, Hideo Murota, Takayuki Shiho
Set in 16th-century Japan, this is the story of a thief, Kagemusha (Tatsuya Nakadai), who resembles the warlord Shingen Takeda (also played by Nakadai). When Shingen is killed during a battle, his death is kept secret, and Kagemusha turns over a new leaf when he transforms himself into the dead clan leader. A visually beautiful movie.
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Kintaro 1999  N/R, 110 min.
Genre: Foreign / Action
aka: Salaryman Kintaro
White Collar Worker Kintaro
Director: Takashi Miike
Cast: Katsunori Takahashi, Yoko Nogiwa, Masahiko Tsugawa, Michiko Hada, Tomonosuke Shimada, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Yoko Saito, Kanako Enomoto, Miki Mizuno, Naoki Hosaka
Former biker gang leader Kintaro (Katsunori Takahashi) saves the life of a construction company CEO who then gives Kintaro a white-collar job in his company. When a takeover of the company is attempted by crooked politicians, Kintaro springs into action. Based on a popular comic strip serial and, later, a TV series.
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| 1. Akahige (1965)
aka: Red Beard
2. Departures (2008)
aka: Okuribito
3. High and Low (1963)
4. Kagemusha (1980)
aka: The Shadow Warrior
aka: The Double
5. Kintaro (1999)
aka: Salaryman Kintaro
aka: White Collar Worker Kintaro
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