Afraid to Die (1960)
"Karakkaze yarô" (original title)

Director:

Yasuzô Masumura

Writers:

Hideo Ando, Ryûzô Kikushima

Stars:

Yukio Mishima, Ayako Wakao, Keizô Kawasaki

Cast

Credited cast:
Yukio Mishima	...	Takeo Asahina
Ayako Wakao	...	Yoshie Koizumi
Keizô Kawasaki	...	Shoichi Koizumi
Eiji Funakoshi	...	Susumu Aikawa
Takashi Shimura	...	Gohei Hirayama
Yaeko Mizutani	...	Masako Katori (as Yoshie Mizutani)
Michiko Ono	...	Ayako Takatsu (as Toshiko Hasegawa)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mayumi Kurata
Shigeru Kôyama	...	Masa
Ken Mitsuda
Jun Negami	...	Yusaku Sagara
Mantarô Ushio
Reisaburô Yamamoto	...	Daizaburo

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

cult film | murder | yakuza | japanese new wave

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

23 March 1960 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Afraid to Die

Company Credits

Production Co:

Daiei Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

User Reviews

Solid yakuza film

Novelist Yukio Mishima stars as the hired gun for a down at heel yakuza clan in this top notch action flick. Unlike the previous reviewer, I think Mishima's performance is excellent, especially for those who go for that brooding James Dean attitude. Karakkaze yarô (Afraid to Die) was superbly shot in brilliant colour by cinematographer Hiroshi Murai (Sword of Doom, Samurai Assassin) and the widescreen Daieiscope process is well utilized by director Yasuzo Masumura. There are some wonderful and memorable set pieces, notably a completely twisted night club scene featuring a naughty song about bananas, and the final scene involving Mishima and an escalator. Well worth a look.