Mahjong hôrôki (1984)

Director:

Makoto Wada

Writers:

Tetsuya Asada (novel)
Shinichirô Sawai (writer)

Release Date:

10 October 1984 (Japan)

Plot Keywords:

Based On Novel

Awards:

10 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Hiroyuki Sanada	...	Bouya Tetsu
Shinobu Ôtake	...	Mayumi
Takeshi Kaga	...	Dosa Ken
Mariko Kaga	...	Mama
Kaku Takashina	...	Deme Toku
Kenichi Kato	...	Zegen no Tatsu
Akira Nagoya	...	Jyoushuu Tora
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Eisei Amamoto	...	Hachimaki
Chin	...	Orin
Takashi Sasano	...	Suzuki
Takashi Shikauchi	...	Teddy
Katsuyuki Shinohara	...	Hage
Samuel Sloan	...	American hustler at Mama's Club
Tonbo Zushi	...	Soya

Runtime:

Japan:109 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Black and White

Company:

Kadokawa Haruki Jimusho

Story of a Professional Mahjong Hustler, Touring Japan

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

SPOILER!!!! I was a minor actor in this movie. The story line bears similarity to the 1961 American Movie "The Hustler" starring Paul Newman. Mahjong is a game similar to Gin Rummy. The hero of the movie is one of the most famous actors in Japan. He starts off as an absolute beginner at Mahjong, so weak that I and another American beat him at Mahjong. When he does not have enough money to pay his gambling losses, my partner takes him out in the back alley and beats him up. Undaunted, he studies Mahjong and becomes a top player. He comes back to play us again, but our club is out of business. So, he goes looking for top players to play against, for big money. The first showdown comes when a man who is losing all his money, puts the deed to his house on the table. His wife yells and screams trying to stop him, but he bets the house anyway. He looses the house. The winner at mahjong moves into the house. The wife of course stays with the house, so the man who won the house now sleeps every night with the wife. Later, the original owner of the house gets some more money and comes back to play again. This time, the original owner wins the mahjong game and so he wins back both the house and his own wife. Now, the man starts sleeping with his own wife again. Finally, the big game comes. There is a lot of money on the table. A player announces "Mahjong, Mahjong" which means that he has the winning hand. However, before he can turn up his hand and take the money, he falls over dead. The three other players go through his pockets, take all his money and divide it up. Now, they have a dead body on their hands. So, the put the dead body in a small cart, bring the cart to the front of his house, and roll the dead body down the hill to his house. The cart pulls off and that is the end of the movie. How is that for a story line? This movie was not popular at the box office but has developed a great cult following in Japan, especially since I am a star in it. I got the movie role because I am a top American shogi player. Sam Sloan