7.3/10
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Tokyo Drifter (1966)

Tôkyô nagaremono (original title)
Not Rated | | Action, Crime | 10 April 1966 (Japan)
Tokyo Drifter Poster
After his gang disbands, a yakuza enforcer looks forward to life outside of organized crime but soon must become a drifter after his old rivals attempt to assassinate him.

Director:

Seijun Suzuki

Writers:

Yasunori Kawauchi (author), Yasunori Kawauchi (screenplay)

Stars:

Tetsuya Watari, Chieko Matsubara, Hideaki Nitani | See full cast & crew »
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Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tetsuya Watari ... Tetsuya 'Phoenix Tetsu' Hondo
Chieko Matsubara Chieko Matsubara ... Chiharu
Hideaki Nitani Hideaki Nitani ... Kenji Aizawa
Tamio Kawaji Tamio Kawaji ... Tatsuzo, The Viper (as Tamio Kawachi)
Ryûji Kita Ryûji Kita ... Kurata
Eiji Gô Eiji Gô ... Tanaka
Isao Tamagawa Isao Tamagawa ... Umetani
Eimei Esumi Eimei Esumi ... Otsuka
Tomoko Hamakawa Tomoko Hamakawa ... Mutsuko
Tsuyoshi Yoshida Tsuyoshi Yoshida ... Keiichi
Michio Hino Michio Hino ... Yoshii
Shuntarô Tamamura Shuntarô Tamamura ... Koyanagi
Hiroshi Midorikawa Hiroshi Midorikawa
Hiroshi Chô Hiroshi Chô ... Kumamoto
Akira Hisamatsu Akira Hisamatsu ... (as Kosuke Hisamatsu)
See full cast »
Edit

Storyline

Tetsu has joined his yakuza boss in going straight, but when a rival gang threatens to bring them back into the gang wars, Tetsu must become a drifter to keep the pressure off his old boss. Written by Erik Gregersen <erik@astro.as.utexas.edu>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

yakuza | principled man | debt | loan | property | See All (25) »

Genres:

Action | Crime

Certificate:

Not Rated | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
Edit

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese | English

Release Date:

10 April 1966 (Japan) See more »

Also Known As:

Tokyo Drifter See more »

Filming Locations:

Akasaka, Minato, Japan See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Nikkatsu See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Quentin Tarantino's film Kill Bill Volume 1 appears to pay homage to Tokyo Drifter in that both movies are black and white before the opening credits and then in color after the opening credits. See more »

Quotes

Tetsuya 'Phoenix Tetsu' Hondo: A drifter needs no woman.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Hiroshima Death Match (1973) See more »

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User Reviews

 
He's a devil if he asks you twice...
21 February 2006 | by drunk-drunker-drunkest – See all my reviews

In 1966 Nikkatsu, a Japanese studio, requested that one of their more "difficult" directors "calm down" on his next project. The director was Seijun Suzuki. The project was Tokyo Drifter. The result was anything but calm.

A film-noir shot through with moments of brilliant, lurid colour; the film defies all conventions be it genre, style or even something as mundane and unnecessary as narrative. One scene finds Tetsuya Watari's pouting yakuza in a tense showdown with his rival. Standing on train tracks, surrounded by clean, crisp snow the screen is split in two by a clearly visible dark blue line. The use of this visual effect is telling. It adds nothing to the story, to the characterisation, it simply looks good.

The closing sequence has to be seen to be believed. It is best described as the secret lovechild of a Gene Kelly musical and a John Woo action film. Amazing.

If for nothing else, Tokyo Drifter will long be remembered for the theme tune which hauntingly drifts through the entire film.
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