Ghost in the Shell (1995)

A cyborg policewoman and her partner hunt a mysterious and powerful hacker called the Puppet Master.

Director:

Mamoru Oshii

Writers:

Shirow Masamune (based on the manga by) (as Masamune Shirow), Kazunori Itô (screenplay)

Stars:

Atsuko Tanaka, Iemasa Kayumi, Akio Ôtsuka

5 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Atsuko Tanaka	...	Motoko Kusanagi (voice)
Akio Ôtsuka	...	Batou (voice)
Kôichi Yamadera	...	Togusa (voice)
Yutaka Nakano	...	Ishikawa (voice)
Tamio Ohki	...	Aramaki (voice)
Tesshô Genda	...	Director Nakamura (voice)
Namaki Masakazu	...	Dr. Willis (voice)
Masato Yamanouchi	...	Minister of Foreign Affairs (voice)
Shinji Ogawa	...	Diplomat (voice)
Mitsuru Miyamoto	...	Mizuho Daita (voice)
Kazuhiro Yamaji	...	Garbage Collector A (voice)
Shigeru Chiba	...	Garbage Collector B (voice)
Hiroshi Yanaka	...	Coroner (voice)
Ginzô Matsuo	...	Old Man (voice)
Takashi Matsuyama	...	Terrorist (voice)

Storyline

It is the year 2029. Technology has advanced so far that cyborgs are commonplace. In addition, human brains can connect to the internet directly. Major Motoko Kasunagi is an officer in Section 9, an elite, secretive police division that deals with special operations, including counter terrorism and cyber crime. She is currently on the trail of the Puppet Master, a cyber criminal who hacks into the brains of cyborgs in order to obtain information and to commit other crimes.

---

Plot Keywords:

anime | cyborg | policewoman | hacker | philosophical | 

---

Taglines:

Who are you? Who slips into my robot body and whispers to my ghost?

---

Genres:

Animation | Action | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Japan UK

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

29 March 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Armored Riot Police

Box Office

Budget:

JPY 600,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£7,493 (United Kingdom), 14 December 1995, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,736, 4 February 1996, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$515,905

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$583,393, 21 December 1995

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kôdansha,Bandai Visual Company,Manga Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo (Original Japanese) Dolby Digital (5.1 surround) (English Dub)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

First anime film to be released at the same time in Japan, Britain, and the United States. Its intended goal was to bring anime to a more mainstream audience in the UK and the US. It didn't, but it did become a sleeper hit on video and DVD.

---

Goofs

During the chase against the ghost hacked man in the first act of the film, it's never shown nor explained where Kusanagi got her headgear from before fighting the man hand to hand. She appears to not have been carrying it at all, so it's safe to assume it's a continuity error.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Title Card: In the near future: Corporate networks reach out to the stars, electrons and light flow throughout the universe. - The advance of computerisation, however, has not yet wiped out nations and ethnic groups.
Dispatcher: [on radio] To all units: Code 2-0-8 in district C-13, Newport City. Air space is closed. I repeat...

---

Alternate Versions

The movie was released in Germany on VHS by Manga Video. The version was uncut, though it was rated 16. There was a second release by Ascot, the movie, the package design and everything was exactly the same, except that this version was rated 18, but the disclaimer at the beginning still showed the 16 rating. Further more Ascot replaced the Manga Entertainment logo at the beginning of the movie and the credits scroll down to their full length where Manga cut them a bit. It seams like the Ascot-Video was intended for rental-use only.

---

Connections

References Blade Runner (1982)

---

Soundtracks

One Minute Warning
Passengers (Brian Eno and U2)
Featuring vocals by Holi
Engineering by Dave Danton Supple
Assisted by Rob Kinwan
Published by Blue Mountain Music (UK), Mother music (Rep. of Ireland), Taiyo Music (Japan)
Polygram Music International Music Publishing B.V.
(R.O.W)/Opel Music except in North America by Upala Music Inc./BMI
P 1995 Polygram International Music B.B.
Holi appears courtesy of Resurgence and Funhouse Inc., Japan
Licenced courtesy of Records Ltd.

User Reviews

An Animation Masterpiece

This is an incredible work in the science fiction category, but an absolute masterpiece in terms of animated film.

Deep thematic probing and philosophical questions dot the story. Characters that are cyborg-humans question their existence... this is a true potential problem for the far future. Is something created outside of a womb without a soul? Do souls even exist? Set all this against some incredible action sequences, plenty of eye candy, and a very dark, acrid backdrop of the future of civilization. This is a summer blockbuster and more. It's ashame that most people are too close-minded to consider a film like this.

Bad guys and good guys? No clue. I had to watch the film 3 times to

-Understand the plot fully -Understand the motivations of the characters -Realize the depth of the film -And still I'm left with questions

If you open your mind, Ghost in the Shell settle itself within you... it will linger far after your first viewing. You will realize that a movie can have action, incredible effects, and STILL be deep.

Drama, mystique, philosophy, intrigue, "going out on a limb" quality, action, adventure, deep characters who don't fall into bad or good categories, beautiful imagery, mind-boggling plot... even some comedy! I just can't get over the fact that I have never before seen a more perfect mix of the elements which make a masterpiece. EVER.

10/10.