Railroad Man (1999)

The touching reminiscing of an elderly railroad-station manager is interrupted by the sudden appearance of some good-natured girls.

Director:

Yasuo Furuhata

Writers:

Jirô Asada (novel), Yoshiki Iwama

Stars:

Ken Takakura, Shinobu Ôtake, Ryôko Hirosue

22 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Ken Takakura	...	Otomatsu Sato
Shinobu Ôtake	...	Shizue Sato
Ryôko Hirosue	...	Yukiko Sato
Hidetaka Yoshioka	...	Hideo Sugiura
Masanobu Andô	...	Toshiyuki Yoshioka
Ken Shimura	...	Hajime Yoshioka
Tomoko Naraoka	...	Mune Kato
Yoshiko Tanaka	...	Akiko Sugiura
Nenji Kobayashi	...	Senji Sugiura
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Eiji Bandô	...	Mailman
Mitsuru Hirata	...	Kawaguchi
Hirotarô Honda	...	Miner
Renji Ishibashi	...	Town Mayor
Kitarô	...	Milkman
Shigeo Kobayashi	...	Motorman

Storyline

A solitary middle-aged station manager is haunted by troubling memories of his past when he learns the line his station is on will be decommissioned for lack of profitability. He is visited by a young woman, who mysteriously appears to cheer him up.

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Plot Keywords:

supernatural power | flashback | marriage | coal mine | doll | 

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Taglines:

Arigatou- Kono omoi todoku darouka.

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Genres:

Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Horomai is a fictional train station. Scenes were actually filmed at Ikutora Station, in Sorachi sub-prefecture, Hokkaido. This station - which still displays its fictitious, film name over the front entrance - is often visited by fans, who can see photos and props related to the making of the movie displayed in the waiting room and also board a preserved section of the train which featured prominently in the film.

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Quotes

Otomatsu Sato: This town is more like an old people's home.

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Soundtracks

Tennessee Waltz

User Reviews

Great Acting by Ken Takakura

A moving japanese movie of 1999. This time Ken Takakura is not a member of the Yakuza but a railroad station officer. He is now 68, but looks even better than his young time. The most moving part is the telephone conversation between him and his friend's son regarding the closing the station. I am not sure whether this film will be available in the state but it is a must-see film for 1999.

Details

Official Sites:

Toei Group (in Japanese)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

5 June 1999 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Railroad Man

Filming Locations:

Ikutora, Minamifurano, Sorachi, Hokkaido, Japan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Asahi Shimbun, Nippon Shuppan Hanbai (Nippan) K.K., Shueisha

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1