7.3/10
736
12 user 7 critic

Railroad Man (1999)

Poppoya (original title)
| Drama | 5 June 1999 (Japan)
Railroad Man Poster
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... See full summary »

Director:

Yasuo Furuhata

Writers:

Jirô Asada (novel), Yoshiki Iwama

Stars:

Ken Takakura, Shinobu Ôtake, Ryôko Hirosue | See full cast & crew »
Reviews
21 wins & 6 nominations. See more awards »

Photos

See all 11 photos »
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Cast

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

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.

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

supernatural power | flashback | marriage | coal mine | doll | See All (9) »

Taglines:

Arigatou- Kono omoi todoku darouka.

Genres:

Drama

Certificate:

See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

Add content advisory for parents »
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Details

Official Sites:

Toei Group (in Japanese)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

5 June 1999 (Japan) See more »

Also Known As:

Railroad Man See more »

Filming Locations:

Ikutora, Minamifurano, Sorachi, Hokkaido, Japan See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Asahi Shimbun, Nippon Shuppan Hanbai (Nippan) K.K., Shueisha See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Official submission of Japan for the 'Best Foreign Language Film' category of the 72nd Academy Awards in 2000. See more »

Quotes

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

Soundtracks

Tennessee Waltz
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

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User Reviews

 
A touching movie about a man with faults
15 March 2005 | by leflashingblade – See all my reviews

I just watched this tonight and had to get it from Hong Kong, via Ebay. I don't agree with the last reviewer, though I recognise the comments about values of the past. That is kind of the point. The movie establishes Sato, the railroader, as a sympathetic character. He's not as cold as his exterior: he does grieve for his wife and his daughter, he does show affection and care for the girls and for his colleague etc. He is criticised and there is a constant theme about how he feels he cannot change. The fact that he should have done this or that differently makes us think about what he should or should not have done.

I found the film touching and thought that it was shot well and had a pretty decent plot. The revelation of the plot at the end was a bit of clumsy exposition, but the movie has heart and I am willing to forgive it.
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