When he falls for the beautiful wife of the jailed boss of the Nishida gang, things start to spiral out of control for detective Kuroiwa (Tetsuya Watari, Graveyard of Honour). In a world where the... more
The residents of an impoverished farming village in 16th-century Japan, anticipating an attack by bandits after harvest, hire seven rōnin to defend them. Upon arrival, the warriors set about to... more
Akira Kurosawa's brilliantly conceived retelling of Shakespeare's KING LEAR magically mixes Japanese history, Shakespeare's plot and Kurosawa's own feelings about loyalty in the epic masterpiece,... more
Toshiro Mifune, Machiko Kyo. One of Akira Kurosawa's classic screen achievements takes form in this compelling tale of the murder of a samurai and the rape of his wife in medieval Japan. The crimes... more
After wooing stewardess Yoriko (Chieko Matsubara, Tokyo Drifter), war photographer Hondo (Akira Kobayashi, Battles Without Honor and Humanity) sees her kidnapped by a team of deadly female assassins... more
Tetsuya Watari, Chieko Matsubara, Hideaki Nitani, Tamio Kawachi. A longtime Japanese gangster refuses to give up antiquated codes of honor, much to the distress of his Mob bosses and other gangs.... more
From the mid-1950s to the early 1970s, wild, idiosyncratic crime movies were the brutal and boisterous business of Nikkatsu, the oldest film studio in Japan. In an effort to attract youthful... more
Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura. The inhabitants of a small village hire seven samurai to protect them from bandit attacks. When the samurai arrive, a spectacular series of battles begin. Directed by... more
Meiko Kaji, Tishio Kurosawa, Masaaki Daimon. Yuki is a Japanese "born-in-prison" female assassin who is trained from birth to avenge the murder of her father and the rape and imprisonment of her... more
Toshiro Mifune, Machiko Kyo. One of Akira Kurosawa's classic screen achievements takes form in this compelling tale of the murder of a samurai and the rape of his wife in medieval Japan. The crimes... more
Tomisaburo Wakayama, Akihiro Tomikawa. A disgraced samurai and executioner travels the country, hiring himself out as an assassin while seeking personal revenge against the hit squad who killed his... more
Sent to prison for a "bad shooting," maverick female cop Agent Zero (Miki Sugimoto) is offered a deal for a full pardon if she agrees to recover a rich industrialist's daughter and terminate the... more
Tetsuro Tamba, Isamu Nagato. This first film by Hideo Gosha is among the most canonized chambara (sword-fighting) films. An origin-story offshoot of a Japanese television series of the same name,... more
Toshiro Mifune, Isuzu Yamada, Minoru Chiaki. In this feudal Japan-set adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth, a vicious samurai warrior rises to power he cannot fully wield, and the curses of ancient... more
Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura. This great samurai epic tells the story of a princess under the protection of a brave and resourceful general who is pursued by enemies of her clan. In Japanese with... more
Tatsuya Nakadai, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Daisuke Ryu. A petty criminal takes the place of a dying warlord in 16th-century Japan to fool those that plan to assassinate the ruler and inspire his followers... more
Prison Walls: Abashiri Prison I-III / The Masters of Cinema series is proud to present the first three entries in this landmark series, directed by the "King of Cult" Teruo Ishii - Constructed in the... more
Eight mesmerizing tableaus explore the subconscious at various stages of an elderly man's life in this visually stunning work from the master Japanese filmmaker. A boy's meeting with the spirits of a... more
At once a brutal action film and a parody of the genre and it's critics, this bullet-riddled saga of the Japanese mob's "No. 3 Killer"-and how a mishap on a job turns him into the target of the "No.... more
Toshirô Mifune, Eijirô Tôno, Tatsuya Nakadai. In order to free a village from the clutches of a corrupt government, a clever samurai pits two warring gangs against each other. Directed by Akira... more
Toshiro Mifune. The tour-de-force trilogy by one of Japan's greatest actors is collected here, visually and sonically re-mastered. Follow swordsman Musashi Miyamoto from his days training to his... more
Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai. Yojimbo sequel in which a samurai leads a group of inexperienced warriors trying to expose corruption among the clan elders. Directed by Akira Kurasawa. In Japanese... more
Tatsuya Nakadai (Harakiri) and Toshiro Mifune (Yojimbo) star in the story of a wandering samurai who exists in a maelstrom of violence. A gifted swordsman plying his craft during the turbulent final... more