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Onimasa

Directed by Hideo Gosha
Film Movement Classics
1982
146 Minutes
Japan
Japanese
Drama, Action, Asian
Asian Studies
Not Rated
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Matsue is the adoptive daughter of the Kiryuin House, a small yakuza clan in Shikoku. Onimasa, their leader, is the last heir to a family of samurai. He is hard in business but respected by the poor because of his fairness. Matsue lives in the middle of this society, between gang wars and rivalries among the chief's mistresses. But when Onimasa takes a chivalrous attitude and finds himself on the side of train workers on strike, it annoys the Great Godfather of the island. The story starts in 1918, ending with the nearing of the Second World War.

Japan's Official Submission to the 1982 Academy Awards. Presented in a new 4K restoration.

Cast

  • Tatsuya Nakadai
  • Masako Natsume
  • Akiko Nakamura
  • Akiko Kana
  • Highest Rating
    "A serious look at the life of the yakuza outside of genre formulae as well as a sympathetic look at the women caught up in that life...."
    Japan On Film
  • Highest Rating
    "Hideo Gosha’s 13th film... sees the director producing one of his most humane and dramatic pieces. "
    Movie Feast
  • Highest Rating
    "A wonderful slow burn of a film that builds to an unforgettable conclusion, Onimasa presents Tatsuya Nakadai at his best and surrounded by an equally impressive cast. "
    Ian Jane, Rock! Shock! Pop!
  • Highest Rating
    "A superb, complex drama and a stellar later performance from Tatsuya Nakadai make the film a rare treat for fans of period drama with a genreish twist."
    Simon Abrams , Slant Magazine
  • Highest Rating
    "Hideo Gosha’s “Onimasa” is a great gangster epic, possessing tragic dimension as well as scope and passion."
    Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
  • Highest Rating
    "An intelligent and heartfelt multi-generational saga."
    Glenn Erickson, DVD Talk
  • Highest Rating
    "Onimasa is a terrific movie, and gets a recommendation for anyone that loves Yakuza or gangster films or the work of the great actor Tatsuya Nakadai. "
    Robert Sutton, Inside Pulse

Gallery

Awards & Recognition

Winner
Best Actress
Blue Ribbon Awards
Winner
Best Art Direction
Awards of the Japanese Academy
Nominated
Best Screenplay
Awards of the Japanese Academy
Nominated
Best Film
Awards of the Japanese Academy
Nominated
Best Director
Awards of the Japanese Academy
Nominated
Best Cinematography
Awards of the Japanese Academy
Nominated
Best Actor
Awards of the Japanese Academy
Nominated
Best Actress
Awards of the Japanese Academy
Official Selection
Tokyo Int'l. Film Festival
Official Selection
Shanghai Int'l. Film Festival

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