Movie Database

Movies by Lists - Japanese Noir (82 [97])
TitleYearDirectorGenreRatingRuntimeAdded
Aa bakudanFilmed as a traditional Japanese play, a yakuza boss is released from prison, but finds his gang usurped by a shady politician. With the help of his former cell mate he decides to assassinate the politician with an explosive pen.1964Kihachi OkamotoAction, Comedy, Crime, Musical6.9 (154 votes)9520220822
Afraid to Die [Karakkaze yarô]Takeo is a young yakuza who renounces his former criminal activities after being released from prison. But sometimes escaping the past is not so easy.1960Yasuzô MasumuraAction, Crime6.5 (533 votes)9620211228
Bad Sleep Well, TheA vengeful young man marries the daughter of a corrupt industrialist in order to seek justice for his father's suicide.1960Akira Kurosawa (*)Crime, Drama, Thriller8.0 (12.3K votes)15120211228
Beyond Outrage [Autoreiji Biyondo]As the police launch a full-scale crackdown on organized crime, it ignites a national yakuza struggle between the Sanno of the East and Hanabishi of the West.2012Takeshi Kitano (*)Action, Crime, Drama6.8 (6.5K votes)11020211228
Big Shots at Dawn [Kaoyaku akatsukini shisu]After a long stint working in Alaska, Jiro returns to his hometown. He soon learns that his father, the town's mayor, was murdered and, in his absence, the yakuza gangs have seized control of the town. Jiro quickly becomes dangero...1961Kihachi OkamotoCrime, Drama6.2 (61 votes)9720220723
Black Line [Kurosen chitai]A reporter investigating a prostitution ring is framed for murder.1960Teruo IshiiCrime7.0 (88 votes)7920211228
Black RiverA love triangle develops between a benevolent student, his innocent girlfriend, and a cruel petty criminal, all as a point of diagnosis of a social disease that had Japan slowly succumbing to lawlessness during the post-War era.1957Masaki KobayashiAction, Crime, Drama7.1 (1K votes)11420211228
Black Sun [Kuroi taiyô]One is a young, jazz-obsessed Japanese drifter and other is a black American GI on the lam in Tokyo. The two outsiders become outlaws and the movie depicts their growing bond as an alternately absurd and tragic culture clash.1964Koreyoshi KuraharaCrime, Music, Thriller6.7 (452 votes)9520220822
Black Test Car [Kuro no tesuto kâ]Two car manufacturers spy on each other to try to find out details and prices of a new sports car each is about to launch.1962Yasuzô MasumuraCrime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller7.1 (456 votes)9520211228
Blood Is Dry [Chi wa kawaiteru]An insurance company employee threatens suicide after a massive layoff is announced by the management. The company takes advantage of his threat by turning it into an advertising campaign.1960Yoshishige YoshidaDrama7.1 (229 votes)8720211228
Blueprint of Murder [Ankokugai no dankon]While testing the advance prototype of a revolutionary gas engine, the vehicle is involved in a mysterious accident killing its driver. The police report states that it was an accident, caused by the driver. But driver's younger brot1961Kihachi OkamotoAction, Crime, Drama6.6 (104 votes)7320211228
Boiling Point [3-4 x jûgatsu]Two disquieted junior baseball players seek revenge on the local yakuza for attacking their coach.1990Takeshi Kitano (*)Action, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Thriller6.8 (6.7K votes)9620211228
Branded To KillAfter a badly done assignment, a hitman finds himself in conflict with his organisation, and one mysterious and dangerous fellow-hitman in particular.1967Seijun Suzuki (*)Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller7.3 (8.8K votes)9120211228
BrotherA Japanese gangster is exiled to Los Angeles where his brother lives with a small but respectable multi-racial gang, who he inspires to expand their influence.2000Takeshi Kitano (*)Crime, Drama, Thriller7.1 (22.9K votes)11420211228
Cabaret [Kyabarê]University student sax player gets a lesson in the hard-boiled noir life.1986Haruki KadokawaCrime, Drama, Music4.9 (76 votes)10420240715
Chase, The [Harikomi]Two cops on stakeout wait for a murderer.1958Yoshitarô NomuraCrime, Drama, Mystery7.1 (353 votes)11620211228
Colt Is My Passport, AA hit man is hired to kill a mob boss. After the deed is done, he and his driver are wanted dead by rival gangs who joined forces.1967Takashi NomuraAction, Crime7.4 (2K votes)8420211228
Cruel Gun Story [Kenjû zankoku monogatari]A convict fresh out of prison, with a handicapped sister, is coerced by a wealthy mob boss into organizing an armored racetrack car heist.1964Takumi FurukawaAction, Crime7.1 (1K votes)8720211228
Death Row Woman [Onna shikeishû no datsugoku]Rich industrialist Imai wishes to marry his elder daughter Kyoko off to Aoki, who he sees as the ideal candidate to take over his business. Kyoko, however, prefers the rugged but poor Soichi to Aoki's goody-two-shoes.1960Nobuo NakagawaCrime6.9 (86 votes)7820211228
Demon [Yasha]Shuji was once a feared member of the Yakuza crime syndicate, but he's reformed his ways, abandoned his old life and left the city for a small coastal fishing town where he's become an honest fisherman.1985Yasuo FuruhataCrime, Drama6.6 (239 votes)12720211228
Dragnet Girl [Hijôsen no onna]A gangster tries to find redemption with the inadvertent help of an innocent shop girl and his jealous girlfriend will do anything to keep him.1933Yasujirô Ozu (*)Crime, Drama, Romance6.9 (776 votes)10020211228
Drunken AngelA drunken doctor with a hot temper and a violence-prone gangster with tuberculosis form a quicksilver bond.1948Akira Kurosawa (*)Crime, Drama, Romance, Thriller7.7 (11.6K votes)10220211228
Endless Desire [Hateshinaki yokubô]A real gem from Imamura. A very dark crime comedy.1958Shohei Imamura (*)Comedy, Crime7.2 (425 votes)10120211228
Fireworks [Hana-bi]Nishi leaves the police in the face of harrowing personal and professional difficulties. Spiraling into depression, he makes questionable decisions.1997Takeshi Kitano (*)Crime, Drama, Romance, Thriller7.7 (29.8K votes)10320211228
Five, The [Gonin]Five men plot to steal a large sum of money from the local yakuza, but everything does not go as planned and the men find themselves hunted down by contract killers.1995Takashi IshiiAction, Drama, Crime6.8 (2.4K votes)10920211228
Flag in the Mist [Kiri no hata]Kiriko attempts to hire a well-known lawyer to defend her brother's murder case. The lawyer turns Kiriko down as she cannot afford him. Some time later, Kiriko encounters the lawyer again, but this time it is he who needs her help.1965Yôji YamadaCrime, Drama7.2 (138 votes)11120211228
Fugitive from the Past, A [Kiga kaikyô]Three thieves escape from a heist, one of them killing the other two. He is sheltered by a prostitute and sought after by the police, but only after ten years his true motivation unravels.1965Tomu UchidaCrime, Drama, Mystery7.9 (902 votes)18320211228
Gate of Flesh [Nikutai no mon]An injured thief on the run finds sanctuary within a brothel of united, ruthless women.1964Seijun Suzuki (*)Drama7.4 (3K votes)9020211228
Girls of the Secret Club [Sekushî chitai]A man meets a woman. He is wrongfully suspected for the murder of her lover. She is a pick-pocket who's involved in an organized crime against her will. They pursue the truth of the murder and the secret of the prostitution syndicate1961Teruo IshiiCrime7.1 (59 votes)8220211228
GoninFive men plot to steal a large sum of money from the local yakuza, but everything does not go as planned and the men find themselves hunted down by contract killers.1995Takashi IshiiAction, Drama, Crime6.8 (2.4K votes)10920211228
Great Villains, The [Dai akutô]Psychological action drama about the activities of a corrupt lawyer.1968Yasuzô MasumuraAction, Crime, Drama7.4 (31 votes)9320240412
Greed in Broad Daylight [Hakuchu no buraikan]After a successful robbery the culprits, from very different backgrounds, at once turn on each other.1961Kinji FukasakuCrime, Drama7.0 (53 votes)8220220531
High and Low [Tengoku to jigoku]An executive of a Yokohama shoe company becomes a victim of extortion when his chauffeur's son is kidnapped by mistake and held for ransom.1963Akira Kurosawa (*)Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller8.4 (41.4K votes)14320211228
Hitman, The [Aru koroshi ya]A former soldier, reduced to working at a restaurant post-war, becomes a contract killer for the yakuza gangs he's in contact with.1967Kazuo MoriAction, Crime6.8 (179 votes)8220220414
I Am Waiting [Ore wa matteru ze]A former boxer gets involved with a club hostess trying to escape the clutches of her gangster employer.1957Koreyoshi KuraharaAction, Crime, Drama7.0 (833 votes)9120211228
I, the Executioner [Minagoroshi no reika]Police investigators investigate the link between a serial killer's machinations and a young man who committed suicide under murky circumstances.1968Tai KatôDrama7.1 (172 votes)9020211228
Intimidation [Aru kyôhaku]A bank manager is blackmailed into robbing his own bank.1960Koreyoshi KuraharaAction, Crime7.2 (714 votes)6520211228
Kanto Wanderer [Kantô mushuku]Three schoolgirls are infatuated with a yakuza, Katsuta, of the Izu Clan. They meet another yakuza, `Diamond` Fuyu, of the rival Yoshida clan. As he gets a tattoo, two of the girls become squeamish and run off but Hanako, the best fr1963Seijun Suzuki (*)Action, Crime6.9 (409 votes)9220211228
Kaonan1957Tatsuo ÔsoneCrime, Drama6.6 (28 votes)10420231110
KikujiroA young, naive boy sets out alone on the road to find his wayward mother. Soon he finds an unlikely protector in a crotchety man and the two have a series of unexpected adventures along the way.1999Takeshi Kitano (*)Drama, Comedy7.7 (20.1K votes)12220211228
Kikujuro [Kikujiro no natsu]A young, naive boy sets out alone on the road to find his wayward mother. Soon he finds an unlikely protector in a crotchety man and the two have a series of unexpected adventures along the way.1999Takeshi Kitano (*)Drama, Comedy7.7 (20.1K votes)12220211228
Killers on Parade [Yûhi ni akai ore no kao]A young journalist turns to an assassin for help when a team of hired killers comes gunning for her.1961Masahiro ShinodaAction, Crime6.6 (252 votes)8220211228
Kiri no hataKiriko attempts to hire a well-known lawyer to defend her brother's murder case. The lawyer turns Kiriko down as she cannot afford him. Some time later, Kiriko encounters the lawyer again, but this time it is he who needs her help.1965Yôji YamadaCrime, Drama7.2 (138 votes)11120211228
Last Gunfight, The [Ankokugai no taiketsu]Japanese police detective Saburo Fujioka is suspected of corruption, demoted, and sent to the city of Kojin. Kojin is the scene of fierce fighting between rival gangs. Fujioka is assigned to investigate the death of the wife of gangs1960Kihachi OkamotoCrime, Drama6.4 (131 votes)9520211228
Lonely Heart [Kôfuku]There is a shooting at a small bookstore in town. When the police arrive they find three victims two of whom have already died. One of the dead uttered something strange before dying. The criminal has fled the scene. Coincidentally, 1981Kon Ichikawa (*)Crime, Drama, Mystery6.9 (69 votes)10520211228
Man Without a Map, The [Moetsukita chizu]A private detective is hired to find a missing man by his wife. Contradictory evidence and the lack of clues soon render the case as virtually unsolvable, as the detective grows more and more frustrated.1968Hiroshi TeshigaharaMystery6.6 (494 votes)11820211228
Mike Yokohama - A Forest with No Name [Shiritsu tantei Hama Maiku - Namae no nai mori]Financially strapped private detective Hama Maike is hired by a businessman to retrieve his daughter from a cult-like refuge in a secluded area. Hama checks in and meets the group's leader, known just as "sensei" (teacher), who encou2002Shinji AoyamaUnknown6.4 (174 votes)7120211228
Most Terrible Time in My Life, TheMaiku Hama is a private detective working in Yokohama. Hama comes to the aid of a Taiwanese waiter named Yang and agrees to track down his missing brother. Through a series of double-crosses Hama gets embroiled in a gang war and a re1993Kaizô HayashiDrama, Thriller7.0 (378 votes)9220211228
Oh, Bomb! [Aa bakudan]Filmed as a traditional Japanese play, a yakuza boss is released from prison, but finds his gang usurped by a shady politician. With the help of his former cell mate he decides to assassinate the politician with an explosive pen.1964Kihachi OkamotoAction, Comedy, Crime, Musical7.0 (169 votes)9520240607
Outrage [Autoreiji]The boss of a major crime syndicate orders his lieutenant to bring a rogue gang of drug traffickers in line, a job that gets passed on to his long-suffering subordinate.2010Takeshi Kitano (*)Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller6.8 (13.2K votes)10920211228
Outrage CodaFive years after surviving the all-out war between the Sanno and Hanabishi crime families, former yakuza boss Otomo now works in South Korea for Mr. Chang, a renowned fixer whose influence extends into Japan. A relatively minor incid2017Takeshi Kitano (*)Action, Crime, Drama6.4 (2.8K votes)10420211228
Pale Flower [Kawaita hana]A gangster gets released from prison and has to cope with the recent shifts of power between the gangs, while taking care of a thrill-seeking young woman, who got in bad company while gambling.1964Masahiro ShinodaAction, Crime7.7 (3.6K votes)9620211228
Passport to Darkness [Ankoku no ryoken]A jazz bandleader, falsely accused of murdering his girlfriend, tries to stay one step ahead of the police as he dives into Tokyo's sin-city in search of the real killer in this dark and beautiful noir from master Seijun Suzuki.1959Seijun Suzuki (*)Action, Crime6.6 (33 votes)8920211228
Pistol Opera [Pisutoru opera]The No. 3 assassin of Japan is given the chance to usurp No. 1 and take their place.2001Seijun Suzuki (*)Crime, Action, Drama6.3 (1.4K votes)11220211228
Point and Line [Ten to sen]A senior detective is determined to find the truth behind an apparent double suicide.1958Tsuneo KobayashiMystery7.0 (73 votes)8520211228
Policeman [Keisatsukan]Itami, a young policeman, meets his high school friend, Tetsuo, a gangster, at a roadblock. As they rekindled their friendship, a complex relationship is established between them.1933Tomu UchidaCrime, Drama7.1 (119 votes)12120211228
Pursuit at Dawn [Akatsuki no tsuiseki]nan1950Kon Ichikawa (*)Crime, Drama6.2 (22 votes)9420240715
Red Pier [Akai hatoba]50s subculture icon Yujiro Ishihara (Crazed Fruit) stars in Masuda's Red Pier as ""Jiro the Lefty"", a killer with a natural talent. Shortly after arriving in Kobe, he witnesses a man die in a crane accident which turns out to be a ...1958Toshio MasudaAction, Crime, Thriller6.9 (229 votes)9920240323
Rinchinan1949Nobuo NakagawaCrime, Drama7.1 (21 votes)9820240609
Rusty Knife [Sabita naifu]Two friends who witnessed an organized crime murder are threatened by the local mob into keeping quiet.1958Toshio MasudaAction, Crime6.7 (621 votes)9020211228
Seance [Korei]A psychic housewife and her husband become burdened with a kidnapped girl who escaped her assailant. Junko will not let her husband call the hospital or the police for purely selfish reasons. The girl dies while still in their house 2000Kiyoshi KurosawaCrime, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller6.7 (1.7K votes)11820211228
Sleeping Beast Within, The [Kemono no nemuri]A businessman returns from an extended trip, but something seems off. Criminal operations and religious cults come into play, while the man's daughter and her journalist boyfriend race to find the truth.1960Seijun Suzuki (*)Action, Crime6.6 (164 votes)8620211228
Snow Trail [Ginrei no hate]Three bank robbers, Eijima, Nojiri, and Takasugi, flee the police and escape into the mountains. At an inn high in the Japanese Alps, Eijima and Nojiri encounter a young woman and her father, as well as Honda, a mountaineer. The inn 1947Senkichi TaniguchiAction, Crime, Drama7.2 (491 votes)8920211228
SonatineSeveral yakuza from Tokyo are sent to Okinawa to help end a gang war. The war then escalates and the Tokyo drifters decide to lay low at the beach.1993Takeshi Kitano (*)Action, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Romance, Thriller7.5 (20.8K votes)9420211228
Stairway to the Distant Past, TheMike Hama is a private investigator who has been reduced to combing the mean streets of the Yokohama waterfront on a borrowed bicycle.1995Kaizô HayashiDrama6.7 (198 votes)10120211228
Stranger Within a Woman, The [Onna no naka ni iru tanin]Two friends meet in a bar. Later that night, one friend's flirtatious wife is reportedly in an accident. The other friend doesn't feel well. What's come over him?1966Mikio Naruse (*)Crime, Drama7.3 (383 votes)10220211228
Stray DogDuring a sweltering summer, a rookie homicide detective tries to track down his stolen Colt pistol.1949Akira Kurosawa (*)Crime, Drama, Film-Noir, Mystery, Thriller7.9 (16.7K votes)12220211228
Take Aim at the Police Van [Jûsangô taihisen' yori - Sono gosôsha o nerae]A prison truck is assaulted and the two convicts inside are murdered. The prison guard on duty gets suspended for negligence and takes it upon himself to track down the killers.1960Seijun Suzuki (*)Action, Crime, Mystery6.6 (986 votes)7920211228
That Night's Wife [Sono yo no tsuma]A desperate man with a sick daughter decides to commit a robbery in order to help her. He begins to feel remorse though, which makes him question his decision.1930Yasujirô Ozu (*)Crime, Drama6.9 (796 votes)6520211228
Tokyo DrifterAfter his gang disbands, a yakuza enforcer looks forward to life outside of organized crime but soon must become a drifter after his old rivals attempt to assassinate him.1966Seijun Suzuki (*)Action, Crime7.2 (8.5K votes)8220211228
Tokyo EyesThe police are tracking a man who shoots at people. But the young sister of a detective find that he's not the mad vigilante portrayed in newspapers.1998Jean-Pierre LimosinComedy, Thriller6.6 (1.4K votes)9720220414
Trap, The [Wana]Japan's favorite hard-boiled detective Maiku Hama (Masatoshi Nagase) returns for the third time in this crime drama. A crazed killer has been poisoning women around the city and planting Hama's fingerprints on the bodies. Hama must l1996Kaizô HayashiDrama, Mystery6.6 (132 votes)10620211228
Underworld Beauty [Ankokugai no bijo]Released from prison, a gangster (Michitaro Mizushima) retrieves diamonds sought by fellow yakuza.1958Seijun Suzuki (*)Crime, Drama, Thriller6.9 (515 votes)8720211228
Unlucky Monkey [Anrakkî monkî]Yamazaki has spent a lot of time plotting a robbery of a local bank, but when he actually gets to the bank he finds another robber escaping with the money. Through an improbable chain of events Yamazaki gets hold of the money and ...1998SABUAction, Comedy, Crime6.6 (669 votes)10620230619
Velvet Hustler [Kurenai no nagareboshi]A young yakuza hitman named Goro does a job and needs to hideout away from Tokyo for a while. He hangs out with loose women and hard men and always manages to stay one step ahead of the law. In his exile, he comes under suspicion for1967Toshio MasudaAction, Crime6.7 (169 votes)9720211228
Violent Cop [Sono otoko, kyôbô ni tsuki]A violence prone police officer discovers that his colleague is trafficking drugs.1989Takeshi Kitano (*)Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller7.2 (11.6K votes)10320211228
Walk Cheerfully [Hogaraka ni ayume]A small-time hood wants to go straight for a good girl but finds that starting over isn't as simple as it sounds.1930Yasujirô Ozu (*)Crime, Drama, Romance6.5 (633 votes)9520211228
WanaJapan's favorite hard-boiled detective Maiku Hama (Masatoshi Nagase) returns for the third time in this crime drama. A crazed killer has been poisoning women around the city and planting Hama's fingerprints on the bodies. Hama must l1996Kaizô HayashiDrama, Mystery6.5 (134 votes)10620211228
Wife Confesses, A [Tsuma wa kokuhaku suru]Ayako is charged with murdering her much older academic husband while climbing a mountain. Ayako was having an affair, apparently with her husband's approval, and this complicates the trial.1961Yasuzô MasumuraDrama, Mystery7.5 (562 votes)9120211228
Woman [Onna]A dark secret awaits a dance-hall girl when she goes to meet her former lover.1948Keisuke KinoshitaDrama6.6 (151 votes)8420240323
Youth of the Beast [Yajû no seishun]A violent thug plays opposing yakuza bosses against each other.1963Seijun Suzuki (*)Action, Crime, Mystery7.4 (3.5K votes)9220211228
Zero Focus [Zero no shôten]Teiko's new husband disappears on a business trip. She discovers a pair of mysterious postcards hidden away in a book that may be clues to his fate.1961Yoshitarô NomuraCrime, Drama, Mystery7.0 (580 votes)9520211228
Aku no kamen2001Kohei Hisanonannan (Unkn) Excluded
Akujo no kamen1980Tatsumi KumashiroCrime, Thrillernan (Unkn) Excluded
Kyatsu o nigasuna1956Hideo SuzukiCrime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller6.9 (Unkn) Excluded
Onna no naka no futatsu no kao2004Shun NakaharaCrime, Dramanan (Unkn) Excluded
Shisha to no kekkon1960Osamu Takahashinan6.6 (Unkn) Excluded
Yoru no wana1967Sôkichi TomimotoDrama, Mysterynan (Unkn) Excluded
Yajû no fukkatsu1969Michio YamamotoCrime, Drama5.2 (Unkn) Excluded
Koroshi2000Masahiro KobayashiCrime, Drama, Mystery6.0 (Unkn) Excluded
Akatsuki no hijôsen1957Kiyoshi KomoriCrime6.6 (Unkn) Excluded
Morgan keibu to nazô no otoko1961Hideo SekigawaCrime, Dramanan (Unkn) Excluded
Korosu ga gotoku1948Shigeo TanakaMysterynan (Unkn) Excluded
Idainaru X1948Hideo ÔbaCrimenan (Unkn) Excluded
Keisatsu kan1957Kyôtarô NamikiCrimenan (Unkn) Excluded
Tengoku wa doko da1956Shûe MatsubayashiCrime, Dramanan (Unkn) Excluded
Ryûsei1949Yutaka AbeCrime, Thrillernan (Unkn) Excluded