Teruo Ishii

A blind masseur kidnaps young women and kills them and then make sculptures of them, while a mysterious dwarf spreading severed body parts around. Detective Akechi Kogorô investigating crimes.

3.5/10

From the king of the Japanese cult movie, Teruo Ishii! A controversial film in which actual cases that rocked modern-day Japan—including the sarin gas attack by the Aum Shinrikyo Cult—are dramatized with gruesome detail as their perpetrators stand trial in Hell. An angst-ridden girl, Rika, is carried off to Hell by an old woman she meets in a neighborhood park. There she gets a first-hand look at the excruciating agony of those found guilty—by Lucifer himself—of committing heinous crimes during their time on Earth.

4.3/10

It has been two years since unsuccessful cartoonist Tsube started to live with Kuniko casually in a small apartment.

6.3/10

This is the story of Tsuge, a cartoonist who stumbles through four odd situations throughout the film. Based on the avant-garde, gekiga manga of Yoshiharu Tsuge.

7.5/10

A woman is being attacked by the yakuza of the Mitsuyoshi group ... A man with a pistol appears dashingly and shoots the yakuza without question now the yakuza want him dead

Film based around the Kentauros biker gang

The third movie in the "Boso" series.

Teruo Ishii's West Side Story, done as a bloody, violent, sexploitative biker gang film. It's the Red Chilis versus the Black Cats, and the chick who just may heal the divide.

6.3/10

Wild-hearted mechanic boy Iwaki falls in love with the innocent but gang tied Michiko.

6/10

A group of prisoners attempts to break the Abashiri prison. This film can be considered a sequel to the Abashiri Bangaichi series, written and directed by Ishii Teruo. The friendship between two men on death row, a fleeting love affair with a traveling dancer and a deadly battle with the real culprit who has hunted him down filmed over a long period of time on location in Hokkaido.

6.1/10

In this retelling of an infamous unsolved heist, a couple tries to outlast the statute of limitations after successfully stealing 300 million yen.

When a priceless jewel owned by rich heiress Sabine is stolen, along with her daughter, Professional thief and hired killer Ryuichi Koga and his gang are hired to retrieve both. At a ransom exchange, the team save the girl but lose the money and the jewel. When Sabine decides to deal directly with the thieves and obtains the jewel on her own by paying the ransom, Koga, having been stiffed of his fee by Sabine, steals the jewel. Little does he know, it’s a fake. Now, Koga and the team must break into a high security bank to steal the real jewel.

6.4/10

Three street toughs are hired to take down a Tokyo drug dealer.

6.8/10

Movie based on a book by Kakou Senda about the use of women as sexual slaves by the Japanese Army during WW2.

Ocho is accidentally captured by a drug trafficking cartel who use Chinese women to smuggle drugs into Japan by hiding it in their vaginas. She is tortured, and manages to escape, fighting both the male yakuzas and a gang of female thieves.

6.5/10

When a rebellious roughneck enlists in the Navy and goes on a rampage against his superiors, he is sent to the Yokosuka Naval Prison.

6.6/10

This series chronicles the story of Ogami Ittō, the Shogun’s executioner who uses a Dōtanuki battle sword. Ogami Itto is a master swordsman who holds a position of high power in the Tokugawa Shogunate. Highly trusted by the Shogun, he serves as the official decapitator, assisting lords and samurai who have been ordered by the Shogun to commit seppuku. One day, Itto’s wife and members of his household are brutally murdered by a clan seeking to avenge their lord’s execution, which had been carried out by Itto. In the wake of the attack, two items are left in Itto’s home: his unhurt infant son, Daigoro, and a symbol meant to signify Itto’s betrayal of the Shogun. Disgraced by the false symbol, Itto is labeled a traitor and forced to forfeit his position. He becomes a ronin, wandering the country with his son, searching for the men who killed his wife, seeking to clear his name and avenge her death.

8.6/10

Teruo Ishii's Bohachi Bushido: Code of the Forgotten Eight tells the story of a Ronin with a death wish who reluctantly joins the Clan of the Forgotten Eight, a nasty crew of ronin who are wrapped up in a clan war over local prostitution. Teturo Tanba is well cast as the ronin who just wants to die in battle but does a good job taking a lot of gangsters with him. Drug trips, naked geisha and plenty of sword action make up this Teruo Ishii pinky violence film.

6.9/10

With her first love that unfolded in the battlefield in her heart, and with a short sword and a pillbox as her weapons, female gambler Okatsu the Tiger Lily travels from gambling site to gambling site. Surrounding her are Omon, an outlaw star blind lone gambler; Onaka, a thief who’s after Okatsu to avenge her father’s death; Ohide, a tattoo artist whose back is covered by a dragon tattoo; and Oryu, a young girl sold as a prostitute to a gambling family.

7.3/10

Akemi is a dragon tattooed leader of the Tachibana Yakuza clan. In a duel with a rival gang Akemi slashes the eyes of an opponent and a black cat appears, to lap the blood from the gushing wound. The cat along with the eye-victim go on to pursue Akemi’s gang in revenge, leaving a trail of dead Yakuza girls, their dragon tattoos skinned from their bodies.

6.6/10

Japan nineteenth century. High demand for tattooed geisha generates an entire industry for their "production". Europeans pay more for tattooed beauties. Against this background, and considering the gorgeous tattooed women develop the history of confrontation between two highly skilled masters of tattoo.

5.7/10

A Japanese woman is raped by her boyfriend day in day out.

6.3/10

Three stories of moral sickness set during Japan’s prosperous Genroku era are told in this bloody follow-up to the sexploitation classic Shogun’s Joy of Torture, the politically incorrect moral lessons paint a trio of tales of tragic heroines caught up in violence, sadomasochism, incest and torture.

6.1/10

A series of short stories about bizarre crimes committed by females in the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa Eras. Discover 4 famous Japanese murderers: Takahashi Oden, the last woman beheaded in Japan, Sada Abe, a crazy lover, Kunihiko Kodaira, a rapist-killer and finally, the Toyokaku case, a woman who did everything to own a hotel.

6.7/10

A story of yakuza lynching during the Edo, Taisho, and Showa periods.

5.9/10

Hirosuke (Teruo Yoshida) , a medical student with almost no recollection of his past, is trapped in an asylum, despite being perfectly sane. After escaping from the loony bin, and being framed for the murder of a circus girl, he spots the photo of a recently deceased man, Genzaburo Komoda, to whom he bears an uncanny resemblance. By pretending to have been resurrected, Hirosuke assumes the dead man's identity, fooling everyone, including Komoda's widow and mistress. Whilst at the Komoda household, Hirosuke recalls memories that convince him to travel to a nearby island, home of Jogoro, the web-fingered father of Genzaburo. Whilst on the island, Hirosuke not only discovers Jogoro's plans to build his 'ideal community' (by transforming perfectly normal humans into hideous freaks), but also the awful truth behind his own identity.

6.5/10
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A tragic love story involving the 5th Shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty and a woman who became one of his concubines.

5.8/10

A young magistrate recalls three tales of heinous crimes committed by women, and the brutal punishments that ensued.

6.2/10

A look at the lives of a troupe of geishas working in a small seaside resort town. For the most part, their lives consist of greeting boatloads of oversexed businessmen and providing bawdy entertainment through the evening followed by private companionship at night, interspersed with occasional catfights with the rival geisha house. Their routine is suddenly thrown off by the appearance of an abandoned baby in the geishas' dormitory, followed by its disappearance only a short time later. Who could be responsible for such a thing?

4.5/10

Continuation of the film Once and For All about two yakuza brothers Joji and Goro.

Film concerning warring yakuza families.

Convict son revenges innocent father's death.

7/10

A number of recently released prisoners become involved in a racket with a rancher who is a rival to a neighboring landowner and wants to use the convicts to seize his ranch. The rancher does not know, however, that he had years before killed the parents of one of their number.

7.3/10

Japan-Hong Kong co-production.

Super criminals are planning to infiltrate Earth with mass nuclear destruction! Only Starman can defend civilization by thwarting evil!

4/10

A bunch of pernicious salamander men from the planet Kulimon in the Moffit Galaxy plan on taking over Earth by unleashing a lethal plague on mankind. It's up to valiant superhero Starman from the Emerald Planet to save the human race before it's too late.

4.3/10

Abashiri Prison is located in the coldest place in Japan. Two men, handcuffed together have escaped from the prison, one a yakuza, the other a petty criminal, and although they hate each other they must work together if they are to evade capture in this harshest of climates.

7/10

A gripping tale of friendship set against the backdrop of Hokkaido. Shinichi sets out to earn a few honest dollars with which to bail a friend out of jail.

7/10

Upon returning to his hometown of Nagasaki, recently released prisoner Tachibana Shinichi must rejoin the Asahi gang family in order to pay back a past debt. Trouble brews when the rival gang that was responsible for sending him to prison learns of his return. Left with no alternative to their constant harassment and threats, Tachibana decides to take them on.

6.7/10

An evil brain from outer space unleashes monsters with deadly diseases on Earth with trying to conquer the universe. Superhero Starman must battle them all to save his planet.

3.4/10

Two convicts just released from prison find a green bauble filled with diamonds — and try to prove they didn't steal it.

6.5/10

The superhero Starman is sent by the Emerald Planet to protect Earth from belligerent aliens from the Sapphire Galaxy. The Sapphireans (or "Spherions") kidnap Dr. Yamanaka and force him to use his spaceship against the Earth.

3.7/10

Okawa Hashizo is 'Red Peony' Hanji who is thrown into a prison cell where he gets involved in a plot to steal government gold from the Shogun's vault. A tough fighter, he has to show his ability in order to keep from getting himself killed by the prisoners, too. Co-starring some of the biggest name in movies at the time, including Kataoka Chiezo and Tanba Tetsuro this film is loaded with surprises. From the opening moments when prisoners carry out their own form of justice, killing a crooked ex-constable, it is clear that this is the work of a visionary filmmaker.

5.8/10

Assassin Nanjo goes on a solitary mission to take revenge on the man who trapped him into a complicated drug deal.

7.2/10

Many outlaws are gathered at the front line of the Japanese Army in a shock troop.

7.4/10

No overview available.

6.3/10

The plot opens with the hero (Tsuruta) leaving prison, having served time through taking the blame for a fellow gang member’s crime. However, his former gang boss seems to have gone to seed, with people now killing each other and dealing in drugs. The hero then teams up with a lone operator (Tamba) who specialises in shaking down gangsters.

6.8/10

G-men challenge a jewelry smuggling ring. The chase starts in Kyushu and continues to Kobe to Yokohama.

Ishihama is planning a casino robbery with his wife and mother-in-law. They meet a man named Tsuneda who is planning the same robbery and agree to work together.

7.3/10

A omnibus movie consisting of the three parts: "Kechinbo", "Yowak" and "Kôshoku".

It tells the story of a couple who fall into a trap set up by a sinister organization. One of them is a guy who is framed for the murder of his lover. The other is a woman pick-pocket who is entrapped by the organization's schemes involving their crimes. Fate places them together, and they start to investigate the prostitution ring run by the organization...

7.3/10

A gang of bank robbers plan a big robbery, but they all plot to betray each other after the heist for different reasons.

6.6/10

Three bankers, out on holiday, climb the Japanese Alps. One dies under mysterious circumstances, and later it is suggested that perhaps the man was murdered.

7.7/10

Based on the mystery novel of the same name by Seichō Matsumoto.

Two young crooks who scam betters in the race track are employed by a yakuza gang called the Shigemori Syndicate to steal a shipment of handguns from a rival gang. Somewhere in the process they find themselves on the run from their own gang and one of them becomes himself romantically entangled with the boss's girlfriend. An ambitious underboss of the gang offers them a way out if they murder the previous boss but things don't turn out as planned (for everyone).

6.6/10

Freelance reporter “Scoop” Machida is hot on the trail of a prostitution ring called the Black Line, when he is framed for the murder of a young woman. Forced to clear his own name, the handsome journalist sinks deeper into the Black Line’s rotten swamp of drugs, prostitution, and murder and finds unexpected help in Maya, a steamy female gambler familiar with the neon-lit streets, shadowy alleyways, and seedy nightclubs he must navigate. The closest film in the Line series to classic American film noir, Ishii’s Black Line is a pulpy assortment of crime film conventions including the starkly expressionistic black and white cinematography by Jûgyô Yoshida, a jazzy music score by Michiaki Watanabe, and a sleazy screenplay by Ishii and Ichirô Miyagawa.

7/10

From the king of Japanese exploitation films comes a criminal drama told in a semi-documentary fashion. The murder of the chief official of Kobe city's Customs triggers an investigation of a prostitution ring called the 'Yellow Line' that sells Japanese women. A hired assasin is betrayed by his organization, and kidnaps a woman who happens to be the girlfriend of a newspaper reporter.

7/10

Japanese action film.

6.9/10

1959 film directed by Teruo Ishii for Shintoho.

War drama about army nurses.

4.7/10

First film in Teruo Ishii's Line series, also known by the literal translation of the title, "Secret White Line".

6.7/10

Director Teruo Ishi's crime action follows the investigative adventures of an undercover cop working with a prostitution ring. It's done in an unique documentary style.

6.4/10

Part of the Queen Bee series.

6.8/10

The 6th Super Giant film. Although he was believed to be destroyed by the Nazi-like army, Super Giant breaks into the satellite, and a long, riotous battle ensues. (Part 2 of 2)

7/10

Plot: Super Giant continues his battle against the foreign terrorists. In return, they frame him for murder. (Part 2 of 2)

5.6/10

The 5th Super Giant film. Super Giant pursues a Nazi-like army that operates on a huge satellite in space. The satellite is armed with weapons that could destroy whole cities on Earth from afar. (Part 1 of 2)

5.6/10

The 4th Super Giant film, in which he continues his fight against the Kapia Aliens (Part 2 of 2)

The 1st film in the Super Giant movie series, in which the title hero saves the world from foreign terrorsts threatening Japan with a nuclear attack (Part 1 of 2)

5.7/10

Boxing film directed by Teruo Ishii in his directorial debut.

Japanese romance film.

A university professor and his wife have two sons with infantile paralysis. Through trial and error, they struggle to open a school for disabled children at their own expense. Based on a true story, it features natural child performances under Hiroshi Shimizu’s skillful direction.

7.1/10

Based on the novel by Kojin Shimomura. Story of a young boy and his adventures in the country. His idyllic life is shattered by the illness and death of his mother.

6.8/10

A sad and troubled man finds a new job five years after the end of WWII, where he writes love letters for other people.

7.3/10

Okaasan is the story of a poor, working class mother with a sick husband who sacrifices herself to support her family in suburban Tokyo. The film defines "Shomin Geki," a Japanese film genre that features realistic depiction of the economic underclass, told with elements of light comedy and melodrama. Okaasan is the best-known work of director Mikio Naruse, hailed by Japanese film historians as an equal of Kurosawa, Ozu and Mizoguchi, but under-appreciated in the West

7.6/10

Italy is usually cited as the anchor of the neo-realist movement in cinema, but Mikio Naruse's Ginza Cosmetics (1951) is a reminder that Japan had its own output equally rooted in realism. Set in Tokyo's Ginza district, this low-key, lyrical unassuming account of a few days in the life of a luckless geisha (Kinuyo Tanaka), as she struggles to make a living for herself and her young son, has few dramatic highs or artificial moments, but possesses a startlingly vivid power in its slice-of-life texture.

6.9/10

A bar girl tries to pass her three children, each from a different father, to rural relatives.

6/10