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Nov 4, 2021 · Christopher Nolan, Quentin Tarantino and George Lucas are just some of the Hollywood directors who’ve found inspiration in the masterpieces of Japanese cinema.
- Tokyo Pop
- The Outsider
- The Fast & The Furious: Tokyo Drift
- Memoirs of A Geisha
- The Ramen Girl
- Kill Bill Vol. 1
- Black Rain
- You only Live Twice
- The Karate Kid Part II
- The Last Samurai
This 1988 rom-com came out during the economic bubble that Japan was experiencing at the time. It tells the story of an American girl from New Jersey who travels to Tokyo to find fame and fortune as a singer. While there she befriends Hiro, a self-professed “American rocker.” They join forces to become a success as their romance blossoms. Despite t...
This Netflix original was released in 2018 and stars Jared Leto. It tells the story of an American P.O.W. in post-war Japan who becomes a member of the Yakuza. Aside from bringing the mythos of Yakuza to a wider audience, this film deals a lot with inclusion as the main character struggles to find where he fits; both geographically and ethically.
This movie is probably the most familiar movie about Japan for Western audiences. The title song on the soundtrack is instantly recognizable and is performed by the Teriyaki Boyz (an all-star lineup of Japanese hip-hop artists) with some help from Pharrell. A troublemaking Army-brat from America is sent to live with his father in Tokyo. His passion...
Released in 2005, this movie received quite a bit of controversy. Mostly over its casting of a Chinese actress to portray the lead character, a Japanese orphan raised to be a talented geisha. The film takes place before the war and ends just after the war. It is based on the novel of the same name, written by Arthur Golden in 1997.
Starring the late Brittany Murphy, this 2008 film is an ode to a favorite Japanese dish; ramen. Upon being stranded by her ex-boyfriend in Tokyo, the main character discovers a local ramen shop in her neighborhood. After dining there she develops a deep affinity for the dish, and the chef begrudgingly takes her on as an apprentice to learn the art ...
Quentin Tarantino is well-known as a bit of a japanophile. His epic 2003 work is a love letter to the various genres that have inspired him. Notable references are made to martial arts films and samurai cinema. After surviving an assassination at her wedding, the Bride sets out on a mission of revenge. Her mission takes her to Okinawain search of a...
Prominent director Ridley Scott released this film in 1989. He famously stated that he would never film in Japan again due to the expense as well as all of the hoops that needed to be jumped. Michael Douglas plays an NYC cop who escorts an extradited prisoner to Osaka. Once in Japan, Douglas’ character is partnered with a Japanese officer. They con...
This 1967 entry into Ian Fleming’s infamous 007 series takes James Bond, played by Sean Connery, to Japan. There he must thwart an attempt to instigate a war between the United States and Russia, allowing China to emerge as the new world superpower. There are two new “Bond girls” in this film, and both actresses hail from Japan.
The second installment of the Karate Kid franchise has the protagonist, portrayed by Ralph Macchio, travel to Okinawa with his mentor, Mr. Miyagi. Miyagi, played by Pat Morita, must return home to tend to his sick father. Once home, a childhood rival demands to fight to the death and Mr. Miyagi initially declines. Aside from imagery of Okinawa, an ...
This is another film that is famous, both in the United States and Japan. This 2003 blockbuster stars Tom Cruise as a former Army Captain sent to Japan to train a newly formed Imperial Japanese Army in modern warfare and weaponry. Upon capture by a group of rebelling Samurai, Cruise’s character becomes immersed in the tradition of the samurai, and ...
A list of 25 films that take place in Japan, from best to worst. A few other films, Jumper (2008), Ninja Assassin (2009), and Inception (2010) have a couple scenes that feature Japan in a cool way but it is not the primary setting of those movies.
- “The Magnificent Seven” (1960) and “Seven Samurai” (1954) Kurosawa’s landmark film, “Seven Samurai,” was highly influential on modern action cinema, but its most direct descendant was John Sturges’ “The Magnificent Seven,” starring Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson and Eli Wallach.
- “A Fistful of Dollars” (1964) and “Yojimbo” (1961) Another Kurosawa remake, “Yojimbo” is about a mysterious, quiet and lone ronin who wanders into a small town and fights to end the warring between two rival gangs.
- “Blindman” (1971) and “Adventures of Zatoichi” (1964) Zatoichi is one of Japan’s longest running samurai characters — a blind warrior originally played by actor Shintaro Katsu — who appeared in a total of 26 films and a subsequent TV series.
- “Unforgiven” (1992) In 1992, Clint Eastwood deconstructed the genre that made him famous with “Unforgiven,” a Western about a gunslinger forced to face his murderous past.
Dec 30, 2022 · The west was stampeded not just by Kurosawa but by the long-hidden prize herds of Japanese cinema: Mizoguchi, Ozu, Naruse. Now Ozu’s Tokyo Story (1953) sits at number four in Sight & Sound...
Mar 24, 2021 · The Magnificent Seven (1960) is adapted from Kurosawa too. It retells the 1954 film Seven Samurai. The film was retold as being in the American West instead of in feudal Japan. Using the film as inspiration in this way helps tell two different stories and builds on the western genre.
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The cinema of Japan (日本映画, Nihon eiga), also known domestically as hōga (邦画, "domestic cinema"), has a history that spans more than 100 years. Japan has one of the oldest and largest film industries in the world; as of 2021, it was the fourth largest by number of feature films produced. [4] In 2011, Japan produced 411 feature films ...
