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70% Critic Match
Gambler Tales of Hasshu: A Man's Pledge
7.0 / 10• 1963• 1h 23m•NR• Japanese
Drama
Storyline
This is one of the many films based on the legend of Chuji Kunisada, a wandering gambler and a defender of the weak in the Edo period. In other words, he was the Japanese Robin Hood. In this film Kunisada (Chiezo Kataoka) arrives to a small town terrorized by an evil gang. He insists that he is not Kunisada, as the word is Kunisada has been executed, but of course the audience know better. Sonny Chiba plays an unusual supporting role as a helpless young man unable to defend himself from the gangsters. He does, however, get to play taiko drums and dance with Junko Fuji (who makes her film debut here). Chiba's father, an old judge who helps Kunisada, is played by Takashi Shimura. The film hardly anything exceptional, but it's a pretty decent jidai geki / yakuza drama.
Cast & Crew
Chiezo Kataoka
Genji The Fighting Top
Lead
Sonny Chiba
Sataro
Takashi Shimura
Tobei
Sumiko Fuji
Ochiyo
Yachiyo Ōtori
Oshino
Kensaku Hara
Matsugoro of Kuroiwa
Michitarō Mizushima
Koto Juheita
Jotaro Togami
Sagara Denjuro
What People Are Saying
4.0
“A staggering achievement of craft and ambition. Masahiro Makino's vision lands with breathtaking precision.”
4.0
“Every frame feels alive. Gambler Tales of Hasshu: A Man's Pledge is the rare release that takes its audience seriously.”
