Japanese Movie Listing - K
K is such an unusual letter - and yet the list of Japanese movies beginning with K starts off with one of my favorite of all time - Kagemusha. Kagemusha is absolutely beautiful, with fine cinematography, great acting, battle scenes too, and a true historical basis. The Karate Kid also should get some credit for introducing a wide audience to the Japanese culture. | Kagemusha (1980) 159m. (The Shadow Warrior) D: Akira Kurosawa. One of my favorite movies of all time, this was directed by Akira Kurosawa and stars Tatsuya Nakadai. It's based on historical fact. A great general hires a body double to be able to cover for him in case he is injured. The perfect body double ends up being a thief. Sure enough, the General gets killed and the double has to cover for him as long as possible. The thief learns to respect what the General stood for, and tries his best to carry on. One of Lisa's favorite movies of all time! |
 | The Karate Kid (1984) While many might find this to be a simplistic movie now, at the time it did a great job of introducing millions of people to the Japanese culture and the mental control that underpins martial arts. The karate style featured here and taught by an elderly Okinawan (Pat Morika) is based on Uechi-ryu. Ralph Maccio is the young kid who learns how to stand up for himself. So many parts of this movie ("wax on, wax off") are now almost cliches. |
 | The Karate Kid 2 (1986) Second in series has young boy facing new set of cruel, 'bad' karate-kids as the dynamic duo go to Japan to resolve old issues. |
 | The Karate Kid 3 (1989) Final in series has a 30-something Ralph Maccio still playing a karate-loving teenager, now in California. Considered by many to be the worst of the series. Note that there was also a The Next Karate Kid in 1994 which had Pat training a girl. |
Kids Return (Kidzu ritan) (1996) D: Takeshi Kitano
A story of two friends who took up boxing in their spare time. One of them was offered a job of a bodyguard for a yakuza boss and quit the lessons; the other continued and soon became a champion. Their paths crossed a few times, and though they had two completely different lives now, the friendship was not over. [A. Blaine]
Kikujiro's Summer (Kikujiro no natsu) (1999) D: Takeshi Kitano
Probably the kindest movie Kitano has ever made. Little boy Masao wants to find his mother, who has abandoned him when he was born. To help him on his journey across the country, a life-worn drunkard Kikujiro (Beat Takeshi) joins him in his search. First he, and then other men who meet them on their way, start to act as guardian angels to Masao, trying to help him and make him happy. [A. Blaine]
Kill (Kiru) (1968) 115m. D: Kihachi Okamoto.
Corrupt officials square off with idealistic young retainers, Tatsuya Nakadai as a dropout samurai pacifist plays it cool, and the ensuing mass fights, nonstop scheming, mountain sieges, last-minute rescues, and final showdown (a duel with darts in a closet -sized room) proceed at a machine-gun tempo. One tends to catch up with the plot about halfway through, but that's part of Okamoto's skillful combination of violence and hilarity amidst all the carnage-the film begins and ends with Nakadai hungrily pursuing a chicken. Surprisingly, adapted from the same novel as Sanjuro. Written by Akira Murao and Okamoto, from a story by Shugoro Yamamoto. With: Nakadai, Etsushi Takahashi, Eijiro Tono, Yoshio Tsuchiya. B&W, Japanese with English subtitles. [Daniel Richard]
The Killer Elite (1975) D: Sam Peckinpah
A secret agent (played by James Caan) is double crossed by his partener (played by Robert Duvall), while guarding a witness. Disabled by a bullet wound, he has to begin a long process of recovery. He's eventually assigned to protect Yuen Chung (played by Mako) who is planning to return to Japan. The film ends with a duel between Chung and a ninja named Negato Toku (played by Tak Kubota).
King Kong Escapes (1968) 96m D: Inoshiro Honda
King Kong vs Godzilla (1963) 90m **1/2 D: Thomas Montgomery.
Good special FX.
 | King Rat (1965) Drama set in a WWII Japanese prisoner-of-war camp. The story focusses on the effect of captivity on English, Australian and American prisoners. An American officer bribes his Japanese captors to live more comfortably than the rest. Based on James Clavell's novel, and considered to many to be one of the top movies of all time. George Segal, Tom Courtenay. |
Know Your Enemy - Japan (1945 - US). D: Frank Capra.
Made as an "educational" film for the American army. I want to recommend this film very strongly to both Japanese and non-Japanese viewers. This documentary explains, among others, the history of Japan, Shintoism, the Japanese political system, education, and living conditions. As the title suggests it is very biased and has obvious racist overtones that might offend many viewers. Nevertheless, it is not only an example for a "well-made" propaganda film [Cf. Leni Reifenstal in Germany] but also an important historical document that shows us how Japan and its image have changed over the last decades. [Gavin Hougham]
Koroshi (1967)
An ancient Japanese cult of death that has been revived, brings Secret Agent John Drake's services to the Orient. From the BBC Television series "Secret Agent".
Kwaidan (1964) 164m. D: Masaki, Kobayashi, Rentaro, Mikuni.
Four tales of the supernatural based on works by Lafcadio Hearn. Subtle, moody, well-staged, stunning use of color and widescreen.
Japanese Movies by Title
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
Japanese Movie Listing Main Page | Lisa's Favorite Japanese Movies | Japanese Movies By Director
Note that since each of these movies was seen by a normal human being, what you read here is just one person's opinion :) Your own opinion may of course be different! If you notice that a movie listing is missing or incorrect, please Contact Me (Really!! WRITE ME!!!) so I can update the list!
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