''aka'' ''A Man from Abashiri Prison'' is a 1965 Japanese film directed by

Teruo Ishii was a Japanese film director best known in the West for his early films in the ''Super Giant'' series, and for his films in the '' ero guro'' ("erotic-grotesque") subgenre of ''pinku eiga'' such as '' Shogun's Joy of Torture'' ( 1968). He also di ...

and starring

Ken Takakura , born , was a Japanese actor and singer who appeared in over 200 films. Affectionately referred to as "Ken-san" by audiences, he was best known for his brooding style and the stoic presence he brought to his roles. He won the Japan Academy Prize ...

. It is the first entry in the ''Abashiri Bangaichi / Abashiri Prison'' series. Highly successful, it was the first hit in the

yakuza film is a popular film genre in Japanese cinema which focuses on the lives and dealings of ''yakuza'', Japanese organized crime syndicates. In the silent film era, depictions of ''bakuto'' (precursors to modern yakuza) as sympathetic Robin Hood-li ...

genre. It made a star of Takakura and Ishii directed ten more films in the series.

Synopsis

In Hokkaido's

Abashiri Prison is a prison in Abashiri, Hokkaido Prefecture that opened in 1890. The northernmost prison in Japan, it is located near the Abashiri River and east of Mount Tento. It holds inmates with sentences of less than ten years. Older parts of the prison ...

, Shinichi Tachibana, model prisoner with six months remaining in his sentence is handcuffed to Gonda, a hardened criminal. When Gonda and other inmates escape from the prison, Tachibana must go along.

Cast

Kōji Nanbara was a Japanese actor. He was born in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. In 1951, he signed with Daiei film company. nad made his film debut with ''Kamikaze Tokkotai''. He was most famous for playing villains. He died of a myocardial infarction in Chōfu, ...

Tetsurō Tamba was a Japanese actor with a career spanning five decades. He is best known in the West for his role in the 1967 James Bond film '' You Only Live Twice'' as Tiger Tanaka. Biography Tamba had a part-time job as an interpreter at Supreme Commander ...

* Toru Abe *

Kanjūrō Arashi was a Japanese film actor. His nickname was "Arakan." He is famous for playing the role of '' Kurama Tengu'' sereies. He entered the film industry in 1927 and came to fame playing Kurama Tengu, a character in the Bakumatsu era created by Jirō ...

Kyosuke Machida is a retired Japanese actor. He appeared in more than 150 films, including many yakuza films produced by Toei. When he was a child, he became Mas Oyama's pupil. He is currently an advisor to the International Karate Organization Kyokushin-kaikan ...

Kunie Tanaka was a Japanese actor. Tanaka first made a name for himself as the lecherous antagonist of the ''Wakadaishō'' series (1961–1981) of films. He is also well-known for his roles in Kinji Fukasaku's yakuza films, namely the '' Battles Without Hono ...

* Limm Sueii * Kenji Ushio * Koji Takishima * Koji Miemachi * Kazu Sugiyoshi * Seiya Satou * Joji Yoshimura * Koji Sekiyama * Tadashi Suganuma * Tatsuya Kitayama

References

External links

English

* * *

Japanese

* * * 1965 films Films directed by Teruo Ishii 1960s Japanese-language films Toei Company films Yakuza films Films set in Hokkaido 1960s Japanese films {{1960s-Japan-film-stub