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Hunter in the Dark

1979 · 137 min

A brooding, slow-burning samurai crime drama with bursts of brutal action and a pervasive sense of moral decay.

Overview
Yataro Tanigawa, a one-eyed hired assassin, impresses yakuza boss Gomyo Kiyoemon with his skill. Gomyo hires Tanigawa as his bodyguard, or yojimbo, to protect him during an inter-clan conflict. Tanigawa quickly rises in stature in the clan, but finds his boss's enemies almost overwhelming.
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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • darkstrength 2 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 1 of 3
  • cynicalstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • violence
  • power
  • betrayal
  • identity
  • crime
Places
  • small town
  • countryside
Era
period
Audience
adult
Form
  • nonlinear
Content intensity
  • Gore mild
  • Language mild
  • Violence strong
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action7
Horror3
Humour2
Realism7
Romance2
Tension7
Darkness7
Complexity6
Emotional weight6

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Where to watch in the UK

Rent or buy
  • Apple TV Store

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
action, adventure, drama, crime
Directed by
Hideo Gosha
Written by
Kaneo Ikegami
Starring
Tatsuya Nakadai, Keiko Kishi, Ayumi Ishida, Makoto Fujita, Isao Natsuyagi, Kayo Matsuo, Ai Kanzaki, Tatsuo Umemiya
Music
Masaru Satō
Cinematography
Tadashi Sakai
Runtime
137 min
Country
Japan
Languages
Japanese

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