An influence on the likes of Takashi Miike and Yoshiaki Kawajiri, director Hideo Gosha has often gone overlooked in the pantheon of Japanese directors, despite his samurai features Sword of the Beast and Three Outlaw Samurai getting the Criterion treatment. Now is a great time to discover his filmography as his 1966 crime drama Cash Calls Hell has been restored and is arriving at the end of the month. Led by legendary actor Tatsuya Nakadai (Harakiri, Sanjuro, Kagemusha, Ran, The Human Condition, Yojimbo, When a Woman Ascends the Stairs), we’re pleased to exclusively premiere the new trailer ahead of Film Movement’s digital release beginning November 29.
Here’s the synopsis: “Facing the final days of his prison sentence for vehicular manslaughter, Oida (Tatsuya Nakadai) dreads reentering society as a ruined man with no future prospects. Sensing his street smarts, Oida’s cellmate promises him a pile of loot if he tracks down and kills three men whose names are on a list. Reluctantly accepting the task, he finds himself embroiled in a web of stolen money, betrayal and other sordid vices. Torn between compassion and desperation, Oida discovers danger lurking around every corner as he navigates a treacherous path of cold-blooded fate. Legendary director Hideo Gosha (Samurai Wolf, Violent Streets, Onimasa) blends classic, gritty film noir tropes into a New Wave inflected cinematic fever dream of intrigue and paranoia in this “absolutely gripping and suspenseful movie, a masterpiece of genre filmmaking” (Japan on Film), now digitally restored in 2K from original broadcast elements.”
See the exclusive trailer below for the film also starring Mikijiro Hira, Ichirô Nakatani, Hisashi Igawa, and Kunie Tanaka, Keneko Iwasaki.
