Adapted from a semi-autobiographical novel by Tomiko Miyao, ONIMASA recounts the sophisticated tale of an uber-fierce yakuza boss (played with savage intensity by Tatsuya Nakadai) as seen through the eyes of his resilient adopted daughter. Kidnapping, prostitution and revenge are all meticulously detailed in this sweeping epic that lays bare the volatile mores of early twentieth century Japan.

Selected as Japan's official Best Foreign Language Film entry for the 1983 Academy Awards and considered a major watershed of director Hideo Gosha’s late period, ONIMASA is a “great gangster epic, possessing tragic dimension as well as scope and passion” (Los Angeles Times).

“A serious look at the life of the yakuza outside of genre formulae as well as a sympathetic look at the women caught up in that life.” –Japan on Film

DIRECTED BY HIDEO GOSHA
JAPAN | 1982 | JAPANESE WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES