Tadanobu Asano movie career page

(90 min)

1999 - Drama - Japan, Hong Kong

Asano searches for the comfort he had when he was a young boy growing up in Okinawa. For him, objects and actions have different meanings, mostly associations with numbers. Sometimes "twenty seven cops" is "boxes on the road" and everything in between. The way his mind works makes it hard for Asano to express himself to others in a spoken fashion, but emotionally he is able to touch those who let him in. After traveling for a long time, yearning for that particular safe haven, Asano finds himself in a dive bar in Hong Kong. There, he relives his childhood dreams and befriends Kevin, a flamboyant and outspoken gay Australian who lives life fast, beautiful, and always carelessly. And then there is Mavis, a somber and angel-like fashion designer who cleans up after their messes. In and outside the bar, the three share a relationship that becomes undeniably lovely and enriching

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Director : Christopher Doyle

Cast : Tadanobu Asano, Kevin Sherlock, Mavis Xu, Georgina Hobson, Christa Hughes

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Dead End Run

(59 min)

2003 - Drama - Japan

Three short films all linked by fast paced chase scenes. The first film follows Yusuke Iseya as he is chased down an alley by a yakuza hitman. The second follows Masatoshi Nagase as he battles himself and a killer. Lastly, we find Tadanobu Asano being chased up to a rooftop by three cops who find out that they are in the middle of a suicidal hostage situation.

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Director : Sogo Ishii

Cast : Tadanobu Asano, Masatoshi Nagase, Yusuke Iseya, Urara Awata, Jun Kunimura, Robert Harris

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Electric Dragon 80,000 Volts

(55 min)

2000 - Drama, Fantasy, Action, Experimental - Japan

"Dragon Eye" Morrison is a Lizard Inspector who has the ability to communicate with reptiles and wail endlessly on his electric guitar. As a child, he was hit with an electrical charge, thus instilling him with the power of 80,00 Volts. He has a history of exploding into violence since then, and spends his days calmly searching for lost lizards and taking up various related odd jobs. Sharing a common trait is the mysterious Thunderbolt Buddha. He too commands the power of electricity, and when they meet, a lightning charged battle royale ensues. What the hell am I talking about!? Here's a better synopsis! Tadanobu Asano versus Masatoshi Nagase, Rock and Roooooooolllllll!!!!

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Director : Sogo Ishii

Cast : Tadanobu Asano, Masatoshi Nagase

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Focus

(72 min)

1996 - Drama - Japan

A local TV crew compiled of a reporter (Akira Hirai), a cameraman (Tetsuo Sano), and their assistant (Keiko Unno) seek out a fresh scoop that will “wow and woo” their viewers. They find their story in Kanemura (Tadanobu Asano), a man with a seemingly innocent infatuation with audio voyeurism. Things start to get twisted when the group listens to a phone conversation between yakuza, describing the location of a pistol to be used in a hit. Once the group takes Kanemura to retrieve the weapon, things take a turn for the worse.

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Director : Satoshi Isaka

Cast : Tadanobu Asano, Keiko Unno, Akira Shirai, Tetsuo Sano, Suki Tadaka, Ikko Suzuki

Gemini

(83 min)

1999 - Horror - Japan

Yukio, a successful doctor back from serving in the war, is living with his parents and his amnesiac wife, Rin, in Meiji-era (1868-1912) Japan. There is an ominous presence in the house which Yukio's parents are especially sensitive to, and when they suddenly die Yukio finally discovers the source -- his identical twin, Sutekichi, abandoned at birth because of a deformity (a dragon-shaped birthmark on his thigh), has returned to take Yukio's place in society and bed. To achieve this end, he throws Yukio down into a dry well and keeps him prisoner there while taunting him with stories of his success at seducing Rin.

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Director : Shinya Tsukamoto

Cast : Masahiro Motoki, Ryo, Yasutaka Tsutsui, Shiho Fujimura, Akaji Maro, Naoto Takenaka

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Gohatto

(100 min)

1999 - Swordplay, Drama - Japan

The Shinsengumi Militia is in the process of selecting new recruits to join the samurai ranks. Those hoping to be accepted must face Soji Okita, the best fighter in the militia. By the end of the day only two of the hopefuls are accepted, Hyozo Tashiro a Samurai from the Kurume clan and Sozaburo Kano a young son of a rich merchant. Sozaburo quickly stands out due to his handsome yet slightly feminine looks, it quickly becomes apparent that Tashiro is in love with Kano. All of Tashiro's advances are refused by Kano but rumors quickly fly through the militia that Kano and Tashiro are lovers, soon many of the other men are making advances on Kano aswell. Eventually one of them is found dead and jealousy is suspected as a motive.

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Director : Nagisa Oshima

Cast : Takeshi Kitano, Ryuhei Matsuda, Shinji Takeda, Tadanobu Asano, Koji Matoba, Masa Tommies

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Ichi The Killer

(128 min)

2001 - Horror, Gangster - Japan

In a yakuza syndicate, the Anjo clan has suffered the loss of their head leader. Kakihara, Anjo's right hand man, sets out on a quest to find his boss (regardless of the evidence that says he's dead). Things begin to turn for the worst when a group of men that was once affiliated with their syndicate but kicked out set their eyes on seeing the Anjo Clan's complete annihilation. To make thing's worse, they've got the mysterious and extremely deadly killer Ichi on their tales. Will the Anjo Clan survive through Ichi's slaughter? Can they defy their gloomy fate? A sick and twisted fantasy about sadism and masochism with an ending so puzzling that it'll drive you to watch this nihilistic ride into the deepest trenches of the human psyche a second time, a third time, hell, maybe even a fourth. A film based on the extreme manga with the same name, Miike Takashi brings the panels of ink to life in this controversial film.

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Director : Takashi Miike

Cast : Tadanobu Asano, Nao Omori, Shinya Tsukamoto, Paulyn Sun, Susumu Terajima, Toru Tezuka

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Labyrinth Of Dreams

(90 min)

1997 - Thriller, Drama - Japan

A string of mysterious murders involving an elusive bus driver and his ill fated female conductors, in the normally peaceful countryside of Pre-War Japan becomes of great significance to Tomiko, with her fond friend Tsuyako seemingly meeting her fate as another of his victims. Niitaka soon arrives on the scene, the new bus driver in town, handsome and charming, he seems to fit the image of the mysterious killer to a tee. Tomiko, a conductor herself is paired with Niitaka and makes it her mission to avenge the tragic death of her dearest friend. However will she be able to resist Niitaka, a lady killer in both senses, or has revenge finally caught up with the seemingly guilty Niitaka?

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Director : Sogo Ishii

Cast : Rena Komine, Tadanobu Asano, Kotomi Kyono, Tomoka Kurotani

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Maborosi

(110 min)

1995 - Drama - Japan

Yumiko and Ikuo lead a seemingly happy life, having recently become parents all is going well for the pair, but soon a tragedy strikes through this relationship. After promising he wouldn’t leave like Yumiko’s grandmother did all those years ago, Ikuo walks away, inexplicably committing suicide. Yumiko is left crushed, eventually marrying Tamio and moving away to a tranquil coastal village, hoping to find peace within herself again.

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Director : Hirokazu Koreeda

Cast : Makiko Esumi, Takashi Naitô, Tadanobu Asano, Gohki Kashiyama, Naomi Watanabe

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Taste Of Tea, The

(143 min)

2003 - Drama, Comedy - Japan

Honestly, where do you begin with this one? The story of one hell of a peculiar family with each member always living life like a dream; a mother and her aspirations of becoming an artist again; a son moving from one high school crush to another; a daughter who just wants to cast aside the larger than life version of her self; an uncle experiencing simplicity as a sound mixer still searching for a bit of closure in his life; a father who just wants to see his wife succeed; a grandfather who is in a world of his own. Together they make up one of the quirkiest households every created on film. But really lets be honest; this film is nearly indescribable.

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Director : Katsushito Ishii

Cast : Tadanobu Asano, Maya Banno, Takahiro Sato, Tatsuya Gashuin, Satomi Tezuka, Anna Tsuchiya

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Vital

(86 min)

2004 - Drama - Japan

After a car accident, medical student Hiroshi Takagi is left with a jumbled memory of prior people and events. As it turns out, though, the cadaver he is assigned to dissect in his class is the body of his girlfriend that died with him in the wreck. A past relationship, a strong connection; as the memories fade back into his mind nothing seems so clear-cut anymore.

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Director : Shinya Tsukamoto

Cast : Tadanobu Asano, Nami Tsukamoto, Kazuyoshi Kushida, Kiki, Jyun Kunimura

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Woman of the Water

(115 min)

2002 - Drama - Japan

Ryo (UA)'s family runs a traditional sento, a public bath house, and she has always had a special affinity with water; moments of great emotion have always been accompanied by rain. Shortly before Ryo's wedding, her father dies of a heart attack while her fiance is simultaneously killed in a traffic accident. Deeply depressed, Ryo goes to the forest at the foot of mount Fuji to commit suicide, but is brought back from the brink by an enigmatic female artist. On returning to her home town, she has a chance encounter with a strange attractive drifter, conveniently a pyromaniac, and she asks him to help her reopen the sento by keeping the water-heating fire stoked. A relationship develops between the two, but the pyromaniac has a history and it is only a matter of time before their simple life at the sento must end.

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Director : Hidenori Sugimori

Cast : UA, Tadanobu Asano, Hikaru, Yuki, Yutaka Enatsu, Ryuichi Ora

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Zatoichi

(111 min)

2003 - Chambara, Drama - Japan

A clan of thieves and scoundrels has put the inhabitants of a village in check. By enforcing a policy of intolerable cruelty and fear, the villagers are rendered poor and helpless against the cruel uprising of the Kuchinawa clan. A wandering blind masseuse stumbles upon the village. This blind man is none other than the legendary Zatoichi. With a deadly walking stick at his side, he serves swift justice to the Kuchinawa clan. Along the way, he meets a compulsive gambler, two geishas who are more than what meets the eye, and a deadly mercenary; all contributing to yet another stunning tale of the blind swordsman, Zatoichi.

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Director : Takashi Kitano

Cast : Takashi Kitano, Tadanobu Asano, Michiyo Ookusu, Gadarukanaru Taka, Yuuko Daike, Daigoro Tachibana

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Survive Style 5+

(120 min)

2004 - Comedy, Experimental - Japan

Survive Style 5 is a collage of multiple sub plots that intersect over the course of the movie. There is a man who kills and buries his wife only to repeat the process multiple times. A typical Japanese nuclear family get tickets to see the show of a famous hypnotist. A trio of young hooligans go around robbing houses. Yoko a commercial executive imagines silly and comical commercials based on events in her day. A British hitman takes a business trip to Japan to perform premium hit jobs.

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Director : Gen Sekiguchi

Cast : Tadanobu Asano, Reika Hashimoto, Kyōko Koizumi, Hiroshi Abe, Ittoku Kishibe, Yumi Asou

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