, also known as ''Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler'', is a 2009 Japanese
live-action film
Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ga ...
based on ''Gambling Apocalypse: Kaiji'', the first part of the
manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
series
''Kaiji'', written and illustrated by
Nobuyuki Fukumoto
is a Japanese manga artist well known for his work including unique and original gambling ideas, deep psychological analyses of characters, and distinct artstyle. Yakuza and gambling are recurring themes in his manga. In English-speaking countri ...
. It is the first film of a trilogy directed by Tōya Satō and premiered in Japan on October 10, 2009. It was followed by ''
Kaiji 2
is a 2011 Japanese live-action film based on ''Tobaku Hakairoku Kaiji'', the second part of the manga series Kaiji (manga), ''Kaiji'', written and illustrated by Nobuyuki Fukumoto. It is the second film of a trilogy directed by Tōya Satō and p ...
'', released in 2011.
Cast
*
Tatsuya Fujiwara
is a Japanese actor. Internationally, he is best known for his leading roles as Shuya Nanahara in the '' Battle Royale'' films, Light Yagami in the ''Death Note'' films, Kaiji Itō in the '' Kaiji'' films, and Rikuhiko Yuki in Hideo Nakata's ''Th ...
as Kaiji Itō
*
Yūki Amami
is a Japanese actress.
Career
Amami joined the Takarazuka Revue in 1987 and retired from the stage company in 1995. Amami was the youngest actress in the company's history to be cast in a top male role. As an , she belonged to the ''Moon Trou ...
as Rinko Endō
*
Teruyuki Kagawa
is a Japanese actor, kabuki actor and boxing commentator.
Biography
Born in 1965, his parents are the kabuki actor Ichikawa Ennosuke III and the cinema actress Yuko Hama. His grandmother is the film actress Sanae Takasugi.
In the Kabuki world ...
as Yukio Tonegawa
*
Ken Mitsuishi
is a Japanese actor. He has appeared in films such as ''Chaos'' and '' Tokyo Playboy Club''.
Filmography Film
;1980s
*'' Tora's Tropical Fever'' (1980)
*'' Foster Daddy, Tora!'' (1980)
*'' Sailor Suit and Machine Gun'' (1981)
*''Tora-san, the Ex ...
as Kōji Ishida
*
Kenichi Matsuyama
is a Japanese actor. He is known for his affinity for strange character roles, and he is best known internationally for playing L in the 2006 films ''Death Note'', '' Death Note 2: The Last Name'' and '' L: Change the World'' in 2008, as well a ...
as Makoto Sahara
*
Tarō Yamamoto
is a Japanese politician and former actor, who is the founder and current leader of the anti-establishment political party Reiwa Shinsengumi. Yamamoto served as a member of the House of Councillors from 2013 to 2019 and was a candidate in the ...
as Jōji Funai
*
Suzuki Matsuo as Tarō Ōtsuki
*
Kei Satō
was a Japanese character actor and narrator. He is known for his work with Japanese New Wave director Nagisa Oshima, and for several films with Kaneto Shindo, such as '' Onibaba'' and ''Kuroneko''. He won the best actor award from ''Kinema Junpo ...
as Kazutaka Hyōdō
Production
In October 2008, it was announced that the film would be directed by Tōya Satō and
Tatsuya Fujiwara
is a Japanese actor. Internationally, he is best known for his leading roles as Shuya Nanahara in the '' Battle Royale'' films, Light Yagami in the ''Death Note'' films, Kaiji Itō in the '' Kaiji'' films, and Rikuhiko Yuki in Hideo Nakata's ''Th ...
would star as Kaiji Itō. The Watarase Film Commission, a non-governmental organization that supports film production, posted a casting call for 70 men between the ages of 20 and 40 to be extras to play contestants of the "restricted rock-paper-scissors" game.
Soundtrack
Yugo Kanno
is a Japanese composer and musician known for his work on many television dramas, anime series, and movies.
Biography
Kanno was born in Saitama, Japan. He attended junior high school in Kawagoe before later moving to Takanezawa for university ...
composed the music for the film. The original score was released on October 7, 2009. Two songs by Japanese
pop singer-songwriter
Yui Yui may refer to:
People
* Yui (name), a Japanese name
*Yui (singer) (born 1987), Japanese singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and actress
* Yui people or Ibi, a Timucuan-speaking people in what now is Georgia, United States
Places
* Yui, Sh ...
were featured in the film, "
It's All Too Much
"It's All Too Much" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1969 album ''Yellow Submarine (album), Yellow Submarine''. Written by George Harrison in 1967, it conveys the ideological themes of that year's Summer of Love. The B ...
" and "Never Say Die", used as theme song and insert song respectively.
Release
''Kaiji'' was theatrically released on October 10, 2009 in Japan.
It was released on Blu-ray and DVD on April 9, 2010.
In the UK, the film was released on DVD by 4Digital Media under the title ''Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler'' on July 26, 2010.
Reception
In September 2011, ''Goo Ranking'' conducted a web poll of "Live-Action Manga/Anime Adaptations That Worked" and ''Kaiji'' ranked #6 out of 38 live-action adaptations.
Box office
The film became Japan's sixteenth highest-grossing film of 2009, earning () at the Japanese box office that year. Overseas, the film grossed $460,073, bringing the film's worldwide total to $25,460,073.
Critical reception
Carlo Santos of ''
Anime News Network
Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and oth ...
'' ranked ''Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler'' as a C. Santos wrote that the greatest strengths of the film are the psychological gamesmanship and the theory of gambling games, preserving the spirit of the original work. He criticized the characters' one-dimensional characterization, the "artificial" closed-room scenarios and the "contrived" staging of "scrappy working-class hero versus evil old rich guy", stating that ''Kaiji'' could be labeled as a "fantasy". Santos also mentioned the changes from the original work and the "awkward plot manuevers" to make the events fit in the film's two-hour time frame.
Chris MaGee of ''Toronto J-Film Pow-Wow'' described the film as a "very uncomfortable mix" between the social commentary of the 2009 film ''
Kani Kōsen
is a 1929 novel by Japanese author Takiji Kobayashi.
Overview
''Kani Kōsen'' is a proletarian novel by Takiji Kobayashi that was first serialized in the May and June 1929 issues of the communist literary magazine '' Senki''. In September of ...
'', Tatsuya Fujiwara's first starring role in the 2000 film ''
Battle Royale'', and
televised poker shows. He criticized the "over-the-top" acting of Fujiwara, Kenichi Matsuyama and Teruyuki Kagawa, stating that "
William Shatner
William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1965 debut as the captain of the starship USS Enterpri ...
would end up telling Kagawa that it might be a good idea to dial things down a little bit. It seems that in the world of ''Kaiji'' more always equals better." He concluded "I could only see director Toya Sato and the producers of ''Kaiji'' the film being entertained by its game show strategies and hyper-dramatics. For those of us unfortunate enough to be sitting in the audience the whole experience is just painful. Not to give away any spoilers, but the fact that the film's ending leaves things wide open for a sequel or sequels makes me shudder."
References
External links
Official website
VAP official website
*
*
{{Kaiji
Films about death games
Films set in Japan
Films about gambling
2000s Japanese-language films
Kaiji (manga)
Live-action films based on manga
Toho films
Films directed by Tōya Satō