is a 1958

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

Japanese film The has a history that spans more than 100 years. Japan has one of the oldest and largest film industries in the world; as of 2021, it was the fourth largest by number of feature films produced. In 2011 Japan produced 411 feature films that ea ...

directed by Toshio Masuda. ''Rusty Knife'' was part of the Nikkatsu film studio's wave of Japanese ''noir'' films, made in order to compete with popular American and French films at the Japanese box office. The film became more widely available outside Japan only when Janus Films released a special set of Nikkatsu ''noir'' films on DVD, as part of

the Criterion Collection The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films." Criterion serves film and media scholars, cinep ...

. The other films in the set are ''

A Colt Is My Passport is a 1967 Japanese yakuza film directed by Takashi Nomura for the Nikkatsu Corporation. It is based on the novel '' Tobosha'' by Shinji Fujihara. It stars Joe Shishido as a hitman and Jerry Fujio as his partner; reprising his usual roles of c ...

'', ''

Take Aim at the Police Van is a 1960 Japanese film directed by Seijun Suzuki and starring Michitaro Mizushima. Production The Nikkatsu Company conceived ''Take Aim at the Police Van'' as a borderless action film, a studio subgenre with internationalized characters and set ...

'', ''

Cruel Gun Story is a 1964 Japanese action film directed by Takumi Furukawa. This film was made available in North America when Janus Films released a special set of Nikkatsu studio's Noir films as part of The Criterion Collection, also including '' I Am Wa ...

'', and '' I Am Waiting''.

Plot

Yukihiko Tachibana is an ex-convict trying to begin a new life after he is released from prison. Unable to forget the rape and consequent suicide of his girlfriend, he seeks revenge against a crime syndicate while resisting the urge to kill again. Meanwhile, the district attorney Karita and his men try to build a case against the same syndicate.

Cast

* Yujiro Ishihara as Yukihiko Tachibana *

Mie Kitahara is a Japanese actress. She appeared in more than 60 films between 1952 and 1960. She is best known for co-starring in a series of films with Yujiro Ishihara, one of postwar Japan's most famous stars, starting with ''Crazed Fruit'' in 1956. They ...

as Keiko Nishida * Shoji Yasui as Karita *

Mari Shiraki is a Japanese actress. She joined the Nikkatsu studio and appeared in about 100 films at Nikkatsu. Shiraki is well known for her role of Ritsu Nakamura on the ''jidaigeki'' television series '' Hissatsu''. Selected filmography Film * The Naked ...

as Yuri *

Joe Shishido was a Japanese actor most recognizable for his intense, eccentric yakuza film roles and his artificially enlarged cheekbones. He appeared in some 300 films but is best known in the West for his performance in the cult film ''Branded to Kill'' ( ...

as Shimabara *

Akira Kobayashi is a Japanese actor and singer. His nickname is . Biography Kobayashi attended Meiji University but left before graduating. He became an actor at Nikkatsu and made his film debut with "Ueru Tamashii" directed by Yuzo Kawashima in 1956. He so ...

as Makoto Terada *

Masao Shimizu was a Japanese actor. His wife was actress Yumi Takano. His first starring role in the film was in ''Momoiro no Yuwaku'' in 1931. In 1947, he formed the Mingei Theatre Company. Shimizu often work with Akira Kurosawa. He appeared in more than 25 ...

as Shingo Mano * Noaki Sugiura as Seiji Katsumata *

Toshio Takahara was a Japanese actor. Notable film appearances were ''Seven Samurai'' and ''Twenty-Four Eyes''. He is also known for his role as Commander Gonpachi Edogawa in the tokusatsu superhero series ''Himitsu Sentai Gorenger''. He started his acting ca ...

as Takaishi

References

External links

* Japanese black-and-white films 1958 films Films directed by Toshio Masuda Nikkatsu films 1950s Japanese films {{1950s-Japan-film-stub