• Takashi Miike's greatest movies

    Takashi Miike's greatest movies

    by kluseba | created - 57 minutes ago | updated - 3 seconds ago | Public 

    I discovered my first Takashi Miike movie ten years ago at the tender age of twenty years. As time went by, this director's vibrant, expressive and experimental style has become my favourite. While it was difficult to find his movies a decade ago, things have improved thanks to globalization. I have now watched twenty-six of his movies and continue to discover new films every now and then. Please take a look at this list of my favourite Takashi Miike movies, ranked from best to worst. Give this unique director a chance!

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    Blade of the Immortal
     
     

    1. Blade of the Immortal (2017)

    18A | 140 min | Action, Drama

      6,8
     
      10
     
    72 Metascore

    Cursed with a life of immortality, a samurai is tasked by a young girl to help avenge the death of her father. Based on the manga series by Hiroaki Samura.

    Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Takuya KimuraHana SugisakiSôta FukushiHayato Ichihara

    Votes: 14 592 | Gross: $0.15M

     
     

    98% - This dynamic action movie with its unique characters, stunning locations and surprising plot based upon a popular manga is as epic as it gets.

    Audition
     
     

    2. Audition (1999)

    16 | 115 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery

      7,2
     
      9
     
    69 Metascore

    A widower takes an offer to screen girls at a special audition, arranged for him by a friend to find him a new wife. The one he fancies is not who she appears to be after all.

    Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Ryo IshibashiEihi ShiinaTetsu SawakiJun Kunimura

    Votes: 70 872


     
     
    Available on Amazon
     

    94% - This movie starts as a fragile drama that slowly turns into a gloomy mystery thriller and ends as brutal horror film.

    Les affranchis de Shinjuku
     
     

    3. Les affranchis de Shinjuku (1995)

    16+ | 100 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

      6,7
     
      9

    Amidst a Chinese and Japanese mafia war, a lawyer for the Chinese mob finds a rift forming between him and his corrupt police office brother.

    Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Kippei ShînaTomorô TaguchiTakeshi CaesarRen Osugi

    Votes: 2 020


     
     
    Available on Amazon
     

    93% - The director's breakthrough movie that defined his career convinces with complex characters, revolting decadence and some food for thought.

    Gozu
     
     

    4. Gozu (2003)

    16 | 129 min | Crime, Drama, Horror

      7
     
      9
     
    58 Metascore

    A yakuza enforcer is ordered to secretly drive his beloved colleague to be assassinated. But when the colleague unceremoniously disappears en route, the trip that follows is a twisted, surreal and horrifying experience.

    Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Yûta SoneKimika YoshinoShôhei HinoKeiko Tomita

    Votes: 11 047 | Gross: $0.05M


     
     
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    92% - This highly experimental and at times surreal gangster movie pushes its genre boundaries in an astonishing way.

    Kamisama no iu tôri
     
     

    5. Kamisama no iu tôri (2014)

    117 min | Adventure, Horror, Sci-Fi

      6,5
     
      9

    A group of high school students are forced to play a game of death without knowing who, why or how.

    Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Ryûnosuke KamikiLily FrankySôta FukushiShôta Sometani

    Votes: 4 351

     
     

    89% - This dystopian science-fiction movie based upon a manga doesn't only offer stunning special effects but also some food of thought.

    Ichi the Killer
     
     

    6. Ichi the Killer (2001)

    18 | 129 min | Action, Comedy, Crime

      7
     
      8
     
    55 Metascore

    As sadomasochistic yakuza enforcer Kakihara searches for his missing boss he comes across Ichi, a repressed and psychotic killer who may be able to inflict levels of pain that Kakihara has only dreamed of achieving.

    Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Tadanobu AsanoNao OhmoriShin'ya TsukamotoPaulyn Sun

    Votes: 51 517 | Gross: $0.02M


     
     
    Available on Amazon
     

    84% - This satirical, overwhelming and brutal gangster movie might be Takashi Miike's roughest film to watch.

    Yakuza Apocalypse
     
     

    7. Yakuza Apocalypse (2015)

    R | 115 min | Action, Comedy, Horror

      5,5
     
      8
     
    62 Metascore

    In the ruthless underground world of the yakuza, no one is more legendary than boss Kamiura. Rumored to be invincible, the truth is he is a vampire-a bloodsucking yakuza vampire boss! Among... See full summary »

    Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Hayato IchiharaRiko NarumiShô AoyagiKiyohiko Shibukawa

    Votes: 3 711


     
     
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    83% - This unpredictable, satirical and overwhelming gangster movie includes comedy, drama and science-fiction events that make for an unforgettable ride.

    Family 2
     
     

    8. Family 2 (2001 Video)

    80 min | Crime, Drama

      5,3
     
      8

    In this continuation of "Family", it is discovered that the one who gave the order to assassinate the Mitsumikai Boss is the one and only Boss of the Japan Mafia: Mr. Nishiwaki. Hideshi ... See full summary »

    Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Ken'ichi EndôKôjirô HongôNaoko InoueKôichi Iwaki

    Votes: 39

     
     

    82% - This complex gangster movie in two parts convinces with a detailed story line that is intellectually challenging and visually impressive. The unforgettable ending offers much room for interpretation.

    Dead or Alive 3
     
     

    9. Dead or Alive 3 (2002)

    Tous publics | 89 min | Action, Comedy, Crime

      5,7
     
      8
     
    34 Metascore

    The ace cop of a totalitarian police force and a drifting android play their parts in a post-apocalyptic society. They are destined to fight. Their encounter will change them forever.

    Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Shô AikawaMaria ChenRichard ChenJason Chu

    Votes: 2 313


     
     
    Available on Amazon
     

    81% - This quirky science-fiction movie has a plot that is so strange that it gets more and more addicting as the film progresses.

    Shield of Straw
     
     

    10. Shield of Straw (2013)

    117 min | Thriller

      6,2
     
      8
     
    35 Metascore

    A team of cops must protect an accused killer with a billion-yen bounty on his head.

    Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Takao OsawaNanako MatsushimaGorô KishitaniMasatô Ibu

    Votes: 2 344

     
     

    80% - This gritty, realistic and sinister action-thriller follows a cop who must protect a despicable murderer with a bounty on his head.

    Family
     
     

    11. Family (II) (2001)

    111 min | Action, Crime

      5,6
     
      8

    When the mobster Iwaida Nishikawi is executed by the hit man Takeshi, his family chases the killer. Takeshi's brothers Takashi and Hideshi Miwa try to find Takeshi, who is hidden with the ... See full summary »

    Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Ken'ichi EndôKôjirô HongôNaoko InoueKôichi Iwaki

    Votes: 246


     
     
    Available on Amazon
     

    79% - This complex gangster movie in two parts convinces with a detailed story line that is intellectually challenging and visually impressive.

    Dead or Alive: Hanzaisha
     
     

    12. Dead or Alive: Hanzaisha (1999)

    16 | 105 min | Action, Comedy, Crime

      6,8
     
      8
     
    49 Metascore

    A yakuza of Chinese descent and a Japanese cop each wage their own war against the Japanese mafia. But they are destined to meet. Their encounter will change the world.

    Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Shô AikawaRiki TakeuchiRenji IshibashiHitoshi Ozawa

    Votes: 7 421 | Gross: $0.00M


     
     
    Available on Amazon
     

    78% - This quirky gangster movies comes around with an unforgettablle ending that is worth the wait.

    Terraformars
     
     

    13. Terraformars (2016)

    108 min | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi

      4,7
     
      8

    In an attempt to colonize Mars, 21st century scientists seed the planet with algae to absorb sun light and purify the atmosphere, and cockroaches who in turn spread the algae as they feed. ... See full summary »

    Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Rinko KikuchiRila FukushimaKane KosugiTakayuki Yamada

    Votes: 1 839


     
     
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    76% - This underrated science-fiction film based upon a manga got terrible reviews but this movie is thoroughly entertaining and surprising despite its weak special effects.

    Rainy Dog
     
     

    14. Rainy Dog (1997)

    95 min | Crime, Drama

      7,1
     
      7

    A Japanese assassin stranded in Taiwan must take work from a local crime boss to make ends meet when suddenly a woman from his past delivers a son to him.

    Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Shô AikawaLi Wei ChangShih ChangXianmei Chen

    Votes: 2 270


     
     
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    74% - This calm drama set in Taiwan and centered around a lonely gangster, his mute son and a desperate prostitute takes some time to grow but might be one of the director's most memorable films.

    Shin Jingi no Hakaba
     
     

    15. Shin Jingi no Hakaba (2002)

    13+ | 131 min | Action, Crime, Thriller

      7
     
      7

    A barkeeper saves a Yakuza boss' life and thus makes his way up in the organization. However his fear of nothing soon causes problems.

    Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Ryo AmamiyaNarimi ArimoriYoshiyuki DaichiHirotarô Honda

    Votes: 1 821


     
     
    Available on Amazon
     

    73% - This remake of one of the greatest gangster movies ever released doesn't reach the quality of the original film due to some lengths but is nevertheless a bleak character study that will haunt you for a while.

    First Love, le dernier Yakuza
     
     

    16. First Love, le dernier Yakuza (2019)

    12 | 108 min | Action, Comedy, Crime

      6,8
     
      7
     
    77 Metascore

    A young boxer and a call girl get caught up in a drug-smuggling scheme over the course of one night in Tokyo.

    Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: BeckyBengalMasayuki DeaiMami Fujioka

    Votes: 4 256

     
     

    72% - This vibrant Yakuza film convinces with quirky characters even though it certainly doesn't reinvent the genre and is at times too predictable.

    Dead or Alive 2
     
     

    17. Dead or Alive 2 (2000)

    12 | 97 min | Action, Comedy, Crime

      6,8
     
      7

    Two contract killers cross paths in the middle of the same job and realize they are childhood friends.

    Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Shô AikawaRiki TakeuchiNoriko AotaEdison Chen

    Votes: 3 457


     
     
    Available on Amazon
     

    71% - This surprisingly quiet movie that takes some time to grow shows the conflicts, downsides and fates of a gangster career and offers some food for thought.

    13 assassins
     
     

    18. 13 assassins (2010)

    Tous publics | 141 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

      7,6
     
      7
     
    84 Metascore

    A group of assassins come together for a suicide mission to kill an evil lord.

    Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Kôji YakushoTakayuki YamadaYûsuke IseyaIkki Sawamura

    Votes: 61 089 | Gross: $0.80M


     
     
    Available on Amazon
     

    70% - This remake of an influential sword fighting movie takes the first half to introduce the different characters and finishes with some of the most intense battles ever shown in cinema.

    Toppuu! Minipato tai - Aikyacchi Jankushon
     
     

    19. Toppuu! Minipato tai - Aikyacchi Jankushon (1991 Video)

    93 min | Action, Crime

      5,4
     
      7

    A comedy about a daring policewoman in leotards, who defeats criminals using gymnastics.

    Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Aiko AsanoMinako FujimotoDaisuke NagakuraHiroko Nakajima

    Votes: 67

     
     

    69% - This experimental mixture of action, comedy and thriller elements with four quirky female lead characters was the second movie made by Takashi Miike but the first to be officially released.

    Blues Harp
     
     

    20. Blues Harp (1998)

    107 min | Crime, Drama, Music

      7
     
      7

    Ambitious yakuza Kenji befriends harmonica-playing bartender Chuji, who moonlights as a part-time drug-dealer for the opposing gang. Their friendship is threatened by Kenji's plans for ... See full summary »

    Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Hiroyuki IkeuchiSeiichi TanabeSaori SekinoMickey Curtis

    Votes: 996

     
     

    68% - This interesting mixture of a drama and a thriller focuses on the dangerous friendship between a bartender and a gangster.

    Redi hantaa: Koroshi no pureryuudo
     
     

    21. Redi hantaa: Koroshi no pureryuudo (1991 Video)

    78 min | Action

      5,9
     
      7

    Two care takers are obliged to tend to a child and take care of him overnight when his mother fails to collect him at the end of the day. It turns out to be a more difficult task than first... See full summary »

    Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Yoshie KashiwabaraNaomi MorinagaKôsuke MoritaIsao Murata

    Votes: 61

     
     

    67% - This action thriller made on a shoestring budget was the first movie directed by Takashi Miike and already convinces with fluid storytelling and an interesting lead character.

    Gyakuten saiban
     
     

    22. Gyakuten saiban (2012)

    135 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama

      6,6
     
      7

    This movie is based on the second and fourth cases in the popular video game Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. The plot follows Phoenix Wright, a novice lawyer, who faces off against expert ... See full summary »

    Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Hiroki NarimiyaTakumi SaitohMirei KiritaniAkiyoshi Nakao

    Votes: 2 589

     
     

    66% - This quirky courtroom drama based upon a manga is surprisingly grounded and sympathetic as it shows the director experimenting with a new approach and genre.

    Shinjuku autoroo
     
     

    23. Shinjuku autoroo (1994 Video)

    94 min

      6,4
     
      6

    Shoichi Yomi spends ten years in a coma after a gang fight in Hiroshima. After waking up he immediately sets off to meet up with his yakuza brother Eto in Shinjuku. But it doesn't take long... See full summary »

    Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: HakuryûYumi IoriRuby MorenoKiyoshi Nakajoe

    Votes: 104

     
     

    64% - This relentless action movie follows a criminal outcast who plans on organizing some changes in his life after having spent ten years in a coma in prison.

    La loi de la rue
     
     

    24. La loi de la rue (1999)

    105 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

      6,9
     
      6

    A group of Chinese youths living in Japan struggle to make their way in life and eventually find trouble with the local crime syndicate.

    Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Kazuki KitamuraTomorô TaguchiDan LiNaoto Takenaka

    Votes: 1 388


     
     
    Available on Amazon
     

    63% - Ley Lines is rather a drama than a gangster movie as it follows the lives of social outcasts who try to make their dreams come true by any means necessary.

    Sukiyaki Western Django
     
     

    25. Sukiyaki Western Django (2007)

    18A | 121 min | Action, Western

      6,2
     
      5
     
    55 Metascore

    A nameless gunfighter arrives in a town ripped apart by rival gangs and, though courted by both to join, chooses his own path.

    Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Hideaki ItôKôichi SatôQuentin TarantinoMasanobu Andô

    Votes: 14 533 | Gross: $0.05M


     
     
    Available on Amazon
     

    50% - This quirky western sees Takashi Miike exploring yet another genre but the film remains an overall rather superficial tribute to the classic movies of the fifties and sixties.

    Full Metal gokudô
     
     

    26. Full Metal gokudô (1997 Video)

    18+ | 102 min | Comedy, Crime, Sci-Fi

      6
     
      4

    An inexperienced gangster is killed alongside his strong, respected boss and awakens to find a mad scientist has given him a new body made partly of his boss and partly of indestructible bionics.

    Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Tsuyoshi UjikiTomorô TaguchiTakeshi CaesarKazuki Kitamura

    Votes: 1 718


     
     
    Available on Amazon
     

    40% - This violent science-fiction gangster potpourri was made on a shoestring budget and might be too experimental for its own good.

    Crows Zero II
     
     

    27. Crows Zero II (2009)

    13+ | 133 min | Action

      7,3
     
      3

    Tension escalates and violence ensues when a young student unwittingly breaks a non-aggression pact between two rival high schools.

    Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Shun OguriKyôsuke YabeMeisa KurokiNobuaki Kaneko

    Votes: 4 378

     
     

    33% - This brutal gangster movie based upon two rival high schools overstays its welcome, lacks depth and features too many characters.

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