Murder of the Inugami Clan
Director: Kon Ichikawa
Cast: Koji Ishizaka, Nanako Matsushima, Kikunosuke Onoe, Sumiko Fuji, Keiko Matsuzaka, Hisako Manda
In 1976, the legendary filmmaker Kon Ichikawa made a film about a detective solving murder cases which involve family feuds, a disfigured soldier who returns from war, a hatchet, a koto string and chrysanthemums. 30 years later, he remade the movie, keeping many of the principal actors and added some new faces. He was 91 when he made this new version of the movie and two years on, he passed away from pneumonia. The movie became his last work.
And because the 1976 version is regarded by many film buffs as a cult film (it was a box office success and created a sensational wave of popularity for detective genre films in Japan), this 2006 version naturally became of interest to the film buffs too.
When the wealthy tycoon Inugami patriarch dies leaving a huge estate, their lawyer hires detective Kindaichi as a series of mysterious murders befalls the family--from attempted drownings, poisonings, to beheadings. A web of deceit, adultery and greed is revealed as the family gathers for the reading of the will, and the race for the inheritance turns even deadlier. Based on the bestselling novel by Seishi Yokomizo, which has been made into three films and five TV series.
2006 Color Widescreen 136 Min.
Japanese with English subtitles.
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