Dora-Heita (1999)
Director: Kon Ichikawa
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Ichikawa's 74th film was planned 30 years earlier as a collective project for Yonki-no-Kai, the partnership of four veterans led by Kurosawa. But Dodes'kaden bankrupted the company and the script was forgotten until Ichikawa dusted it off as a vehicle for Yakusho. 'Dora-Heita' is the louche nickname of Koheita Mochizuki, a magistrate sent to clean up the small fief which contains the Horisoto enclave, a hotbed of prostitution, gambling and smuggling. He poses as dissolute to disarm the crimelords and their allies in local government, then pounces. But he still has a clinging geisha and a traitorous 'friend' to deal with. Less an exercise in nostalgia than a film with the authentic charm, humour and excitement of the likes of Yojimbo.Author: TR
Cast & crew
Director: Kon Ichikawa
Producer: Yoshinobu Nishioka
Cast: Koji Yakusho, Yuko Asano, Bunta Sugawara, Ryudo Uzaki, Tsurutaro Kataoka, Saburo Ishikura, Renji Ishibashi full cast
Duration: 110 mins
Most popular on this site
Features
War is cel
Ari Folman uses an unconventional format to unearth repressed memories in Waltz with Bashir.
The best (and worst) of 2008
Our critics' picks.
That '70s show
Michael Sheen re-creates one half of a cunning TV conversation.
I'm officially obsessed with...
Gay for pay.
From here to maternity
Catherine Deneuve, belle maman, reigns in A Christmas Tale.



What do you think?
Post your review now