Highest-ranked title
Highest-ranked title
Taketoshi Naitō has 7 titles in the CriticCrunch catalog across a career spanning the 1950s through the 1980s. 1 ranks in the Top 10%, led by The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer.
Lady Snowblood
1973
Action · Crime
After the Japanese defeat to the Russians, Kaji leads the last remaining men through Manchuria. Intent on returning to his old life, he faces great odds in a variety of different harrowing circumstances as he and his men sneak behind enemy lines.
Dir. Masaki Kobayashi · With Tatsuya Nakadai, Michiyo Aratama, Tamao Nakamura
In Burma during the closing days of WWII, a Japanese soldier separated from his unit disguises himself as a Buddhist monk to escape imprisonment as a POW.
Dir. Kon Ichikawa · With Rentaro Mikuni, Shōji Yasui, Jun Hamamura
as Chief Cabinet Secretary Takegami
After a fishing boat is attacked, the sole surviving crew member realizes it is none other than a resurrected Godzilla. However, efforts to bring the story to light are suppressed by the Japanese government amid growing political tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union, who are both willing to bomb Japan to stop the monster.
Dir. Koji Hashimoto · With Keiju Kobayashi, Ken Tanaka, Yasuko Sawaguchi
Ogami Itto is challenged by a quintet of warriors, each armed with one fifth of Ogami's assassin fee and one fifth of the information he needs to complete his assignment.
Dir. Kenji Misumi · With Tomisaburō Wakayama, Michiyo Yasuda, Akihiro Tomikawa
Official Shogunate executioner Ogami Itto has been framed for disloyalty to the Shogunate by the Yagyu clan, against whom he now is waging a one-man war, along with his infant son, Daigoro.
Dir. Kenji Misumi · With Tomisaburō Wakayama, Fumio Watanabe, Tomoko Mayama
A Shogun who grew paranoid as he became senile sent his ninjas to kill his samurai. They failed but did kill the samurai’s wife. The samurai swore to avenge the death of his wife and roams the countryside with his toddler son in search of vengeance.
Dir. Robert Houston, Kenji Misumi · With Tomisaburō Wakayama, Akihiro Tomikawa, Kayo Matsuo
as Takegami, Chief Cabinet Secretary
Originally released in Japan as "The Return of Godzilla" in 1984, this is the heavily re-edited, re-titled "Godzilla 1985". Adding in new footage of Raymond Burr, this 16th Godzilla film ignores all previous sequels and serves as a direct follow-up to the 1956 "Godzilla King of the Monsters", which also featured scenes with Burr edited into 1954's "Godzilla". This film restores the darker tone of the original, as we witness the nuclear destruction of giant lizard terrorizing Japan.
Dir. R.J. Kizer, Koji Hashimoto · With Raymond Burr, Keiju Kobayashi, Ken Tanaka
Top Collaborators
Directors with 2+ shared titles, ranked by frequency
