The Sinners of Hell

Original title: Jigoku

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

A group of sinners involved in interconnected tales of murder, revenge, deceit and adultery all meet at the Gates of Hell.A group of sinners involved in interconnected tales of murder, revenge, deceit and adultery all meet at the Gates of Hell.A group of sinners involved in interconnected tales of murder, revenge, deceit and adultery all meet at the Gates of Hell.

Director
- Nobuo Nakagawa
Writers
- Nobuo Nakagawa
- Ichirô Miyagawa
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

4.7K

YOUR RATING

Director
- Nobuo Nakagawa
Writers
- Nobuo Nakagawa
- Ichirô Miyagawa
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Trivia
The film's production company was going out of business while the film was being completed, leading to budget-saving tactics such as the actors helping dig their own holes in the movie's set for Hell. Critics kidded that this film killed the Shintoho Studio.

Goofs
While Shiro is on the rope bridge, we see him at various times hanging on to the side handrails. Between shots, without him having changed position, these handrails quite noticeably change in diameter from thin cables to a much thicker cable, indicating that some shots were filmed on a real bridge, others were filmed on a studio mock-up.

Quotes
Tamura: So you want to turn me in for manslaughter?
Shiro Shimizu: We're the ones who killed him. We caused it. Let's go together. Please.
Tamura: That might ease your conscience, but I'm not interested. It'd be stupid. He was drunk. He ran into the road. It was basically suicide. Besides, he was just some yakuza scum. He's not worth the best years of our lives.

Connections
Featured in Building the Inferno: Nobuo Nakagawa and the Making of 'Jigoku' (2006)

Soundtracks
Comin' through the Rye
(uncredited)
Music: traditional
Japanese lyrics: unknown

User reviews49

Review

Featured review

8/10

series of hellish landscapes

I guess this doesn't really belong with my more extreme reviews but for all it's stunningly beautiful scenes, it's heavily symbolic imagery and symbolism this still, even over 40 years, has a punch or two to unleash. It is for the most part a tragic tale that involves an almost laughable number of deaths and other misfortunes but hell always beckons. The last half hour or so is a considerably finely worked series of hellish landscapes with not a little graphic violence that could certainly not have been shown in the UK in 1960. Along the way there are many delights and a cool jazzy score. Fascinating, groundbreaking and most enjoyable.