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  • The Killing Machine (1975)
  • R
    87 min | Action, Drama
The Killing Machine (1975)
R
87 min | Action, Drama

Sonny Chiba plays the character referred to as "Mr Soh", who is based on the true life founder of Shorinji Kempo, Doshin So. Mr Soh has been acting as a secret agent in Manchuria during the Japanese occupation. He is first seen spying on a...See moreSonny Chiba plays the character referred to as "Mr Soh", who is based on the true life founder of Shorinji Kempo, Doshin So. Mr Soh has been acting as a secret agent in Manchuria during the Japanese occupation. He is first seen spying on a meeting of Chinese soldiers as they plan a surprise ambush on the retreating Japanese Army. He is discovered and has to fight his way out, using fists, feet and then a machine gun. He rushes to inform the Japanese commanders of the plot, but is horrified to learn that Japan has done the unthinkable by surrendering unconditionally. Soh returns to his homeland to find a ravaged land of beaten people. Victimised by gangsters, occupation forces and corrupt local officials, the poor and the disenfranchised have lost the will to fight back. Using his "Shao Lin" skills (subtitle translation of Shorinji Kempo), he regularly champions the weak and teaches the black market thugs the error of their ways, becoming a regular guest at the local prison. He is seen to assist a former soldier, Otaki, who is seeking his lost wife at the bottom of a bottle, a fallen woman (Kiku) who has turned to prostitution after suffering rape by Russian soldiers, her little brother Kimio who gets injured by some American G.I.s who subsequently try to flee from accident. The Prison Governor warns him that the US Administration will not be so tolerant now that he has "crippled" the troops, suggesting a likely death sentence. He helps him to "escape" the jail and Soh leaves town in a hurry, pausing only to give advice to the band of orphans that he has befriended. Soh leaves the city of Osaka (central Japan) to go to the rural island of Shikoku where he finds a similar situation. He determines to bring new hope to the locals by teaching his martial arts skills to a growing band of followers. He gathers the loafers, ruffians and aimless, teaches them Shorinji Kempo (referred to as "Shao Lin" in subtitles) to build them up to be stronger physically and mentally. He meets some new characters, who he soon enlists in his school; Tomoda the young ex-soldier and his sister Miho. When the noodle-stall girl Noriko is raped by a gang of yakuza thugs, Soh and Tomoda dish out some rough justice (with some sharp scissors to one of the miscreant's tenderest flesh). Later, Tomoda and Miho are attacked and Tomoda has his arm cut off with a katana (Samurai sword). Soh avenges that with a visit to the local yakuza boss that leaves the boss with a dislocated arm and his minion missing a digit. Otaki, the former drunken soldier from Osaka joins the group, then in an emotional scene, discovers his wife is alive but has re-married after he was reported dead in the war. When the small-time local yakuza gangs are joined by familiar faces from Osaka seeking to expand their activities, it is time for action with a capital A. Before the final climactic face-off between Soh's students and the yakuza mob, there is time for Soh to receive an urgent message to see Kiku in Osaka. He returns to find the orphans caring for a terminally ill Kiku, who had turned to prostitution to help support them all. Soh experiences an epiphany and comes to recognise that "Strength and Compassion must be together" (Riki Ai Funi). In a typically cinematic finale, Soh's friend Otaki dies is killed by yakuza thugs paid to clear the honest poor from land to be used to build brothels and gambling dens. Soh goes on a final rampage to clear the yakuza right out of town forever. The epilogue reveals how Soh's school has flourished and spread across Japan (circa 1975), with scenes filmed at the organisations magnificent headquarters still based in the town of Tadotsu. Written by David Noble See less
Read more: Plot summary
Director
Norifumi Suzuki (as Noribumi Suzuki)
Composer
Cinematographer
Production Designer
Shûshi Nakamura (as Shûichirô Nakamura)
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Status
Edit Released
Updated Dec 31, 1975

Release date
Feb 1976 (United States)

Contacts

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Cast

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71 cast members
Name Known for
Shin'ichi Chiba
Doshin So (as Sonny Chiba) Doshin So (as Sonny Chiba)   See fewer
Yutaka Nakajima
Kiku Sakamoto Kiku Sakamoto   See fewer
Makoto Satô
Kentaro Otaki Kentaro Otaki   See fewer
Naoya Makoto
Hiroshi Tomoda Hiroshi Tomoda   See fewer
Sanae Kitabayashi
Kino Nakano Kino Nakano   See fewer
Akiko Mori
Masako Masako   See fewer
Hôsei Komatsu
Sakai Osa Sakai Osa   See fewer
Genji Kawai
Murayama Senzo Murayama Senzo   See fewer
Junichi Tatsu
Miyoshi Bungo Miyoshi Bungo   See fewer
Kazuhide Haruta
Michiomi Nakano Michiomi Nakano   See fewer
Rikiya Yasuoka
Takehara Takehara   See fewer
Seiya Satô
Actor (as Joya Sato) Actor (as Joya Sato)   See fewer
Midori Hoshino
Murayama Noriko Murayama Noriko   See fewer
Makoto Wada
Ishihara Ishihara   See fewer
Shunsuke Kariya
Matsunaga Gunji Matsunaga Gunji   See fewer
Akira Kuji
Actor Actor   See fewer
Miru Rado
Actress Actress   See fewer
Taiko Rin
Horse thief Horse thief   See fewer
Shigeru Yokoyama
Tachibana Mitsuo Tachibana Mitsuo   See fewer
Megumi Jô
Actress Actress   See fewer
Fumie Shô
Actress Actress   See fewer
Kimie Matsui
Actress Actress   See fewer
Yuko Toshima
Actress Actress   See fewer
Naruhiko Umechi
Actor (as Norihiko Umeji) Actor (as Norihiko Umeji)   See fewer
Mieko Muramatsu
Actress Actress   See fewer
Kôji Sawada
Kimura Kimura   See fewer
Kengo Miyaji
Mitsui Mitsui   See fewer
Yumi Sumika
Chieko Nakano Chieko Nakano   See fewer
Masako Kuchitori
Actress Actress   See fewer
Akemi Koike
Toshie Nakano Toshie Nakano   See fewer
Asao Koike
Sakae Akamatsu Sakae Akamatsu   See fewer
Hiroshi Nawa
Tanosuke Iwasa Tanosuke Iwasa   See fewer
Hideo Murota
Horse thief's division head Horse thief's division head   See fewer
Etsuko Shihomi
Miho Tomoda Miho Tomoda   See fewer
Tetsurô Tanba
Nobuyuki Kobayakawa Nobuyuki Kobayakawa   See fewer
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