Koji Yakusho

22 Movies Starring Koji Yakusho

Join FeedFliks and you'll be able to add these titles directly to your DVD or Instant Queue

Thirteen Assassins  2010  3.9 stars Foreign   Rated: NR To stop a tyrant from murdering and exploiting innocent civilians, 13 samurai warriors unite and prepare to end his life. But to kill the evildoer, the assassins must contend with an army of deadly bodyguards who outnumber them by a wide margin. Directed by acclaimed and prolific Japanese filmmaker Takashi Miike, this action-packed samurai remake features Yusuke Iseya, Koji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada and Tsuyoshi Ihara.

Toad's Oil  2009  3.1 stars 131 mins Foreign (Japanese)   Rated: NR Obsessed with his job and the wealth it brings him, day trader Takuro (Koji Yakusho) suddenly finds himself on an unexpected spiritual path in a search for meaning and solace after his son Takuya suffers a tragic accident. Popular leading man Yakusho makes his directorial debut with this upbeat story -- fashioned from Japanese folktales and his own youthful memories -- about the unexpected lessons death can teach us.

Tokyo Sonata  2008  3.2 stars 119 mins Foreign (Japanese)   Rated: PG-13 From Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa comes a drama about the Sasakis, an ordinary Japanese family living a bucolic life -- until the father is abruptly laid off from his job and decides to keep the news from his wife and kids. Soon, the father's sense of shame, and the indignity he faces while passing each day in the park in his suit and tie, quickly turns into a rage that proves to hold irrevocable consequences for all concerned.

Silk  2007  2.9 stars 109 mins Drama   Rated: R Nineteenth-century French silk merchant Herve Joncour (Michael Pitt) goes on a trading mission to Japan, where he's bewitched by the beautiful concubine of Baron Baldabiou (Alfred Molina). But their relationship doesn't end when he returns home to his wife (Keira Knightley). François Girard directs this sumptuous adaptation of Alessandro Barrico's novel, in which Herve secretly maintains a long-distance romance with the woman through translated letters.

Babel  2006  3.3 stars 143 mins Drama   Rated: R When an American couple (Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett) vacationing in Morocco fall victim to a random act of violence, a series of events unfolds across four countries that demonstrates both the necessity and impossibility of human communication. Director Alejandro González Iñárritu artfully weaves together three seemingly disparate stories in this Oscar nominee for Best Picture and Golden Globe winner for Best Drama.

Retribution  2006  2.8 stars 104 mins Foreign (Japanese)   Rated: R  until 13-Apr-2012      While investigating the gruesome death of a woman found in a puddle with her stomach inexplicably full of seawater, Detective Yoshioka begins to wonder whether he himself is actually the killer he's been looking for. He doesn't remember committing the crime, but the murder scene is littered with his belongings -- and his fingerprints are all over the body. Kiyoshi Kurosawa directs this gritty horror tale from the producers of The Grudge.

Memoirs of a Geisha  2005  3.7 stars 145 mins Drama   Rated: PG-13 When 9-year-old Chiyo is sold to a Kyoto geisha house, she endures harsh treatment from the owners and the haughty head geisha, Hatsumomo -- who's envious of Chiyo's stunning beauty -- only to be rescued by Hatsumomo's rival. Chiyo blooms in her role as a geisha, but World War II threatens to change her privileged life forever. Ziyi Zhang, Ken Watanabe, Michelle Yeoh and Li Gong star in this Oscar-winning period drama based on Arthur Golden's novel.

Memoirs of a Geisha: Bonus Material  2005  3.3 stars 90 mins Drama   Rated: NR This companion disc to Rob Marshall's gorgeous film includes photo galleries and 11 Behind-the-Scenes featurettes including "The Look of a Geisha," "The Music of the Film," "Geisha Bootcamp," "A Geisha's Dance" and more.

Doppelganger  2003  2.9 stars 107 mins Foreign (Japanese)   Rated: R Kiyoshi Kurosawa directs this science fiction thriller about the ultimate evil twin. After being told that if he encounters his exact counterpart, or doppelganger, he'll die, scientist Michio Hayasaki (Koji Yakusho) comes face to face with -- who else? -- himself. Michio is able to get along with his doppelganger for a while, but his twin is so aggressive and so opposite of Michio that it eventually overtakes his life. Hiromi Nagasaku also stars.

Warm Water Under a Red Bridge  2002  2.8 stars 119 mins Foreign (Japanese)   Rated: NR Inspired by a homeless man's story, Yosuke (Koji Yakusho), an unemployed businessman, travels to a remote seaside village where a golden Buddha stolen from a Kyoto temple is supposedly hidden. Instead, Yosuke finds Saeko (Misa Shimizu), a woman with an odd affliction: She fills up with water, and when she's full, she leaks ... and the only way to express the fluid is to make love.

Pulse  2001  2.9 stars 118 mins Foreign (Japanese)   Rated: NR  until 01-Jun-2011     Set in Tokyo, this disturbing thriller follows three people facing a mystery that defies temporal explanation as a young man named Taguchi kills himself and later appears as a spectral computer image. Soon more of the city's denizens vanish in a similar fashion, with their ghostly souls turning up on the same Internet site. Can Taguchi's co-worker (Kumiko Aso), a college slacker (Haruhiko Kato) and a computer whiz (Koyuki) solve the conundrum?

Dora-Heita  2000  3.4 stars 111 mins Foreign (Japanese)   Rated: NR Thirty years after writing the script with fellow master directors Akira Kurosawa, Masaki Kobayashi and Keisuke Kinoshita, Kon Ichikawa brings the story of an unruly samurai (Koji Yakusho) to the screen. Nicknamed Dora-Heita ("Alley Cat") for his penchant for debauchery, the samurai is assigned to clean up a lawless small town. His reputation is well-known, so the local thugs are in disbelief when the new magistrate gets down to business.

Seance  2000  2.9 stars 97 mins Foreign (Japanese)   Rated: NR  until 01-Sep-2011     Adapted from Mark McShane's novel, Kiyoshi Kurosawa's moody thriller centers on a sound effects engineer (Koji Yakusho) and his psychic wife (Jun Fubuki) who find themselves involved in a young girl's kidnapping. With nowhere to turn and the clock ticking, husband and wife devise a solution that winds up putting them in greater jeopardy than they'd ever imagined. Kitarou, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi and Hikari Ishida also star.

Eureka  2000  3.8 stars Foreign   Rated: NR When a bloody shootout takes place on a crosstown bus, the only survivors -- the driver, Makoto (Koji Yakusho), and two young siblings, Kozue and Naoki (Aoi and Masaru Miyazaki) -- band together as they struggle to cope in the aftermath of the massacre. The forlorn trio sets out on the open road, hoping to heal from their macabre ordeal. But the outside world is unsympathetic, and shocking secrets are revealed along the way.

Lost Paradise  2000  2.8 stars 120 mins Foreign (Japanese)   Rated: NR Kuki (Koji Yakusho) is a veteran magazine editor whose popularity has waned as he's aged. Depressed about his job and his emotionally distant wife, Kuki begins an affair with Rinko (Hitomi Kuroki), a young woman who shares some of Kuki's issues. Midlife crisis behavior soon evolves into something resembling love -- but soon the couple's spouses learn the truth. Despite the obstacles, the pair vows to be together.

Charisma  1999  3.0 stars 104 mins Foreign (Japanese)   Rated: NR A washed-up detective becomes obsessed with a supernatural tree in Kiyoshi Kurosawa's existentialist eco-thriller. After botching a hostage situation, a dishonored Tokyo investigator (Koji Yakusho) retreats to the wilderness for some alone time. Instead of solitude, he encounters a sinister tree both feared and revered by the locals. The confused detective soon finds himself caught up in a fight over whether to protect or destroy the tree.

Retribution  1999  1.6 stars 89 mins Action & Adventure   Rated: NR Part ghost story, part murder mystery, this film from Japanese horror maestro Kikyoshi Kurosawa stars Koji Yakusho as a veteran cop whose world is turned upside down when every clue in a murder he's investigating leads straight back to himself. With no memories of the event, the cop is already questioning his sanity when a ghost wearing the murder victim's red dress begins appearing to him, and additional bodies begin to show up.

Cure  1997  3.3 stars 111 mins Foreign (Japanese)   Rated: NR Detective Takabe (Koji Yakusho) struggles to solve a group of unexplained murders, and so far, the only link that seems to exist among the crimes involves a wound in the shape of an X on the throats of all victims. Soon, evidence surfaces that points in the direction of a lively amnesiac, sending Takabe into a frightening world of ritualistic and inexplicable behavior. Kiyoshi Kurosawa directs this thriller based on his novel of the same name.

The Eel  1997  3.6 stars 117 mins Foreign (Japanese)   Rated: NR Paroled from prison after serving eight years for butchering his unfaithful wife and her lover, Takuro Yamashita (Kôji Yakusho) tries to begin anew in this pensive drama directed by Shohei Imamura. Setting up a barbershop in a coastal fishing village, the unsociable Takuro has only his pet eel for companionship until he saves beautiful Keiko Hattori (Misa Shimizu) -- who resembles his dead spouse -- from a suicide attempt.

Shall We Dance?  1996  3.8 stars 119 mins Foreign (Japanese)   Rated: PG During his daily commute, likable but dejected Tokyo office worker Shohei (Koji Yakusho) sees a stunning woman in a dance studio. Taken with her, he enrolls in ballroom dance lessons at the studio, even though he risks losing face. Dancing is something his society considers an improper activity for a man. Shohei quickly realizes, however, that he has a gift for dance and loves participating in it, much to the alarm of his wife and daughter.

Kamikaze Taxi  1995  2.8 stars 169 mins Foreign (Japanese)   Rated: NR Tatsuo (Kazuya Takahashi) is an unruly orphan who's been biding his time by working underground in the world of the Yazuka. All is well until a crooked politician has Tatsuo's girlfriend killed, prompting him to concoct a revenge-laden plot against the senator. But when things don't go as planned, Tatsuo finds himself on the run, with only the help of a friendly cab driver (Koji Yakusho) to keep him going.

Tampopo  1986  4.0 stars 114 mins Foreign (Japanese)   Rated: NR A celebration of the role of food in Japanese culture, acclaimed director Juzo Itami's hit satire was dubbed the first "noodle western" for its delightful parody of American Westerns and Japanese samurai films. Tampopo follows a young widow (Nobuki Miiyamoto) who runs a small noodle restaurant in Tokyo and Goro (Tsutomu Yamazaki), a cowboy hat-wearing truck driver, as they attempt to concoct the perfect bowl of ramen.