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The Black Gambler

黒い賭博師

Directed by: Kō Nakahira 
1965 / 86 minutes / Unclassified 15+

Has this smooth-talking dealer finally met his match?

A regular Japanese crime star, Akira Kobayashi rolls smoothly onto the gravel of Tokyo’s gambling dens as the skilled and gentlemanly stranger Kо̄ji Himuro. Mistrusts and deceptions creep into a perilous ring around his unbeatable left-hand deal, as he unwittingly tempts a trail of rivalries. Little does he know that a deadly international gambling syndicate is on its way to Tokyo. Bored of more worldly matters, Nakahira’s gamblers are as lavish with their coins as they are vengeful with their pride.  

The geographically distant Vietnam War forms the looming, peripheral milieu of this Bond-esque crime drama centred around the most top-tier players in the game. Released alongside Nikkatsu’s immensely popular churn out of 60s crime, The Black Gambler jests a finely clothed satirical lens upon Japan’s globalising condition, brilliantly capturing Nakahira’s swift and comprehensive style in full colour film.