Cruel Gun Story (1964): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1964, Cruel Gun Story is an action, thriller and crime film directed by Takumi Furukawa, running about 87 minutes.

What it’s about. Businessmen arrange the early release from prison of Togawa, serving time for taking revenge on the truck driver whose carelessness confined Togawa's sister, Rie, to a wheelchair. They want Togawa to hijack an armored truck loaded with 120 million yen; their leverage is to promise him money for surgery for Rie. Togawa consents and plans the heist with three others. The plan is solid, but it doesn't go smoothly. Togawa must improvise, there are traitors somewhere, and double-crosses mount. Can Togawa escape with enough money to help his sister and ensure a passage out of Japan?

Who’s in it. Cruel Gun Story stars Joe Shishido as Togawa, Chieko Matsubara as Rie, Tamio Kawachi as Takizawa and Yuji Odaka as Shirai, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.3/10, Cruel Gun Story has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. In US you can stream it on Criterion Channel. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Cruel Gun Story page.

If you liked it. Fans of Cruel Gun Story tend to enjoy The Dark Knight, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Inception and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.