Mission: Iron Castle (1970): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1970, Mission: Iron Castle is an action, drama, crime and war film directed by Kazuo Mori, running about 79 minutes.

What it’s about. The Shinobi-no-Mono series was so successful that Daiei Studios dipped into the well one more time, making the best 60′s B&W ninja movie ever seen in the otherwise color-dominated year of 1970. Issei Mori directs Hiroki Matsukata as the reluctant leader of a small band of spies charged with kidnapping a noblewoman from a heavily ninja-proofed castle. The finality of the air slowly began to fill like smoke, and in all that had become dark the loyalty of the Ninja who dared to go shone like light as they entered a world shrouded in mystery. Things do not go as planned in what is possibly the darkest and most fatalistic of the already noir-ish 60′s fare. Both the decade and it’s distinctive style of shinobi cinema went out on a high note with Mission Iron Castle.

Who’s in it. Mission: Iron Castle stars Hiroki Matsukata as Yoshiro, Tōru Minegishi, Kōjirō Hongō and Michiyo Yasuda, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.5/10, Mission: Iron Castle has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Mission: Iron Castle page.

If you liked it. Fans of Mission: Iron Castle 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.