The Wild Reporter (1959): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1959, The Wild Reporter is an action and drama film directed by Akinori Matsuo, running about 86 minutes.

What it’s about. Seven years ago, Ishimatsu Toshio, a talented radio producer at Zen Nihon Hōsō, witnessed a crazed drug addict murder his wife and then commit suicide, though Toshio was able to save the lives of their two children. Just transferred from Shimizu to Tokyo, Toshio hopes to produce a program that will expose the drug trade in Tokyo. One day, Toshio stops into a noodle shop where he is mistaken for a drug dealer and passed a bagful of drugs. The real dealer arrives in time to follow Toshio home. That night Toshio is attacked by the dealer, who turns out to be Kenji, one of the children Toshio had saved. Kenji can't bring himself to kill Toshio, so he runs away and goes into hiding from the mafia. While continuing to investigate the drug trade, Toshio searches for Kenji to get Kenji's testimony for his program.

Who’s in it. The Wild Reporter stars Yūjirō Ishihara as Toshio Ishimatsu, Mie Kitahara as Miki Kojima, Izumi Ashikawa as Reiko Togawa and Keiichirō Akagi as Kenji Togawa, among others.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch The Wild Reporter page.

If you liked it. Fans of The Wild Reporter 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.