Ironfinger (or 100 shots,100 killed) is a Toho's parody to the James Bond series, It stars Akira Takarada as Andrew Hishino who seems like a regular guy caught up in a secret agent scam but he is not who he seems, also starring is Mia Hama who would actually star in a James Bond movie herself (You Only Live Twice)Ichiro Arishima (Mr.Tako from King Kong vs Godzilla) and Akhito Hirata who plays one the villains. If you,like me, grew up watching Godzilla films you would be able to recognize most the cast and it is a treat to watch them perform in something different and they really seemed to have been having a blast making this. The film has a fun and enjoyable and silly atmosphere and while many moments are over the top they go with the film's nature. Unfortunately there is no US DVD release of the film, fortunately if you have a Hulu account you can find it there! along with it's Sequel (though not as fun as the first but still a good one!) Golden eye!
4 Reviews
A wonderful and sadly underrated gem from the makers of Godzilla
jdwowistheman3 January 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Not quite as fun as Golden Eyes
keithomusic15 May 2022
This was made before Golden Eye, and has the same main character in it. It is a good spoof of spy movies. This movie has a ridiculous plot and some ridiculous characters. There were times when I had no idea what was happening. There are a number of actors that many of you watchers of Japanese movies will recognize. There is the Japanese Shemp, Japanese discount George Lazenby, and that one actor that almost always plays the comic relief. The acting is pretty good. But for me the best part was Mie Hama in that red bikini. As for the plot, it involves gun smuggling. The one thing that took me out of the movie just a bit was when they were speaking English or French there would be Japanese subtitles, and since I can't read kanji ( I can read hiragana) I had no idea what those subtitles said, also a bit difficult to read since they are top to bottom and right to left. I don't know who wrote or sang the songs in this movie (and Golden Eyes) but they are some of the worst songs ever and they are not sung well. But if you want a light hearted spoof of 007 movies then this will fit the bill, especially if you like a beautiful Japanese woman in a red bikini.
The Japanese Response to Goldfinger
Uriah4314 March 2020
This film begins with an international agent by the name of "Andrew Hoshino" (Akira Takawada) traveling to several countries in the Far East in an effort to locate and eradicate the leader of a gun-smuggling operation in Japan. While there he forms an unlikely alliance with a freelance bomb expert named "Yumi Sawada" (Mie Hama) who sells her expertise to the highest bidder. In this particular case, she just happens to be working for one specific Japanese clan who is at war with another. Also teaming up with him is a Japanese detective by the name of "Tezuka" (Ichiro Arishima) who wants to stop the carnage at all costs. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was an interesting "James Bond" type of film which had much more humor than I initially expected. The plot also featured a number of twists and turns which helped to a certain extent as well. In any case, I enjoyed this film for the most part and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.
James Bond from Toho
bulladow26 July 2021
Unfortunately there's little known about this film, but a incredible thanks to Criterion for keeping it preserved and able to access for Japanese film/toho fans.
Growing up watching Godzilla, i grew quite fond of the usual actors that are featured in the showa era. Specifically, Akira Takarada, Akihito Hirata, Jun Tazaki etc.
When i found out about ironfinger through Toho Kingdom and that it was a lead role for many Godzilla regulars I had to check out, and thankfully criterion had it to be viewed through Hulu (2013) and ended up having a blast watching it.
Part of the enjoyment was seeing these actors and actress you normally see in Kaiju feature's actually do something different and further showcase their talent for the screen.
It's a wonder why Takarada never became a major star. He performs the role with enthusiasm and Bond like Charisma.
I recommend it. For a casual film goer i doubt this film would have much to add. It has it's moments to be ridiculed but if you are a fan of Toho you shouldn't have a problem having a good time with this.
Growing up watching Godzilla, i grew quite fond of the usual actors that are featured in the showa era. Specifically, Akira Takarada, Akihito Hirata, Jun Tazaki etc.
When i found out about ironfinger through Toho Kingdom and that it was a lead role for many Godzilla regulars I had to check out, and thankfully criterion had it to be viewed through Hulu (2013) and ended up having a blast watching it.
Part of the enjoyment was seeing these actors and actress you normally see in Kaiju feature's actually do something different and further showcase their talent for the screen.
It's a wonder why Takarada never became a major star. He performs the role with enthusiasm and Bond like Charisma.
I recommend it. For a casual film goer i doubt this film would have much to add. It has it's moments to be ridiculed but if you are a fan of Toho you shouldn't have a problem having a good time with this.
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