The Homeless

Mushuku 無宿

Director: Koichi Saito 斉藤耕一
Released: October 9, 1974
Distributor: Toho
Screenplay: Takehiro Nakajima 中島丈博 and Michio Sobu 蘇武道男

Starring:
Meiko Kaji 梶芽衣子 as Sakie
Shintaro Katsu 勝 新太郎 as Genzo Komagata
Ken Takakura 高倉 健 as Jokichi Anabuki
Noboru Ando 安藤 昇 as Senzo Hikawa
Fujima Murasaki 藤間紫 as Umenojo Bando
Ichiro Nakatani 中谷一郎 as Tappei
Kenji Imai 今井健二 as Isokichi
Renji Ishibashi 石橋蓮司 as Yusaku

Info:

Remake of the French film The Last Adventure (Les Aventuriers) by Robert Enrico. The original stars Alain Delon, Lino Ventura and Joanna Shimkus.

Available on unsubtitled DVD.

Also known under the names Yadonashi, Homeless Wanderers and Homeless Vagabonds.

Meiko Kaji's "nude" shot in this film is a body double. At around this point in her career, she decided she wasn't going to nudity anymore.

According to Japanese film expert Tom Mes, this films failure at the box office ushered in the end of the era of stars producing their own films. He also indicates that the poor box office showing for this film may be a part of the reason that Meiko Kaji did mostly television after this point and why when she did appear in film, it was mostly in supporting roles.

 

Plot:

Two inmates, Genzo and Jokichi, are released from the same prison at the same time. They go their separate ways, but run into each other at the nearest brothel. At the brothel they meet Sakie, a prostitiute in trouble with the yakuza. They help her escape and the three of them go looking for some treasure off the coast that only she knows the location of.