The Hoodlum Priest
やくざ坊主
Synopsis
The first film in the 2 part series about Ryuzen, a renegade martial-arts priest who, in addition to breaking all the commandments against sex and gambling, opens his own gambling den in direct defiance of the local yakuza boss. Exciting action and a twisty plot this movie breaks new barriers in Japanese cinema. Katsu Shintaro is superb in one of his better non-Zato Ichi roles as he fights off the advances of a love-lorn woman and risks his life to defeat the powerful gambling boss who has a stranglehold on the town.
Part of the Hoodlum Priest Collection
Stream the entire interconnected saga and experience every installment in chronological storyline order.
Trailers, Teasers & Extra Featurettes
Official promotional previews, behind-the-scenes footage, and exclusive clips.
Yakuza Bozu
Type: Clip • Published 2022-04-01
Top Cast
Explore Star Directory →
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- Kimiyoshi Yasuda
- Screenplay & Story
- Hajime Takaiwa
- Original Score
- Chumei Watanabe
- Original Title
- やくざ坊主
- Country of Origin
- Japan
- Spoken Languages
- Japanese
- Runtime
- 1h 24m
- Production Studios
- Daiei Film
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
Kimiyoshi Yasuda
Hajime Takaiwa
Chumei Watanabe
Fujio Morita
Hiroshi Yamada
Department Leadership Roster
Kimiyoshi Yasuda
Director
Hiroshi Yamada
Editor
Hajime Takaiwa
Screenplay
Chumei Watanabe
Original Music Composer
Fujio Morita
Director of Photography
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for The Hoodlum Priest.
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring The Hoodlum Priest.
Martial Arts
Auto-filled from Letterboxd lists
Martial Arts - Movies
Similar Titles to The Hoodlum Priest
Movies sharing stylistic DNA, tone, and thematic storytelling
8.1
6.0
7.7
6.7
6.2
6.8
8.0
7.0
7.9
8.0
7.3
7.5
6.4
7.1
6.5
6.7
6.3
More Like The Hoodlum Priest
Recommended titles matching themes, cast, and genres.
Frequently Asked Questions About The Hoodlum Priest
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is The Hoodlum Priest about?
The first film in the 2 part series about Ryuzen, a renegade martial-arts priest who, in addition to breaking all the commandments against sex and gambling, opens his own gambling den in direct defiance of the local yakuza boss. Exciting action and a twisty plot this movie breaks new barriers in Japanese cinema. Katsu Shintaro is superb in one of his better non-Zato Ichi roles as he fights off the advances of a love-lorn woman and risks his life to defeat the powerful gambling boss who has a stranglehold on the town.
Who directed The Hoodlum Priest?
The Hoodlum Priest was directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda.
Who stars in The Hoodlum Priest?
The principal cast of The Hoodlum Priest includes Shintarō Katsu, Mayumi Ogawa, Mikio Narita, Kayo Mikimoto, Naoko Kubo.
When was The Hoodlum Priest released and how long is it?
The Hoodlum Priest was released in 1967 with a total runtime of 1h 24m.
Who composed the musical score for The Hoodlum Priest?
The original motion picture soundtrack for The Hoodlum Priest was composed by Chumei Watanabe.