Red Peony Gambler is currently streaming on Mubi

Red Peony Gambler (1968)98 minAction, Drama, ThrillerRating 50/100

Wandering female gambler Oryu the Red Peony (Junko Fuji), so known for the tattoo on her shoulder, rambles into town searching for her father’s killer with a wallet left at the crime scene as her only clue. At a card game she meets a kindred spirit, the noble and handsome yakuza Katagiri (Ken Takakura), when they team up to foil a cheating player. As their paths continue to cross she befriends a gang boss and other sundry denizens of the underworld who all join forces to guide her on a blood-soaked quest for vengeance. With its fantastic tropes and charismatic stars this inaugural entry in the Red Peony Gambler series proved an influential watershed of the “chivalrous gangster” genre and was so popular that it spawned multiple sequels.

Cast: Sumiko Fuji, Ken Takakura, Tomisaburō Wakayama, Kyōsuke Machida, Isamu Dobashi, Masako Araki, Junpei Arishima

Director: Kōsaku Yamashita