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      The Man Who Stole the Sun

      Released Oct 9, 1980 2h 27m Comedy List
      Reviews 93% 250+ Ratings Audience Score A high-school teacher (Bunta Sugawara) builds an atomic bomb to hold Tokyo hostage, then cannot decide what he wants. Read More Read Less

      Critics Reviews

      View All (1) Critics Reviews
      Panos Kotzathanasis Asian Movie Pulse "The Man Who Stole the Sun" seems to be a movie that has both everything and nothing, and that is where its biggest value and its cult status lies. Jul 26, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

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      DanTheMan 2 The Man Who Stole the Sun treads the finest of lines in trying to balance its subject matter and tone, but Kazuhiko Hasegawa's controversial movie about nuclear terrorism is a darkly comedic and thrilling satire on a subject once considered unsatiriseable annihilating any form of genre borders in the process. Holding particular resonance for Japanese audiences, as while the country does use nuclear power, it has long held against amassing a nuclear arsenal due to the devastating effects that ended World War II. The movie doesn't stop dead for any form of long-winded nationalistic or philosophical speeches and instead insists on a conceivable reality with seemingly no motivation. One of only two movies directed by Kazuhiko Hasegawa, which in turn feels like a crime in itself, Hasegawa rewards the viewer with some utterly sublime direction and excellent framing, with plenty of thrilling action set pieces to command his viewer's attention at all times (the car chase feels like it was ripped right out of a Ringo Lam movie). It balances the unorthodox nature and tone of the movie exceptionally well, juxtaposing the shifts with unnatural ease. Complimented by funky and often ill-fitting music by Takayuki Inoue to glorious success. The performances are all excellent, with Kenji Sawada playing the everyman gone rogue with an endless amount of animosity slowly succumbing to the effects of radiation poisoning making him more and more unpredictable as the movie goes on. But it's the award-winning performance from the stoic and hardened Bunta Sugawara that really captivates me as he normally does in his roles, single-minded and exceptionally driven. Overall, The Man Who Stole the Sun, even at two and a half hours long, never feels overly long or bloated. The film absolutely refuses to limit itself, and that's why it's so entertaining and impressive. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 07/23/23 Full Review acsdoug D I really like this one. He makes an atomic bomb and then blackmails the city into showing baseball games on TV? That was the best he could do? Hilarious. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 06/08/23 Full Review Audience Member Cringy, annoying, and nonsensical Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review walter m By day, Makoto ' Bubblegum' Kido(Kenji Sawada) is a mild-mannered high school science teacher. By night, he steals a gun which he then uses to steal plutonium from a nuclear power plant. His plans get interrupted when a World War II veteran(Yunosuke Ito) hijacks the full school bus he was trying to sleep on. Thankfully, Makato and Inspector Yamashita(Bunta Sugawara) are able to subdue the hijacker, allowing Makato to return to his plans. You must forgive "The Man who Stole the Sun" for being a little on the long side, for it has a lot of territory to cover. Among the issues that it explores that are important to Japan when this was made in 1979 and no less relevant today are standardized testing, baseball games being interrupted on television(apparently Japan has never had its Heidi Bowl), nuclear weapon proliferation, nuclear power in general, the lack of decent rock music, treatment of war veterans, and the general stagnation of society. This is nowhere near as dry as it sounds, as the movie handles such difficult topics in a frenetic and suspenseful fashion that is also deliberately over the top at times. All of which is in the service of also showing how heroes can also be villains and vice versa. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Um japonês solitário faz uma bomba nuclear em casa e ameaça detonar no centro de Tokio. Em troca, pede que sejam supridos os desejos mais comuns, como assistir uma partida de beisebol. Muito interessante os dilemas à (C)ticos que passam os personagens. O filme à (C) uma alegoria pra discutir o poder dos governos, o espetáculo da mídia, a apatia do cidadão e outras misà (C)rias da vida moderna. Triste, mas essencial pra entender esses terroristas sem causa. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review Audience Member I really love this film (if you can understand Japanese). It really shows Showa-era Japan for what it is and above all else, provides a substantial, well-arranged plot that surprises you even if you know what's going to happen. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      The Man Who Stole the Sun

      The Man Who Stole the Sun (1979) The Man Who Stole the Sun (1979) The Man Who Stole the Sun (1979) The Man Who Stole the Sun (1979) View more photos

      Movie Info

      Synopsis A high-school teacher (Bunta Sugawara) builds an atomic bomb to hold Tokyo hostage, then cannot decide what he wants.
      Director
      Kazuhiko Hasegawa
      Screenwriter
      Kazuhiko Hasegawa, Leonard Schrader
      Production Co
      Kitty Film
      Genre
      Comedy
      Original Language
      Japanese
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Oct 9, 1980, Original
      Runtime
      2h 27m