Japan Synopsis
In Memphis, Tennessee, over the course of a single night, the Arcade Hotel, run by an eccentric night clerk and a clueless bellboy, is visited by a young Japanese couple traveling in search of the roots of rock; an Italian woman in mourning who stumbles upon a fleeing charlatan girl; and a comical trio of accidental thieves looking for a place to hide.
The 1988–1990 Japan Window
110 Japan films released in this three-year window, ranked here by audience rating. Mystery Train sits at position #33.
The 1980s Japan Landscape
Catalog density by release year in the 1980s. Highlighted year (yellow) is when Mystery Train premiered. 280 total titles in this decade from Japan.
Budget & Box Office Efficiency
At a 1h 46m runtime, production spent $26K per minute on screen and earned $15K per minute back.
Reception Benchmarks
Ranked #1,540 of 4,579 Japan films indexed here (66th percentile by TMDB audience score).
Rating is +0.4 points above the Japan average of 6.9/10.
Among Japan Comedy productions specifically: #556 of 1,411 (top 39%).
Production Details
| Primary Country | Japan |
|---|---|
| All Production Countries | Japan, United States of America |
| Original Language | En |
| Spoken Languages | English, Italian, Japanese |
| Production Companies | Mystery Train, JVC |
| Runtime | 1h 46m |
| Release Date | September 6, 1989 |
| IMDb | tt0097940 |