Japan Synopsis
鬼火
After spending over half his life in prison, ex-hitman Kunihiro is determined to go straight. But the shortcomings of the new gangs mean that he is soon having to call on his old-school yakuza talents. And when he falls for Asako, a beautiful piano player, she unknowingly ignites a fire within Kuni that will immolate everything and everybody around him. Regarded by many as his masterpiece, Onibi has all the hallmarks of a Mochizuki film, with the gangster elements tightly compressed and controlled to allow space in which a subdued romance can bloom. Coming from a background in porno cinema, this master of sexual relations injects a fresh passion and tension into the macho world of the yakuza film.
The 1996–1998 Japan Window
144 Japan films released in this three-year window, ranked here by audience rating. Onibi: The Fire Within sits at position #141.
Titles With Overlapping Themes
Films and series that share thematic tags with Onibi: The Fire Within. Number on each card indicates how many keywords overlap.
Other Titles From GAGA Communications
The 1990s Japan Landscape
Catalog density by release year in the 1990s. Highlighted year (yellow) is when Onibi: The Fire Within premiered. 447 total titles in this decade from Japan.
Reception Benchmarks
Ranked #4,383 of 4,579 Japan films indexed here (4th percentile by TMDB audience score).
Rating is -1.7 points below the Japan average of 6.9/10.
Among Japan Drama productions specifically: #1,891 of 1,933 (top 98%).
Production Details
| Primary Country | Japan |
|---|---|
| Original Language | Japanese |
| Production Companies | GAGA Communications |
| Runtime | 1h 41m |
| Release Date | April 19, 1997 |
| IMDb | tt0119836 |