Japan Synopsis
悪い奴ほどよく眠る
In this loose adaptation of "Hamlet," illegitimate son Kôichi Nishi climbs to a high position within a Japanese corporation and marries the crippled daughter of company vice president Iwabuchi. At the reception, the wedding cake is a replica of their corporate headquarters, but an aspect of the design reminds the party of the hushed-up death of Nishi's father. It is then that Nishi unleashes his plan to avenge his father's death.
Other Titles From TOHO
Crime + Drama in Japan
203 Japan titles in our catalog blend the Crime and Drama genres. Below: the top-rated of them (excluding The Bad Sleep Well itself).
The 1959–1961 Japan Window
The Bad Sleep Well holds position #9 of 36 Japan films in the 1959–1961 window, below highlighted by audience rating.
#1Hero of the Red Light District
★ 8.6 · 1960
#2The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer
★ 8.4 · 1961
#3The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity
★ 8.2 · 1959
#4Yojimbo
★ 8.1 · 1961
#5The Human Condition I: No Greater Love
★ 8.0 · 1959
#6When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
★ 8.0 · 1960
#7Hiroshima Mon Amour
★ 7.8 · 1959
#8Good Morning
★ 7.7 · 1959
The 1960s Japan Landscape
Catalog density by release year across the 1960s in Japan, 202 titles in total. Highlighted year (yellow) is when The Bad Sleep Well premiered alongside 15 others.
Position in Catalog
Released alongside 15 other Japan films in 1960.
The 135th Japan title from Japan we index (earliest catalogued entry: 1899).
Our Japan catalog contains 4,579 titles in total (2,908 films).
Audience Engagement
213 audience reviews — more than 86% of Japan films in our index.
Review volume (86th percentile) outruns trending popularity (66th) — a durable title with sustained audience attention.
Thematic Fingerprint
Tags on The Bad Sleep Well, grouped by how common each theme is across the full Asian catalog. Rare tags are more distinctive signals.
- corporate greed · 1
- shakespeare in modern dress · 1
- film noir · 12
- japanese noir · 8
- parent child relationship · 46
Reception Benchmarks
Ranked #901 of 4,579 Japan films indexed here (80th percentile by TMDB audience score).
Rating is +0.8 points above the Japan average of 6.9/10.
Among Japan Crime productions specifically: #34 of 402 (top 8%).
Production Details
| Primary Country | Japan |
|---|---|
| Original Language | Japanese |
| Production Companies | TOHO, Kurosawa Production |
| Runtime | 2h 30m |
| Release Date | September 15, 1960 |
| IMDb | tt0054460 |