Rusty Knife

Set in the post-war city of Udaka, this crime thriller follows a determined district attorney attempting to convict a confident criminal named Katsumata. The investigation takes a turn when an anonymous letter arrives regarding the death of a city council member from five years prior. This lead brings the prosecutor into the life of Tachibana, a man struggling to leave his ties to the mafia behind after serving time in prison for a revenge killing. Tachibana is connected to Keiko, the daughter of the deceased councilman.

Directed by Toshio Masuda, this is the second of 33 films in his career, following The Perfect Game and preceding A Man Explodes. The screenplay was written by Masuda and Shintarō Ishihara. The film features Yūjirō Ishihara as Tachibana, alongside Mie Kitahara, Shōji Yasui, Joe Shishido, Akira Kobayashi, and Masao Shimizu. Produced by Nikkatsu Corporation, the movie has a runtime of 90 minutes.

Audience reception is generally positive, with a rating of 6.7/10 on IMDb based on 774 votes. On TMDB, the film holds a lower rating of 5.9/10 from 17 votes.