The Inugami Family (1976)

Kosuke Kindaichi is to Japan what Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe are to America. Except Kindaichi is plagued by chronic dandruff and definitely not the rugged ladies man Humphrey Bogart was. But anyway, Kindaichi is the lead of something like dozens of novels and films. In this entry, Kindaichi is hired by a lawyer to intervene in the affairs of the Inugami family. After having read the patriarch's last will, the lawyer fears that tragedy is imminent. And indeed it is, because soon enough dead bodies are rising to the surface. Despite being the main character, Kindaichi plays more of a background role, and the film instead focuses on the various intrigues and backstabbings of the Inugami clan. Filmed in his usual detached, dry, and wry style, Ichikawa revels in the multiple plot twists within twists within twists. The characters here are histrionic and completely out of their minds. When they get mad, they go for the jugular. Ichikawa also plays up the stifling formalism of the family meetings, and various Japanese customs. At times, the movie plays out like a Bizarro World version of an Ozu film. However, the running time is a problem. The movie could have been cut down by a half hour to make for a more cohesive and satisfying experience. I definitely want to see the rest of the Kindaichi movies from the seventies series, most of which were directed by Ichikawa, but also includes some entries by luminaries such as Obayashi and Shinoda. Sadly, this is only one of three currently available with English subtitles.