The Castle of Sand

Original title: Suna no utsuwa

1974
2h 23m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Police Procedural Crime Drama Mystery Thriller

Detectives investigate the murder of an old man found in a Tokyo rail yard.Detectives investigate the murder of an old man found in a Tokyo rail yard.Detectives investigate the murder of an old man found in a Tokyo rail yard.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.3/10

1.6K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 7 wins & 1 nomination

Photos73

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Seichô Matsumoto once said he preferred this movie, based on his novel, over said novel.

Connections
Referenced in NHK Special: Sayonara eiga no furusato: Ofuna satsueijo (2000)

User reviews19

Review

Featured review

9/10

Doesn't get the attention it deserves

I saw "The Castle of Sand" at a Japanese Film Festival this year in Sydney, and I must say that I'm surprised that this movie isn't better known as it's so beautifully made and incredibly moving...It's one of those near-perfect gems that are few and far between. It's a fairly long movie at nearly 2.5 hours, but the movie is one that draws you in very quickly and keeps you wondering up until the very end.

The plot centres around the mysterious murder of Miki, a retired policeman in his 60's who was well-liked by pretty much everyone who knew him for his kindness and integrity. Two detectives, one a rookie and one fairly older, are assigned to the case and what at first seems like three unrelated stories slowly weave together to reveal the reasons and the person behind Miki's death. Even if you're not a fan of foreign movies, "The Castle of Sand" is still definitely worth a watch.