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The Castle of Sand

The Castle of Sand

Crime · Mystery · Drama · 1974

Two detectives are tasked to investigate the murder of an old man, found bludgeoned to death in a Tokyo rail yard.

Movie details

The Castle of Sand

1974 Crime · Mystery · Drama 2h 23m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.4 / 10

Community rating

Two detectives are tasked to investigate the murder of an old man, found bludgeoned to death in a Tokyo rail yard.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Castle of Sand?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Charts the troubled teenage years of students Yūichi Hasumi and Shūsuke Hoshino, exploring the shifting and complex power dynamics of their relationship against the backdrop of Yūichi's love for the dreamy and abstract music of pop star Lily Chou-Chou.

Detective Conan: Captured in Her Eyes

Detective Conan: Captured in Her Eyes

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Police officers around Tokyo are being murdered by an unknown assailant. When Ran witnesses an attempt on the life of one of her friends in the police, she loses her memory. Now, Conan and Inspector Megure must find the murderer while Ran attempts to regain her lost memories.

Miss Marple: They Do It with Mirrors

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At the insistence of Ruth Van Rydock, an old schoolfriend who is convinced that there is something wrong, Miss Marple agrees to visit 'Stonygates', the country house of Ruth's sister.

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A new member from the Black Organization that shrunk Shinichi's body manages to find out about Shinichi's transformation into Conan. This discovery starts to put those around him in danger as Gin and the other Black Organization members start to take action.

Murder on the Orient Express

Murder on the Orient Express

Drama · 1974

In 1935, when his train is stopped by deep snow, detective Hercule Poirot is called on to solve a murder that occurred in his car the night before.

Detective Conan: The Time Bombed Skyscraper

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Once brilliant teenage detective Shinichi Kudo was given a poison that reverted him to a 4-year-old. He's adopted the pseudonym Conan Edogawa so no one (save for an eccentric inventor) will know. Now he's got to solve a series of bombings before his loved ones become victims. Who is this madman and why is he doing this? Only the young genius can save the day but will even he be up to the task?

Evil Under the Sun

Evil Under the Sun

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An opulent beach resort provides a scenic background to this amusing whodunit as Poirot attempts to uncover the nefarious evildoer behind the strangling of a notorious stage star.

The Crimes That Bind

The Crimes That Bind

Mystery · 2018

Michiko Oshitani, who lived in Shiga Prefecture, is found dead at an apartment in Tokyo. She was strangled to death. Mutsuo Koshikawa is the owner of the apartment and he goes missing. Detectives including Yuhei Matsumiya who is a cousin of Detective Kyoichiro Kaga , have difficulties in solving the case. They can't find a connection between Michiko Oshitani and Mutsuo Koshikawa. They soon learn that Michiko Oshitani came to Tokyo to visit Hiromi Asai . They graduated from the same school, but there isn't a connection between Hiromi Asai and Mutsuo Koshikawa. Detective Yuhei Matsumiya finds something near Michiko Oshitani's body. That something has the names of 12 bridges surrounding the Nihonbashi area of Tokyo. Detective Kyoichiro Kaga learns of the clue and becomes agitated. There's a connection with his late mother

Agatha and the Truth of Murder

Agatha and the Truth of Murder

Drama · 2018

England, December 1926. Although her personal life is in tatters, the famous writer Agatha Christie decides to leave everything behind to help unravel an unsolved murder committed on a train six years ago, unable to imagine the disproportionate consequences that such a selfless act will cause.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Yoshitarō Nomura

Written by

Shinobu Hashimoto · Yoji Yamada

Tetsuro Tamba

Tetsuro Tamba

Detective Eitaro Imanishi

Gō Katō

Gō Katō

Eiro Waga

Kensaku Morita

Kensaku Morita

Detective Hiroshi Yoshimura

Yoko Shimada

Yoko Shimada

Reiko Takagi

Karin Yamaguchi

Karin Yamaguchi

Sachiko Tadakoro

Shin Saburi

Shin Saburi

Ex-Finance Minister, Shigeki Tadokoro

Yoshi Katō

Yoshi Katō

Chiyokichi Motoura

Court is in session

Put The Castle of Sand on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Auteur Devotee

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.