Stakeout (張込み, Harikomi) is a 1958 Japanese drama and crime film directed by Yoshitarō Nomura, based on a short story by Seicho Matsumoto of the same name.
Contents
Plot
After the murder of a pawnbroker, Tokyo detectives Shimooka and Yuki are sent to Kyushu, home of murder suspect Ishii's former girlfriend, Sadako, as the police expect Ishii to make contact with her. While observing her house, Yuki starts to sympathise with Sadako, who has an unhappy marriage with a mean and domineering bank executive.
When Ishii finally meets with Sadako, Ishii tells her that he wanted to see her but cannot stay. Both regret abandoning their love. They agree to go away together. The police arrest Ishii, leaving behind a grieving Sadako. As Shimooka and Yuki prepare to return to Tokyo with Ishii, Yuki writes a telegram to his girlfriend Yumiko, promising to marry her.
Cast
Seiji Miyaguchi as Shimooka
Minoru Ōki as Yuki
Hideko Takamine as Sadako
Takahiro Tamura as Ishii
Hizuru Takachiho as Yumiko
Kin Sugai as Mrs. Shimooka
Kumeko Urabe as landlady
Ryōhei Uchida as Yamada
Kamatari Fujiwara as Yumiko's father
Tomoko Fumino as Yumiko's mother
Miki Odagiri as maid
Kazuko Yamamoto as maid
Masao Shimizu as Sadako's husband
Awards
1958 Kinema Junpo Award, Blue Ribbon Award and Mainichi Film Award for Best Screenplay (Shinobu Hashimoto).
Legacy
Matsumoto's short story was repeatedly adapted for television in later years. Some of these adaptations stayed closer to the original story, which has only one detective, Yuki, observe Sadako, while others took over Hashimoto's idea to present two detectives.