3 Raccoon Dogs (1966)
A sharp Japanese crime comedy from TOHO about three con artists whose elaborate swindles always seem to backfire at the worst possible moment.
3 Raccoon Dogs - Movie Information
- Original Title: 3匹の狸
- Release Year: 1966
- Directed by: Hideo Suzuki
- Type: Movie
- Genres: Crime, Comedy
- Runtime: 1h 30m
- Original Language: Japanese
- Spoken Languages: Japanese
- Release Date (Theatrical): August 31, 1966 (Japan)
- Alternative Titles: 3 Biki no tanuki (JP)
- Production Companies: TOHO
- Production Countries: Japan
3 Raccoon Dogs - Plot
A conman team swindles through jewel scams, marriage fraud, and fake school admissions. Their schemes bring quick riches but collapse before escape, landing them in prison—while a former mark prospers by stealing their tricks.
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3 Raccoon Dogs - Cast & Crew
Director(s)
- Hideo Suzuki
Main Cast
- Junzaburō Ban
- Akira Takarada
- Shoichi Ozawa
- Yuriko Hoshi
- Mitsuko Kusabue
- Keiko Sawai
- Etsuko Ichihara
- Kirin Kiki
- Akemi Kita
- Nobuo Nakamura
Writers
- Yasuo Tanami
Producers
- Tomohiro Kaiyama
3 Raccoon Dogs - FAQs
Where can you watch 3 Raccoon Dogs online?
Streaming availability for 3 Raccoon Dogs is limited given its age and regional distribution. Your best option is to check JustWatch for up-to-date viewing options in your country, as availability can vary by region and platform. Physical media or specialty Japanese cinema archives may also carry the film.
What is 3 Raccoon Dogs about?
3 Raccoon Dogs follows a team of con artists who run a series of elaborate swindles — jewel scams, marriage fraud, and fake school admissions. Their schemes generate quick profits but consistently collapse before they can escape, landing them in prison, while one of their former marks prospers by copying their methods.
Who are the main actors in 3 Raccoon Dogs?
The film stars Junzaburō Ban, Akira Takarada, and Shoichi Ozawa as the three con artists at the center of the story. The supporting cast includes Yuriko Hoshi, Mitsuko Kusabue, Keiko Sawai, Etsuko Ichihara, Kirin Kiki, Akemi Kita, and Nobuo Nakamura.
Who directed 3 Raccoon Dogs?
3 Raccoon Dogs was directed by Hideo Suzuki, a filmmaker working within the prolific TOHO studio system during the 1960s. The film reflects the era's appetite for light crime comedies blending social satire with broad, crowd-pleasing humor typical of Japanese popular cinema of the period.
When was 3 Raccoon Dogs released?
3 Raccoon Dogs was released in Japan on August 31, 1966. It was produced by TOHO, one of Japan's most prominent film studios, and was part of the studio's output of genre comedies during the mid-1960s, a period of considerable commercial creativity in Japanese popular cinema.
What genre is 3 Raccoon Dogs?
3 Raccoon Dogs is a crime comedy. It blends the mechanics of a caper film — con artists, elaborate schemes, and inevitable downfalls — with comedic timing and social observation. The film uses its criminal protagonists as vehicles for satirizing greed and gullibility in postwar Japanese society.
How long is 3 Raccoon Dogs?
3 Raccoon Dogs has a runtime of 90 minutes, making it a compact and briskly paced crime comedy. The film moves efficiently through its succession of cons and capers without overstaying its welcome, a hallmark of TOHO's commercially minded genre productions of the 1960s.
Is 3 Raccoon Dogs based on a true story?
3 Raccoon Dogs does not appear to be based on a specific true story. It is a fictional crime comedy rooted in the conventions of the Japanese caper genre, using its trio of con artists as a satirical lens on postwar society rather than dramatizing any documented real-world criminal case.
More About 3 Raccoon Dogs
Explore further details and official database entries for this 1966 Japanese crime comedy.