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Shû Nakajima

Shû Nakajima

Actor · Died July 6, 2017, aged 69 · Tokyo, Japan

Shû Nakajima was born on 18 April 1948 in Tokyo, Japan. He was an actor, known for 47 Ronin (2013), Kagemusha: The Shadow Warrior (1980) and Dreams (1990). He was married to Machiko Washio. He died on 6 July 2017 in Tokyo, Japan.

Biography from IMDb.

Born
April 18, 1948
Died
July 6, 2017 (aged 69)
From
Tokyo, Japan
Works as
Actor
Titles
7 on MovieCove · 11 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 10% in 30 days

What are Shû Nakajima's films like?

Across a limited sample of 3 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
26%
Self
25%
Survival
23%
Bonds
16%
Ideas
10%

What they feel like to watch

their average across 3 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 0 · Serious 0 · Dark 3

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 2 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0

Intense: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their intense movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 1 · Intense 2

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 1 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0

Full focus: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their full focus movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 0 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 2

Heavy: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their heavy movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 0 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 2

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 2 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings shown from 5 titles

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
2
Melancholic
2
Dread
1
Contemplative
1
Cathartic
1
Other
1

How their films linger

Thought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Shû Nakajima's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 3 of their 7 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (2).

Subscription and free streaming for Shû Nakajima's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

11 credits, 7 with a MovieCove page.

  • Birds Without Names(2017)

    as Kunieda

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Sekigahara(2017)

    as Serubicchi

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • The Emperor in August (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    as General Hideki Tojo

  • Saigo no Inochi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    as Homeless Man Ohno

  • The Long Goodbye (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Show 4 episodes · as Bartender

  • 47 Ronin(2013)

    as Horibe

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Bye Bye, Marrano (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Actor

  • To End All Wars(2001)

    as Nagatomo

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Madadayo(1993)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Dreams(1990)

    as Member of Climbing Team

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Violent Cop(1989)

    as Nightclub Employee

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 83rd percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 11 titles from 1989 to 2017; peak year 2017.

Biggest box office

Sekigahara (2017)

$19M worldwide

Highest rated

To End All Wars (2001)

Midcredits 78th

Film career

19892017

Peak 2017 · steadily prominent in film for years. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting11 of 11: 11 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score78th

By decade

1980s1 · acting1990s2 · acting2000s1 · acting2010s7 · acting

Billing

usually 10th · top billed in 0% of 6 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do Shû Nakajima's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 78th percentile, the median of all 7; across a limited sample of 3 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 69th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

69thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Approval · how many liked their films

51stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Reach · how many have seen their films

63rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Midcredits score across 7 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th1

Shape of the crowd

None of their 7 titles divides audiences: 4 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser4
  • Mixed2

Most loved · actor

Dreams (1990)

Midcredits 97th · 84% liked

Reviewers score the acting 82/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles; fans 86, detractors 60. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.