# Pistol Opera > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Pistol_Opera > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Pistol_Opera.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pistol_Opera > Source revision: 1350155449 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) 2001 film by Seijun Suzuki Pistol Opera Directed by Seijun Suzuki Written by Kazunori Itō Takeo Kimura Produced by Ikki Katashima Satoru Ogura Starring Makiko Esumi Sayoko Yamaguchi Kirin Kiki Mikijiro Hira Masatoshi Nagase Cinematography Yonezo Maeda Edited by Akira Suzuki Music by Kazufumi Kodama Production company Branded to Kill: Pistol Opera Production Committee Distributed by Shochiku Release date October 27, 2001 (2001-10-27) Running time 112 minutes Country Japan Language Japanese ***Pistol Opera*** (ピストルオペラ, ****Pisutoru Opera****) is a 2001 Japanese film directed by [Seijun Suzuki](/source/Seijun_Suzuki) and starring [Makiko Esumi](/source/Makiko_Esumi).[1][2] ## Cast - [Makiko Esumi](/source/Makiko_Esumi) as Miyuki Minazuki, a.k.a. Stray Cat, a.k.a. Killer No. 3 - [Sayoko Yamaguchi](/source/Sayoko_Yamaguchi) as Sayoko Uekyo - [Kirin Kiki](/source/Kirin_Kiki) as Minazuki's grandmother - [Mikijiro Hira](/source/Mikijiro_Hira) as Goro Hanada, a.k.a. The Champ, a.k.a. the former Killer No. 1 - [Hanae Kan](/source/Hanae_Kan) as Sayoko, the young girl - [Kenji Sawada](/source/Kenji_Sawada) as Assassin NO.2 - Jan Woudstra as Painless Surgeon, a.k.a. No. 5 - [Masatoshi Nagase](/source/Masatoshi_Nagase) as the Man in Black, a.k.a. Dark Horse - [Haruko Kato](/source/Haruko_Kato) as Shizuka Orikuchi ## Production Hanada is not played by [Joe Shishido](/source/Joe_Shishido) this time, but by [Mikijiro Hira](/source/Mikijiro_Hira); Suzuki has said that the original intent was for Shishido to play the character again, but that the film's producer, Satoru Ogura, wanted Hira to play the character instead. The reasons for this are still unclear.[3] ## Reception ‹ The [template](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Template) below (*[Rotten Tomatoes prose](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Rotten_Tomatoes_prose)*) is being considered for deletion. See [templates for discussion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Templates_for_discussion/Log/2026_June_18#Rotten_Tomatoes_and_Metacritic_film_prose) to help reach a consensus. › On the [review aggregator](/source/Review_aggregator) website [Rotten Tomatoes](/source/Rotten_Tomatoes), 78% of 18 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.7/10.[4] ‹ The [template](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Template) below (*[Metacritic film prose](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Metacritic_film_prose)*) is being considered for deletion. See [templates for discussion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Templates_for_discussion/Log/2026_June_18#Rotten_Tomatoes_and_Metacritic_film_prose) to help reach a consensus. › [Metacritic](/source/Metacritic), which uses a [weighted average](/source/Weighted_arithmetic_mean), assigned the film a score of 75 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[5] ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["ピストルオペラとは"](https://kotobank.jp/word/%E3%83%94%E3%82%B9%E3%83%88%E3%83%AB%E3%82%AA%E3%83%9A%E3%83%A9-756219). *kotobank* (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-01-07. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["ピストルオペラ"](http://sp.kinenote.com/main/public/cinema/search_result.aspx?key_search=%E3%83%94%E3%82%B9%E3%83%88%E3%83%AB%E3%82%AA%E3%83%9A%E3%83%A9). [Kinema Junpo](/source/Kinema_Junpo). Retrieved 27 December 2020. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Midnight_Eye_3-0)** Mes, Tom (October 2001). ["Review: *Pistol Opera*"](http://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/pistoper.shtml). Midnight Eye. Retrieved 2007-03-18. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Rotten_Tomatoes_4-0)** ["*Pistol Opera*"](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pistol_opera). *[Rotten Tomatoes](/source/Rotten_Tomatoes)*. [Fandango Media](/source/Fandango_Media). Retrieved October 7, 2021. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Metacritic_5-0)** ["*Pistol Opera*"](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/pistol-opera). *[Metacritic](/source/Metacritic)*. [Fandom, Inc.](/source/Fandom_(website)#Fandom,_Inc.) Retrieved 22 September 2025. ## External links - [*Pistol Opera*](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0285906/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier)) - [*Pistol Opera*](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pistol_opera) at [Rotten Tomatoes](/source/Rotten_Tomatoes) - *[Pistol Opera](http://www.jmdb.ne.jp/2001/dy002910.htm)* (in Japanese) at the [Japanese Movie Database](/source/Japanese_Movie_Database) v t e Films directed by Seijun Suzuki Victory Is Mine Eight Hours of Terror The Naked Woman and the Gun Underworld Beauty Young Breasts Voice Without a Shadow Take Aim at the Police Van Everything Goes Wrong Go to Hell, Hoodlums! Man with a Shotgun Detective Bureau 2-3: Go to Hell Bastards! Youth of the Beast The Bastard Kanto Wanderer The Flower and the Angry Waves Gate of Flesh Our Blood Will Not Forgive Story of a Prostitute Stories of Bastards: Born Under a Bad Star Tattooed Life Carmen from Kawachi Tokyo Drifter Fighting Elegy Branded to Kill A Tale of Sorrow and Sadness Zigeunerweisen Kagero-za Capone Cries a Lot Legend of the Gold of Babylon Yumeji Pistol Opera Princess Raccoon v t e Works by Kazunori Itō Animated series Urusei Yatsura (1981–1984) Creamy Mami, the Magic Angel (1983–1984) Dirty Pair (1985) Maison Ikkoku (1986–1987) Patlabor: The TV Series (1989–1990) .hack//Sign (2002) Absolute Boy (2005) Animated films Patlabor: The Movie (1990) Patlabor: The Movie 2 (1993) Ghost in the Shell (1995) Digital Monster X-Evolution (2005) .hack//The Movie (2011) Live action films The Red Spectacles (1987) Necronomicon (1993) Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995) Gamera 2: Attack of Legion (1996) Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris (1999) Avalon (2001) Pistol Opera (2001) OVAs Kimagure Orange Road: Shonen Jump Special (1985) Prefectural Earth Defense Force (1986) Time Knot: Reflection (1987) Patlabor: The Early Days (1988–1989) .hack//Liminality (2002–2003) Video Games .hack (2002–2003) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Pistol Opera](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pistol_Opera) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pistol_Opera?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.