Original subtitles

A SHOCHIKU FILM

DRAGON KING

What are you doing?

What are you doing? Don't shoot!

Don't kill any more people! Don't shoot!

Captain!

Stop it, please!

-Don't shoot them, please! -Yoriko!

Let me go!

Honey!

Quiet up there!

My husband!

Help him!

Help him... please!

Don't shoot anymore!

Please save him!

THE LIVING SKELETON

Produced by AKIRA INOMATA

Screenplay by KIKUMA SHIMOIIZAKA and KYUZO KOBAYASHI

Cinematography by MASAYUKI KATO

Production Design by KYOHEI MORITA

Music by NOBORU NISHIYAMA

Lighting by TAKEHIKO SAKUMA

Edited by KAZUO OTA

Sound by HIDEO KOBAYASHI

Starring

KIKKO MATSUOKA

YASUNORI IRIKAWA

MASUMI OKADA

ASAO UCHIDA ASAO KOIKE

NORIHIKO YAMAMOTO KEIJIRO KIKYO

HITOSHI TAKAGI, KAORI TANIGUCHI KEIKO YANAGAWA

Featuring NOBUO KANEKO and KO NISHIMURA

Directed by KOKI MATSUNO

THREE YEARS LATER

As we gather here,

O Lord, please hear our prayer

for the soul of the departed.

This we ask in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

May everlasting light shine upon him.

Grant him eternal rest, O Lord.

And may the souls of the faithful departed,

through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

May all his sins be forgiven, and may the Lord lead him to eternal life.

I'm sorry.

Saeko.

What's the matter?

You seem tired.

What were you thinking about during the funeral?

Father...

my mind just wandered.

When people are tired,

they lose sight of their own souls.

Their souls?

There's nothing to worry about.

Let's just forget about it

and have our evening prayers and meal.

Yes, Father.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.

There.

Father!

I just caught these. Please have them for supper.

Those are fine young yellowtail.

I've been lucky lately.

But I can't hold a candle to you, Father.

All I catch are horse mackerel

and confused sillago.

Sillago are sinful fish.

Why?

Because they bite a priest's bait.

I'm no match for you, Mochizuki.

-Should we have it as sashimi? -Allow me.

What a treat. Let's really savor it.

They're heavy!

Johnny!

We'll give you some too.

I'd like to borrow Saeko tomorrow. Then we'll be even.

-Borrow her? -I've got the day off tomorrow.

Do you mind? Just for the afternoon.

Mochizuki!

Sorry I'm late!

No problem. Let's hurry!

-Get the lead out! -Wait for me!

Let me.

Ah, this is scary!

We really should tell Father about us.

I wonder what he'll say.

I may stay at the church my whole life, you know.

I owe Father everything.

If I'd never met him,

who knows where I'd be now.

Are you saying you can't get married?

I'm used to being alone.

I never knew my father.

My mother died when I was little.

And my sister, my only sibling...

three years ago -

Stop that.

You always look back at the past.

Why not walk forward into the future?

You get angry so quickly.

Because you're so indecisive.

You wanna get married or not?

So impatient.

You're like a spoiled child.

-What's that? -I hate you.

Come here, you!

I love you.

Don't worry about it.

We were just seeing things.

I'll dive again tomorrow.

On closer inspection it may just be seaweed.

I wonder where my sister is.

Your sister passed away.

Three years ago...

when they left Yokohama Harbor,

a cold rain was falling, just like now.

Their ship sank in a typhoon, right?

There's no proof! Nobody saw it happen.

But...

I feel as if my sister is alive.

After what we saw today, maybe you're just imagining things.

On days like this,

I always feel

as if my sister's calling me from the sea.

In such a sad...

and pained voice.

I feel as if she's trying to talk to me.

You think about it too much.

It's a kind of obsession.

You're wrong.

Ever since we were small,

we seemed to be connected somehow.

I could tell what she was thinking...

whether she was happy or sad. It was uncanny.

Don't be silly.

Identical twins or no, hearing her thoughts after death?

That's why I think she's alive!

It's a ship. A freighter.

A ship? Nothing unusual about that.

Saeko, what are you doing?

I'm going to that ship.

What are you planning to do?

Saeko!

“When I learned that Nishizato, the ship's doctor,

would spend his honeymoon aboard the ship,

I had an awful premonition.

As captain, I should have forbidden it.

There's trouble brewing on board.

We're carrying gold bullion,

and Tanuma, Suetsugu, Tsuji, and Ono are after it.

But... “

Yoriko!

Let us pray for Saeko's safety.

Trust in God and pray.

Join me, Mochizuki.

Saeko!

Saeko was saved by the grace of God.

Her fervent faith touched the Almighty's heart.

A bat.

Yoriko!

Let her rest.

Who are you?

It isn't Saeko.

Boss.

What? Rumi?

Yes.

The police want you to confirm her identity.

Her body was found this morning.

I thought I paid you off already.

I missed the salt air.

The smell of salt... and the smell of blood.

What are you doing?

Get your hands off me!

You gonna kill me?

Crushing a worm isn't worth the trouble.

Get up!

I told you never to come here.

Don't you have ears?

Or has cheap booze made you stupid?

Now scram!

Something weird happened.

That's what I came to tell you.

I saw the doctor's wife today.

What doctor?

From the Dragon King.

You're crazy!

I'm sure of it! It was the doctor's wife!

I saw her at the station near the racetrack.

-She's alive! -Bullshit!

Think you can blackmail me?

Listen here:

We got 300 million for the gold in Hong Kong

and split it evenly among the five of us.

In the three years since,

I built this business,

while you lost all yours to booze and gambling.

I guess we're made of different stuff.

You're not gonna shake me down!

Enough bullshit about her being alive.

I saw her. It's the truth.

Stop it!

Say that again and I'll smash your skull in!

Booze...

Gimme some booze!

This is the last time, you hear? Don't ever come back!

You're in quite a foul mood.

Rumi's death has really gotten to you, hasn't it?

You don't have to hide it.

I knew you were seeing her on the side.

But you're skipping her wake

to sleep with me.

I love that about you... that shamelessness.

You're the best.

What's wrong with you tonight?

You're acting so strange!

Go home tonight.

What's this?

-I'm not feeling well. -No!

Get out!

Welcome home.

You're back early tonight.

You look pale.

Did something happen?

I'm tired.

Darling...

Mochizuki.

Ah, welcome.

I have a bit of good news today.

Did you find Saeko?

Read this.

“Dear Father,

I'm deeply sorry

for my abrupt and selfish actions,

but I had no choice.

Led along by some unseen force,

I've fallen into the dark depths of hell.

I'm now on the coast of Chiba,

watching the ships come and go.

I can't tell you anymore at the moment.

Father...

please don't come looking for me.

Please forgive all I've done. ”

Mochizuki...

don't lose hope. Throw yourself on God's mercy.

We'll begin searching for her right away.

Chiba's only a few hours away.

Father...

Hey, Mr. Tsuji!

It looks like rain!

You want to head back with us?

No way.

It's Saturday.

I gotta catch some big ones.

So besides your monthly salary,

your hobby puts a little food on the table too!

Well, we'll be off!

What the hell? Go away!

DRAGON KING

May I see your ticket, please?

Is something the matter?

What are you doing?

Hurry UP-

I'm telling you it was her. The doctor's wife.

We heard you already.

It's a ghost Here comes the ghost!

She was a newlywed.

Of course she turned into a spiteful ghost.

Stop talking about it. It's creepy.

Stop? Isn't that why we're here in the first place?

Ono's late.

Son of a bitch ain't comin'. He's the craftiest of us all.

He thinks we'd ask him where he hid his loot

and take it from him.

He hid it?

You didn't know?

He took his 50 million yen and bought land in Nasu.

Now he just watches the value go up.

Triplet.

Young guys today are sharp.

Well, I heard you own two apartment buildings in Chiba.

Who told you that?

I heard a rumor about a lowly clerk

living an elegant lifestyle off all the interest.

That's absurd!

Standing hand.

What are we doing here?

Wasn't it to track down the Dragon King?

Never mind that and discard.

I'll take your discard for an extra hand.

This is too easy!

Open meld. Win, East, East, Red. Three bonus tiles.

You all owe me big!

-Put it on my tab. -I'm on top.

Water seeks its own level

Life is fair after all.

Lemme tell you: I'm not afraid of ghosts.

If the Dragon King hasn't sunk,

we can just go treasure-hunting all over again!

A man who's broke ain't afraid of anything.

I'm takin' a shower.

Are we not playing anymore?

All that booze has gone to his head.

Sewer rat!

Water flows, and people...

This inn can charter a motorboat for us.

Tomorrow we can search around this cape.

What's the matter?

What an odd man.

Come on, let's play some more mah-jongg.

What's taking Ejiri so long?

Hey, what's wrong?

The rich really are different.

First it was the boss. Now you're fleeing the country.

And with a woman in tow.

We'd planned this Hong Kong trip a long time ago.

-I'll be back in a week. -Liar!

You can't fool me.

-You're not getting away that easily. -Get out of our way.

If you insist on leaving -

Tsuji!

I'm risking my life too.

I have a written statement to give to the airport police.

Mayumi...

have him postpone your Hong Kong trip.

Pulling up a car today, huh?

Not a very fun job.

Why not just quit and become a pimp?

Why, you stupid -

Mr. Shinji Ono'?

He's out diving today.

-When will he be back? -I'll go ask.

Mr. Ono's had a lot of visitors today.

-What's wrong? -There's been an accident.

A diver's gone missing.

Skeletons!

It's Ono!

I'm going to be sick. Let's go.

What is it?

Help me!

Forgive me!

Saeko!

I won't let you go.

I'll never let you go again.

Saeko, you recognize us, don't you?

It was all just a bad dream.

Let's go back to the church.

I'll ask you once more.

What's happened to us?

Why have you changed so much?

Please...

don't torment me like this.

Torment you?

I'm the one being tormented.

I'm sorry.

Have you come to hate me?

Not at all!

Then why?

Why do you want us to break up?

I can't tell you.

I can't tell you!

Father...

I'm a terrible woman.

I've killed... four people.

In order to do so,

I've betrayed all the trust you and Mochizuki placed in me

and turned my back on this church.

You may turn your back on us,

but the Lord will never turn his back on you.

Confess all your sins,

throw yourself on God's mercy, and accept his judgment.

Why did you commit such terrible sins?

Because I knew my sister was raped

and how much she suffered.

The men who raped her,

the men who killed her - I took vengeance on them.

Those men...

are the ones the ship's log says stole the gold?

That's right.

My sister described their faces

to me.

You saw your sister?

Yes. In a cabin on the Dragon King.

That means she's alive.

What is it?

I don't know.

But...

I clearly saw my sister's face.

I heard her pitiful voice.

Her soul told me everything.

Father...

my sister and I are identical twins.

Ever since we were children,

no matter how far apart we were,

I could feel everything she did,

her sadness and joy.

My sister is alive within me.

Her wounded heart

beats within my chest,

torn and bleeding.

It's driving me

to wreak vengeance on those beasts.

I'll kill them!

I'll kill them all!

Lord...

have mercy on this stray sheep.

Forgive her rash and thoughtless sins.

Father...

the score is not yet settled.

There are two of them left.

A man named Suetsugu,

and Tanuma, whose face is disfigured by burns.

Tanuma's the only one I haven't traced yet.

Nonetheless...

I'll hunt him down no matter what.

I'll track him down to the ends of the earth and kill him!

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,

nor standeth in the way of sinners,

nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

But his delight is in the law of the Lord,

and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water

that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither;

and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

The ungodly are not so,

but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment...

nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous,

but the way of the ungodly shall perish.”

Go ahead and cry.

Cry as much as you want.

Your tears will purify

your suffering and your hatred.

You must leave everything in God's hands.

You're in the clutches of Satan.

It's not you who has sinned, but Satan.

But Satan shall be vanquished.

Come.

Clear your mind of all thoughts and rest.

I will pray to God

that he grant you peaceful sleep.

Father...

Who's there?

I saw everything...

Pastor.

That was an elaborate murder.

Being a priest is a waste of your talents.

I don't follow you. I don't believe we've met.

Cut the act!

Boss!

So you figured it out.

I followed you back here from Chiba...

after I thought I saw a creepy priest dating the doctor's wife there.

But boss...

faking an escape to Europe

and posing as a priest was a masterstroke.

Were you trying to repent for your sins?

Suetsugu, have you forgotten?

You and I were intelligence agents

traveling around China with nothing but a single gun.

We learned then never to trust anyone.

“Fool your friends to fool your foes," eh?

But boss, you couldn't fool the ghost.

-Ghost? -Nishizato's wife.

Ejiri, Tsuji, Ono -

she killed them all.

-She's long dead. -But still -

It's her sister. They're twins.

Twins?

She was a sweet girl.

She was living all alone in Tokyo when I took her in.

But my kindness led only to her destruction.

To avenge her sister she killed your wife,

Ejiri, Tsuji, and Ono.

Next time...

it's your turn!

Like hell! You don't scare me.

Don't feed me ghost stories for kids.

You just rubbed her out.

You've got the luck of the devil.

We're a lot alike.

But how did she know about us?

She read the ship's log.

The ship's log?

That means the Dragon King -

It's almost as if it's calling us.

It's the Dragon King!

Father!

Johnny!

Careful!

She knew too much about us.

It's for the best.

Who's there?

Mayumi!

Boss!

Doc!

It's a mummy!

Let me go!

Nishizato!

That's algiform sulfate.

It's a powerful chemical

that can dissolve even steel.

I invented it.

Stuck in this laboratory

for three years...

with dead flesh, phosphorus...

and putrid blood...

I had plenty of ingredients for my experiments.

Have you come...

to let me use your flesh and blood too?

Nishizato!

Don't kill me! I'm sorry for what I did!

I want some fresh blood.

I want...

some nice, soft flesh.

So this is the chemical he invented.

Please!

So the man who took away their happy future

was you, wasn't it, Father?

Do you know

what that blood means?

Nishizato tried to bring my sister back to life

by transfusing his own blood into her heart.

Father...

Psalm 1 is your favorite.

How about reciting it now?

“Therefore...

the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,

nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous” -

Stop it!

“For the Lord

knoweth the way of the righteous,

but the way of the ungodly shall perish!”

Stop it!

Shut up!

Yoriko.

Yoriko!

I went to get a doctor and then back to the church,

but you'd disappeared again.

I heard the foghorn

and knew you had to be here.

Come on.

Let's go home.

I love you.

I loved you so much.

Hold me!

Saeko, we have to go.

Come on.

Hurry!

Mochizuki...

forgive me.

THE END