Takashi Miike`s SHIELD OF STRAW Opens in April

: 31 March 2013

Tokyo detectives Kazuki Mekari (Takao Osawa) and Atsuko Shiraiwa (Nanako Matsushima) must protect Kunihide Kiyomaru (Tatsuya Fujiwara), a murder suspect with a bounty on his head. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures Japan. © Kazuhiro Kiuchi/Kodansha © 2013

Two Detectives Must Escort a Murderer with a $10 Million Bounty on His Head Source: Warner Bros. Pictures Japan, NTV (Nippon Television Network) Official Site: warnerbros.co.jp/waranotate (Japan)

SPOILER WARNING: This article contains plot details and images from an upcoming movie.

Distance: 1,200 km. Time Limit: 48 hours The entire nation is your enemy! SHIELD OF STRAW (???, Wara no Tate) is the latest film by Takashi Miike, director of ACE ATTORNEY, FOR LOVE`S SAKE and LESSON OF THE EVIL. Adapted from Kazuhiro Kiuchi`s 2004 novel Wara no Tate, the movie is a crime action thriller about a Special Police team that must escort a vicious criminal with a $10 million bounty on his head. The two lead detectives are portrayed by Takao Osawa (GOEMON, ICHI) and Nanako Matsushima (THE RING, WHITEOUT). The murderer they must protect is played by Tatsuya Fujiwara (BATTLE ROYALE, DEATH NOTE, KAIJI, THE INCITE MILL ?7 DAY DEATH GAME?). SHIELD OF STRAW opens theatrically in Japan on April 26th. STORY An unprecedented full page ad runs in three major Japanese newspapers. It reads: "Please kill this man. As a reward, I will pay 10 million dollars." The ads were placed by Takaoki Ninagawa (Tsutomu Yamazaki), a billionaire financial world magnate with political connections. He has issued a bounty on the head of Kunihide Kiyomaru (Tatsuya Fujiwara), the man who savagely murdered Ninagawa’s young granddaughter. Kiyomaru has a history of violence... eight years before he was the lead suspect in the assault and death of a young girl, but prosecutors could not prove their case. Fearing for his life, Kiyomaru comes out of hiding and turns himself in to the Fukuoka Police. As the entire nation sets their sights on killing him, two security police officers and three detectives are chosen to escort Kiyomaru to Tokyo Metropolitan Police HQ custody within 48 hours. Their bodyguard assignment: protect this “human waste” so he can stand trial for his crimes. The 1,200 kilometer do-or-die mission begins. Ordinary citizens, cops and even members of the riot task force try to eliminate Kiyomaru. The Special Police team try to elude these unseen assassins by repeatedly changing their means of transport to emergency vehicles and even the bullet train, But, no matter what they do, the location of the transport team is continually updated on Ninagawa`s Kiyomaru website. Never knowing when or where they will be attacked or who will turn traitor on them, the tension mounts to edge-of-your-seat heights for the transport team. What’s the point in risking their own lives to guard a lowlife murderer? Is that what “justice” means? Can the Special Police team safely transport Kiyomaru to Tokyo Metro HQ? Watch as the story heads for an unpredictable horrifically, mind-blowing climax!

CREDITS Japanese Theatrical Release: April 26, 2013 Running Time: 125 minutes Screen Size: 2.35:1 Cast Kazuki Mekari: Takao Osawa Atsuko Shiraiwa: Nanako Matsushima Kunihide Kiyomaru: Tatsuya Fujiwara Takaoki Ninagawa: Tsutomu Yamazaki Kenji Sekiya: Masato Ibu Chikako Yuri: Kimiko Yo Section Chief Ooki: Hirotori Honda Goro Kishitani: Takeshi Okumura Masataka Kanbashi: Kento Nagayama Staff Director: Takashi Miike Executive Producer: Seiji Okuda, Hiroyoshi Koiwai Producer: Misako Saka, Maeda Shigeji Original Story: Wara no Tate by Kazuhiro Kiuchi (Kodansha Ltd.) Screenplay: Tamio Hayashi Cinematography: Nobuyasu Kita Editor: Kenji Yamashita Assistant Director: Takeshi Watanabe CGI Director: Kaori Otagaki Music: Koji Endo Theme Song: "North of Eden" by Kyosuke Himuro Planning and Production: "Shield of Straw" Film Partners Theatrical Distribution: Warner Bros. Pictures Japan International Sales: NTV © Kazuhiro Kiuchi/Kodansha. © 2013 "Shield of Straw" Film Partners