Rinko Kikuchi – 10 Best Movies

By Vlad Zakh · August 24, 2026

Babel earned an Oscar nomination for a performance built almost entirely without dialogue, still the most striking thing here, and Pacific Rim introduced her to a much wider blockbuster audience. Air Doll is a quietly devastating lead as an inflatable doll who gains a soul, Map of the Sounds of Tokyo makes her a fish-market worker moonlighting as a killer, Silence adds a supporting role in Scorsese’s Jesuit drama, and Shanghai is a noir set before the war. The Brothers Bloom, 47 Ronin, Norwegian Wood and Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter round out the list.

Map of the Sounds of Tokyo (2009)

TMDB ★ 5.2

Rinko Kikuchi plays a fish-market worker moonlighting as a contract killer in a moody Tokyo love story.

Directed by Isabel Coixet · 1h 49m

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Air Doll (2009)

TMDB ★ 6.9

Rinko Kikuchi gives a quietly devastating performance as an inflatable doll who mysteriously gains a soul.

Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda · 1h 56m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Night Flight Plus, OVID, Eternal Family, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Silence (2016)

TMDB ★ 7.1

Two Jesuit priests, with Adam Driver as one of them, search for their mentor in a Japan actively hunting Christians.

Directed by Martin Scorsese · 2h 41m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Shanghai (2010)

TMDB ★ 6.1

Rinko Kikuchi has a supporting role in a noir mystery set just before the Second World War.

Directed by Mikael Håfström · 1h 45m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Starz Apple TV channel, Howdy Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Brothers Bloom (2008)

TMDB ★ 6.5

Two con-artist brothers pull one last elaborate scheme on a wealthy, eccentric heiress.

Directed by Rian Johnson · 1h 54m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, Philo, Starz Amazon Channel, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Starz, Starz Apple TV channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

47 Ronin (2013)

TMDB ★ 6.2

Sanada plays Oishi, who leads samurai seeking revenge after their master is unjustly killed, in a fantasy take on a famous true story.

Directed by Carl Rinsch · 1h 59m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Starz Apple TV channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Norwegian Wood (2010)

TMDB ★ 6.4

Rinko Kikuchi gives a fragile, haunting performance in the adaptation of Murakami's acclaimed novel.

Directed by Trần Anh Hùng · 2h 14m

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter (2014)

TMDB ★ 6.6

Rinko Kikuchi plays a lonely woman convinced a movie's buried treasure is real and worth travelling for.

Directed by David Zellner · 1h 44m

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Pacific Rim (2013)

IMDb ★ 6.9 RT 72% Metacritic 65

Giant robot pilots defend Earth from a portal spewing out sea monsters one city at a time.

Directed by Guillermo del Toro · 2h 11m · Rated PG-13

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award7 wins & 48 nominations

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Babel (2006)

TMDB ★ 7.2

A four-country ensemble drama, with its Mexican border segment among the strongest.

Directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu · 2h 23m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential · Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

Rinko Kikuchi – 10 Best Movies

Map of the Sounds of Tokyo (2009)

Air Doll (2009)

Silence (2016)

Shanghai (2010)

The Brothers Bloom (2008)

47 Ronin (2013)

Norwegian Wood (2010)

Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter (2014)

Pacific Rim (2013)

Babel (2006)

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