How Long Is “Tokyo Joe”?

Humphrey Bogart plays Joe Barrett, an ex-pilot who returns to the post-war Tokyo he used to bomb to reclaim his pre-war bar, Tokyo Joe's. Refused, he sets up in the air freight business but the necessary permits and licences are controlled by gangster Baron Kimura (Sessue Hayakaw, better known to western audiences for his role in The Bridge on The River Kwai ). And to complicate matters, Bartlett's wife Trina (Florence Marly), who he believed killed, has survived the war by making anti-American broadcasts, and, despite re-marrying, has a daughter that is his. When Kimura threatens to expose her unless Bartlett helps him smuggle wanted war criminals to safety, Bartlett must decide between his family and his duty. Stuart Heisler's thriller was the first feature film allowed to be made in post-war Japan and the exteriors clearly show the damage inflicted upon the city.