The Last Hero (film)

The Last Hero (Japanese: 汚れた英雄, Hepburn: Yogoreta eiyû), also known as Dirty Hero, is a 1982 Japanese motorcycle racing drama film directed by Haruki Kadokawa. It was adapted by Shōichi Maruyama from Haruhiko Oyabu's novel Dirty Hero. The Last Hero was Kadokawa's directorial debut. The film tells the story of Akio Kitano, a motorcycle road racer who attempts to win the All Japan Road Race Championship while simultaneously wooing an American woman. It stars Masao Kusakari in the lead role, in addition to Rebecca Holden, Nana Kinomi, Atsuko Asano and Eiji Okuda. Yuichiro Oda and Masato Kai co-composed the film's score, while the songs "Riding High", "The Last Hero" and "The Lonely Rider" were performed by Rosemary Butler. The Last Hero was theatrically released by Toei Company on 18 December 1982, in Japan. Despite going overbudget, the film was a box office hit.