Rodan is a 1956 tokusatsu kaiju film produced by Toho Company Ltd. The film was released to Japanese theaters on December 26, 1956, and to American theaters on August 6, 1957.
Rodan 1956
In the small mining village of Kitamatsu, on the outskirts of Kyushu, two miners have gone missing. The two men, Goro and Yoshi, had brawled earlier that day, and no sooner had they entered the mine then the shaft had quickly flooded. Shigeru Kawamura, head of security at the mine, heads below to investigate. There, he and the miners make a gruesome discovery: Yoshi’s lacerated corpse.
Rodan – The Movie
Above ground, a doctor examines Yoshi, and discovers the cause of death to be a series of deep gashes caused by an abnormally sharp object. As some of the miners comfort Yoshi’s wailing wife, the others discuss the possibility of Goro’s involvement in the death. The two had never been friends, and had physically fought that morning. Also, Goro was still missing, and could be on the run or still be hiding in the mine. Shigeru warns them not to speak of this until the police investigation begins.
Rodan – The Movie 1956
Outside, Shigeru meets with his fiance Kiyo, who is also Goro’s sister. He comforts her, telling her that he is sure of Goro’s innocence. Inside the mine, two miners and a policeman stand guard at the edge of the water, knowing if Goro tries to escape, he will surely come that way as it is the only exit. Suddenly, they hear a splash in the flooded mine, and venture into the water. As they wade deeper into the shaft, they get more and more nervous.
All of a sudden, one of the miners begins to scream and then disappears under the water. As the men are tied together, it is not too long before the policeman is pulled under by something beneath the surface. The last miner quickly unties himself and flees. However, before he can escape, he is cornered and attacked by someone, or something.
Soon after, his body, along with the bodies of the policeman and another miner, are brought up and examined. The doctor announces that they, too, were killed by a sharp object that simply sliced them apart.