YOUTH OF THE BEAST

(A.k.a. YAJU NO SEISHUN; WILD YOUTH; THE YOUNG REBEL; THE BRUTE)

Following a monochrome flashback detailing the apparent double suicide of a Japanese cop and his missus, we're introduced to Jo (Jo Shishido) - a suited thug who's not averse to throwing his weight around, battering those who cross his path. We first meet him battering three low-ranking mobsters in a busy Tokyo street.

He soon garners the attention of a local yakuza gang, impressed by his brutish force. He's welcomed into their ranks and continues to wreak havoc, finally becoming noticed by the gang's boss Hideo (Tamio Kawaji) as a man of considerable skills. Hideo appoints Jo as his official hitman.

But before long it's made clear that Jo also has designs on working his way to the top of a rival yakuza gang...

What is the mysterious Jo's motivation for playing two gangs off against each other? What does it all have to do with the opening scene, and how does everything connect to a seedy call-girl racket? And ... will Hideo's dangerous gay younger brother Tatsuo (Akiji Kobayashi) prove to be the spanner in Jo's plans?

Seijun Suzuki is a hugely prolific director (to date he's made 54 films), but YOUTH OF THE BEAST was instrumental in being his first yakuza thriller when it was released in 1963. Perhaps its reputation has been eclipsed by subsequent Suzuki films such as BRANDED TO KILL, TOKYO DRIFTER and GATE OF FLESH. But the fact remains; YOUTH OF THE BEAST is a thrilling, surprisingly contemporary piece of cinema.

The pop-art visuals, highly stylised set designs and stunning use of colour still jump out at viewers to this day. Scenes set in nightclubs and cinemas are timeless; a relentless energy works well alongside the inspired art leanings throughout. Sharp-suited gangster spouting the hardest-boiled dialogue since the heydays of Humphrey Bogart add to the coolness, while the onscreen violence (shoot-outs, vicious beatings, people getting their hair torched ...) must've been way ahead of its time. A stand-out moment is when one character has a switchblade forced underneath his fingernail as a method of torture. Ouch.

A great deal of the action nods towards Hollywood's proto-gangster flicks such as the James Cagney films and the original SCARFACE, while there's one brawl set in a sunny street in front of bewildered onlookers which surely must have been an inspiration to Brian DePalma when he helmed the SCARFACE remake.

Shishido exhibits cool to spare and emerges as an antihero you feel like rooting for, despite being pretty much bereft of redeeming features - much like the Tony Montana character from DePalma's aforementioned film, in fact. The women are sexy in the old-school 'femme fatale' manner; the violence is nuanced and expertly choreographed; the pace never once falters over the course of the film's 91 tightly constructed, icily determined minutes.

In short, YOUTH OF THE BEAST hasn't aged badly at all - not even the sensational music, a la TV's 'Batman' series, can harm the pulp material - and remains as dazzling as ever.

Eureka!'s Masters of Cinema series continues to impress, both in terms of quality packages and sterling titles, with this latest dual format release.

We were sent the Region B blu-ray screener disc to review.

The dual-layered disc houses the film, fully uncut, as a nicely sized MPEG4-AVC file (an average bit-rate of just over 30), presenting the film in a luscious full 1080p HD transfer. Correctly framed in its original theatrical 2.35:1 aspect ratio, and enhanced for 16x9 TVs, the picture is great: bursts of colour are treated to a natural, vivid clarity; blacks are consistently deep and stable. The black-and-white opening boasts excellent contrast. Detail is fine, grain is natural and depth is impressively cinematic during the relatively clean and well-preserved presentation. Opening with the fabled Nikkatsu logo, this fine restoration belies the fact that this film is over 50 years old.

Japanese audio comes in a problem-free, clear 2.0 LPCM mix with nicely readable optional English subtitles throughout.

A static main menu page includes the usual fuss-free pop-up menu allowing access to the film via 8 chapters.

Extras for this release begin with a newly filmed 26-minute featurette in which Japanese film expert Tony Rayns discusses the film, its themes and its place within Suzuki's canon.

The film's original theatrical trailer is in pretty good nick, and is a relatively lengthy one too - clocking in at 4 minutes in length. "A hardboiled masterpiece!" the onscreen text attests - and who are we to disagree? Presented in 16x9 widescreen with English subtitles.

Although unavailable for review purposes, a DVD disc is also included in the set, containing all of the above content in standard definition.

Rounding out this desirable package is an excellent 36-page booklet. Along with some very colourful poster art littered throughout its pages, this contains a mammoth (and highly engaging) new essay from Frederick Veith and Phil Kaffen, looking back on the film's relatively low-key 1963 release, its impact on 'yakuza cinema' and how it fits alongside Suzuki's other works. Sterling stuff. The booklet also includes full cast and crew credits, along with notes on the best way to view this impressive new transfer.

All in all, YOUTH OF THE BEAST gets a fantastic release from the Eureka! Masters of Cinema brand, which makes it a great title to rediscover.

Review by Stuart Willis