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Youth of the Beast (1963)

Yajû no seishun (original title)
Not Rated | | Action, Crime, Mystery | 21 April 1963 (Japan)
Youth of the Beast Poster
A violent thug plays opposing yakuza bosses against each other.

Director:

Seijun Suzuki

Writers:

Ichirô Ikeda, Tadaaki Yamazaki | 1 more credit »

Stars:

Jô Shishido, Misako Watanabe, Tamio Kawaji | See full cast & crew »
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Photos

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jô Shishido ... Jôji 'Jo' Mizuno (as Joe Shishido)
Misako Watanabe Misako Watanabe ... Kumiko Takeshita
Tamio Kawaji Tamio Kawaji ... Hideo Nomoto (as Tamio Kawachi)
Minako Katsuki Minako Katsuki ... Sawako Miura
Daisaburô Hirata Daisaburô Hirata ... Shibata
Eiji Gô ... Shigeru Takechi
Kôichi Uenoyama Kôichi Uenoyama ... Masao Hisano
Akiji Kobayashi ... Tatsuo Nomoto
Yûzô Kiura Yûzô Kiura ... Takeo Minegishi
Naomi Hoshi Naomi Hoshi ... Keiko
Hiroshi Kôno Hiroshi Kôno ... Seizô Honma
Eimei Esumi Eimei Esumi ... Gorô Minami
Shuntarô Tamamura Shuntarô Tamamura ... Shôichi Maeda
Mizuho Suzuki ... Detective Hirokawa
Zenji Yamada Zenji Yamada ... Fujita
See full cast »
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Storyline

Joe Shishido plays a tough guy with a secret agenda. His violent behavior comes to the attention of a yakuza boss who immediately recruits him. He soon tries to make a deal with a rival gang a starts a gang war. His real motivations are gradually revealed as we find out how this all ties in with the murder of a policeman shown at the beginning of the film. Written by Fred Cabral <ftcabral@hotmail.com>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

ex cop | gang war | police officer | doublecross | drugs | See All (50) »

Genres:

Action | Crime | Mystery

Certificate:

Not Rated | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

This film is part of the Criterion Collection, spine #268. See more »

Connections

References Ame no naka ni kiete (1963) See more »

User Reviews

 
Pop art crime flick
12 September 2008 | by Prof-Hieronymos-Grost – See all my reviews

Joji 'Jo' Mizuno is a tough guy who walks into the lives of two rival crime gangs, playing each against the other for his own financial benefit, both are eager to have him working for them, but both will ultimately regret their decision, when his real motives are revealed. A fascinating crime story based on the novel by Haruhiko Oyabu, that pulls you in instantly, a story that reveals itself only little by little. Suzuki's film is also a pleasure to the eye, the glorious use of colours gives the film a vibrancy that when combined with the demented jazzy score, gives the film an overall pop art feel. The characters are all cool as hell and immaculately well dressed, the Tokyo street scenes are a pleasure to see in full colour, certainly the best use of urban Tokyo I've seen since House of Bamboo. Overall this is a thoroughly entertaining crime flick with pulp overtones, it may not be strong on violence but its certainly not to be missed.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
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Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

21 April 1963 (Japan) See more »

Also Known As:

Youth of the Beast See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Nikkatsu See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See full technical specs »
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