Youth of the Beast (1963)

A violent thug plays opposing yakuza bosses against each other.

Director:

Seijun Suzuki

Writers:

Ichirô Ikeda, Tadaaki Yamazaki

Stars:

Jô Shishido, Misako Watanabe, Tamio Kawaji

Cast

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

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.

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Plot Keywords:

ex cop | gang war | police officer | doublecross | drugs | 

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Mystery

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

21 April 1963 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Youth of the Beast

Company Credits

Production Co:

Nikkatsu Film Company, Nikkatsu

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The mixture of pop-art, jazz, and colorful pent-up suits as seen in this movie are what inspired the animation direction of Lupin the Third.

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Connections

Remade as Day of the Beast

User Reviews

Vibrant, colorful, Yakuza flick par excellance.

This is one of the Yakuza movies made during the height of Seijun Suzuki's run at Nikkatsu Studios. It's not as abstract as the later stuff but it's just as brilliant. It can't be stressed enough that though he made "entertainment films" he did it with a vengeance. I've seen four of his films so far, ranging from 1958 to 1967, and they're all strikingly original. From this period 'Tokyo Drifter' seems to get more press than 'Youth of the Beast' (both star Jo Shisido) but I'll take this one. The colors and the composition of the wide-screen images draw you in, while the violence and the narrative jags keep you guessing. Highly recommended both for both its artistry and its energy, if you like gangster movies here's one for you.

The plot revolves around Jo, a tough ex-con with a mysterious past who shows up and deftly goes to work for rival Yakuza bosses. He immediately pits them against each other and starts raking in as much money as he can. However, it soon becomes clear that he has ulterior motives involving a string of call-girls operated by one of the bosses. Literally no one is safe when he starts clawing his way toward the center of the web.