movie world

Japanese director Seijun Suzuki has been a cult hero in the film world for years thanks to his odd mixture of pulp and art in his crime films. Creatively stifled for years within the Japanese studio system, Suzuki rebelled the only way he could, by taking the mundane B-picture scripts that fell onto his desk and making them as offbeat as the studio would allow. Suzuki’s minor reign of terror lasted only a few years as, after multiple warnings, he was finally fired after directing what many consider to be his masterpiece “Branded to Kill”. If “Branded to Kill” was the culmination of a decade’s worth of rebelling then “Youth of the Beast” was his first shot fired.

Joji Mizuno, a ruthless assassin-for-hire, recently released from prison, takes an interest in the dead officer we learn about at the film's beginning. His personal, unsolicited investigation into the facts of the matter that led to his death uncovers the role that rival gangs played in setting up the morbid scenario that led to his demise. Driven by his internal demand for justice, and personal loyalties that are gradually revealed over the course of the film, Joji proceeds, to exact his revenge in an elaborate scheme that pits the two yakuza factions against each other, both of them easy prey as he manipulates their jealousies and greed to put them in attack mode.

Director: Seijun Suzuki
Cast: Jo Shishido, Misako Watanabe, Tamio Kawaji, Minako Kozuki, Daizaburo Hirata, Eiji Go, Koichi Uenoyama, Akiji Kobayashi, Yuzo Kiura, Naomi Hoshi
Country: Japan
Genre: Action, Crime, Mystery

DVD9 | NTSC 16:9 | 01:31:38 | 5.84 Gb + 3% rec
Language: Japanese
Subtitles: English

Extras:
• Video interviews with Seijun Suzuki and actor Joe Shishido. The interviews, filmed in 2001, are fairly interesting and provide for some brief but fascinating insights into the film's production.
• Trailer

BD50 | 1080p AVC | 01:31:31 | 33.3 Gb + 3% rec
Language: Japanese
Subtitles: English

Extras:
• Tony Rayns - in this video piece, film critic and writer Tony Rayns discusses Seijun Suzuki's career, the socio-political climate in Japan during the 60s, Youth of the Beast and some of its unique qualities.
• Trailer