If hard boiled kitsch is your thing this movie is right up your alley baby. However, don't be fooled. This movie is full of guts and grit without the bad aftertaste. Seijun Suzuki built this movie on one of his early runs on his own and it shows. Free from the restraints of corporate influence, this movie is full of smart technical tricks from a somber black and white opening which blooms into vivid color to lovers kissing in the golden sands in tribute to "From Here To Eternity." These vivid colors are a perfect compliment to the overstylized characters and their desire for sadism and violence.
The story starts out with a mysterious character Jo, played by the larger than life Jo Shishido, who blows into the lives of two rival gangs like a modern day gunslinger. He plays both sides of the fence and incites a war in order to find the whathappins of his former partner who was mysteriously killed amidst gang activity. Many have said that this plot construct is in the same vein as "Yojimbo" and "Fistful of Dollars" and it is interesting to note that respectively the films were released in 1961 and 1964, putting "Youth of the Beast smartly in between.
What sets apart this film from the rest is its look and style, basically an overstylized pop gangster film with jazz interludes and objectified women. Among these colorful characters even lies a gay character portrayed as the crime boss's younger brother. This younger brother turns out to be the most dangerous (and most memorable) character of the film, and adds another sexual dimension in which Jo has to navigate in order to find his truth. It is also interesting to note that the female characters have a tendency to appear as victims caught in the mob world, but in actuality end up being the undoing of their male counterparts.
This was the first of many films Jo Shishido and Seijun Suzuki collaborated on and led to many more successful films such as "Branded to Kill." In an interesting side note Joe Shishido before hooking up with Suzuki underwent plastic surgery in order to improve his facial appearance. This led to his typecasting of the tough guy character Jo is most famous for. Incidentally this film with all the important players, was one of the forerunners of a prolific decade of famous "Nikkatsu action films." This era promptly ended with "Branded to Kill" in 1967, as it is said that Suzuki was promptly fired on the spot by Nikkatsu President Kyusaku Hori fired for "making films that didn't make any sense and didn't make any money." It could very well be said that this film started Seijun Suzuki's style as the art house director we know as today and the undoing of the studio director in which he began his career.
The story starts out with a mysterious character Jo, played by the larger than life Jo Shishido, who blows into the lives of two rival gangs like a modern day gunslinger. He plays both sides of the fence and incites a war in order to find the whathappins of his former partner who was mysteriously killed amidst gang activity. Many have said that this plot construct is in the same vein as "Yojimbo" and "Fistful of Dollars" and it is interesting to note that respectively the films were released in 1961 and 1964, putting "Youth of the Beast smartly in between.
What sets apart this film from the rest is its look and style, basically an overstylized pop gangster film with jazz interludes and objectified women. Among these colorful characters even lies a gay character portrayed as the crime boss's younger brother. This younger brother turns out to be the most dangerous (and most memorable) character of the film, and adds another sexual dimension in which Jo has to navigate in order to find his truth. It is also interesting to note that the female characters have a tendency to appear as victims caught in the mob world, but in actuality end up being the undoing of their male counterparts.
This was the first of many films Jo Shishido and Seijun Suzuki collaborated on and led to many more successful films such as "Branded to Kill." In an interesting side note Joe Shishido before hooking up with Suzuki underwent plastic surgery in order to improve his facial appearance. This led to his typecasting of the tough guy character Jo is most famous for. Incidentally this film with all the important players, was one of the forerunners of a prolific decade of famous "Nikkatsu action films." This era promptly ended with "Branded to Kill" in 1967, as it is said that Suzuki was promptly fired on the spot by Nikkatsu President Kyusaku Hori fired for "making films that didn't make any sense and didn't make any money." It could very well be said that this film started Seijun Suzuki's style as the art house director we know as today and the undoing of the studio director in which he began his career.