I absolutely loved watching him and he's extremely good here. Youth of the Beast is one of Seijun Suzuki’s best known films. The plot is fairly typical for the genre: chipmunk-cheeked Jo Shishido stars as ex-cop Jo Mizuno, who muscles his way into the shadowy world of the yakuza. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Why is Jo's partner more interested in guns than in women? Change ), Youth of the Beast (野獣の青春 or Yajū no seishun). Youth of the Beast marked a turning point in director Seijun Suzuki's career. Weeks and months pass. Why is Jo's partner more interested in guns than in women? ( Log Out /  Even so there is a fantastic scene towards the end where Shishido is left swinging upside down from a light and has to fight off a few guys while in the position. Review by bulletproofQpid Patron. Youth of the Beast marked a turning point in director Seijun Suzuki's career. Springcrime - The April & May Project There's a bit in Youth Of The Beast where Joe Shishido uses a spray can to almost set fire to someone's head. Suzuki's audacious style heightens the absurdity and artifice of both the genre and the medium with pop-art colors, loopy camera placements, and bizarre, dream-like images: A feather-clad dancer silently struts behind sound-proofed two-way mirrors, a pink dust storm serendipitously occurs while a pimp whips a junkie prostitute. The plot is fairly typical for the genre: chipmunk-cheeked Jo Shishido stars as ex-cop Jo Mizuno, who muscles his way into the shadowy world of the yakuza. No longer content to just crank out production-line gangster films, here Suzuki starts to assert his own voice.

He gets hired by the clan that killed his former partner while double-dealing with the clan's rival. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. It's really just a Yakuza-transplanted version of Yojimbo, except with the main character actually having a deep-rooted motive for doing what he's doing. I've never happened across him before (and this is indeed my first Seijun Suzuki film although I have a load of his bookmarked) but I'm looking forward to seeing if he's like this a lot. It's also a bit sparse on action for my liking, even though the plot is really well constructed and contains a good and believable twist at the end. ( Log Out /  Youth of the Beast marked a turning point in director Seijun Suzuki's career. Watched Jan 30, 2019. The film is a dizzying visual feast whose tone Seijun Suzuki would amplify to the most absurd heights in his later films, Tokyo Drifte... more, Youth of the Beast marked a turning point in director Seijun Suzuki's career. What does this all have to do with the Takeshita School of Knitting? Why does Hide, the notorious gay gangster, always slash the face of anyone who mentions his mother? For now, he may join a yakuza or two, but only if it helps him on his quest for vengeance. Joji “Jo” Mizuno (Joe Shishido) is the new tough guy in town. Well, I cant say TOO much about what goes on in this movie, for fear of giving too many plot twists away. You need to own your own copy to show to others. Youth of the Beast 1963 ★★★★½ . And I’m sure his overtly large cheeks helped out quite a bit. Boy was I in for a treat! I liked the cover on the DVD, I knew it was part of the Criterion Collection, and I saw through Amazon that it had no real negative rankings. Suzuki's audacious style heightens the absurdity and artifice of both the genre and the medium with pop-art colors, loopy camera placements, and bizarre, dream-like images: A feather-clad dancer silently struts behind sound-proofed two-way mirrors, a pink dust storm serendipitously occurs while a pimp whips a junkie prostitute. All the characters did a good job acting. No longer content to just crank out production-line gangster films, here Suzuki starts to assert his own voice. When Madame de Beaumont published Beauty and the Beast, she was an impoverished teacher in England, and I suppose that the story is of Scotch origin. Venetian blinds.

There's a bit in Youth Of The Beast where Joe Shishido uses a spray can to almost set fire to someone's head. I am chipping away slowly at a massive batch of Japanese crime films that I have watchlisted or bookmarked but there were elements of this that I recognised from others I have watched such as the flawed but decent Cruel Gun Story, most notably the music.

Dragging himself about the place slightly hunched over and with no great subtlety at all, he fidgets around the place and messily batters his way through an opening scene, making him one of the most dishevelled heroes I've ever seen. Stand-up gal that she is, Belle takes him back to the castle and nurses his injuries. This film was made 4 years before his departure from Nikkatsu Studios in Japan. If it sounds like I am going to give this movie 5 stars, you are correct. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Watched Jan 20, 2019. bulletproofQpid’s review published on Letterboxd: "From this range, it'd be hard not to blow your face off." Youth of the Beast 1963 ★★★½ . You need to watch this movie. He gets so close with that thing that I can't be sure that his victim wasn't left with an at least slightly singed scalp. Its also very easy for him to fly off the handle and loose control. What does this all have to do with the Takeshita School of Knitting? "Go ahead. It sounds pinched from a 1940s American gangster film yet it somehow seems to fit the mood here. Essentially a Yojimbo-style gangster film (with requisite anarchic Suzuki stylings). 5 stars. In fact, in England one still hears tales of lords, the eldest sons of noble families, heirs to the title, hidden away in barred rooms of old castles. Youth of the Beast. He seeks justice for the death of an old friend, and he wont stop until everyone involved has paid their price! No longer content to just crank out production-line gangster films, here Suzuki starts to assert his own voice. Made by fans in Auckland, New Zealand. Plot. ( Log Out / 

The Beast arrives in the nick of time to save her, though he's wounded in the process. For now, he may join a yakuza or two, but only if it helps him on his quest for vengeance. Although not as “artisically liberal’ as some other Seijun Suzuki flicks, (Tokyo Drifter, Branded to Kill) you are still treated to some eye poping colors and visuals that Suzuki is ever so famous for. Yet the plot contains some particularly Suzuki-like details. Lots of style and charisma.

I bought this not knowing anything about it. Now drop the gun."

Apr This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Right in the first 5 minutes, the movie leaps out of the screen and you are suddenly in for a ride. Where I think this film falls down slightly is that I didn't really feel much reason to fear either side as the bosses of both sides are hardly all that threatening. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. It's also gorgeous to look at, but that is almost a given with most Japanese cinema.

Very very well played. The parking lots, office buildings, fields, and even dining rooms were transformed from average to full out thrilling locations!

The action scenes were terrific for a “old Japanese movie”. He gets hired by the clan that killed his former partner while double-dealing with the clan's rival. Anglo-Saxons manage the horror story, the weird tale, better than anybody else. I have not shown it to anyone yet that hasn’t absolutely fallen in love with it. In fairness, he's merely a downgrade from the messy private investigators that filled American crime in the years before this film was made, but his unpredictability and dangerous edge makes him easily the most interesting part of this film. 2015. Joe Shishido does a wonderful job playing the tough guy. The plot is fairly typical for the genre: chipmunk-cheeked Jo Shishido stars as ex-cop Jo Mizuno, who muscles his way into the shadowy world of the yakuza. Film data from TMDb. Yet the plot contains some particularly Suzuki-like details.