This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

I gave it a 7.5 out of 10

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

A recently imprisoned ex-cop pursues the person(..or persons)responsible for the murder(..ruled a double suicide with his body found poisoned along with a hooker)of his former partner, infiltrating powerful mobs in the city, pitting them against each other through cunning manipulation, with his life always in danger. But, what will his reaction be when he discovers just who it was that caused his partner's death? Not as overtly complex as the film tends to get due to the lengths for which Jo has to go to stage the eventual showdown between the two Yakuza groups. Oftentimes, Jo has to worm his way out of nearly impossible situations where his true identity(..and motives)could be discovered any moment. Intense and determined, somehow, someway, Jo will find the person he seeks, even if it eventually kills him. Often, Jo is either beating somebody to a pulp or receiving punishment himself, all par for the course when dealing with nefarious Yakuza types. Director Seijun Suzuki stages the action and plot with his usual eye-popping visual style and keeps the pace moving, always shooting characters from different angles..the film is never flat or static, and Suzuki is always able, it seems, to capture images and characters in unique and colorful ways. Most(..practically all) characters are criminals and lowlifes of some sort, and Jo, by default, is the easier person to root for because his reasons are motivated out of loyalty to a fallen comrade whose reputation was sullied by practitioners of evil. Jo Shishido is an interesting leading man(..reminding me of Takeshi Kitano after his unfortunate crash)because his face seems numbed into almost one expression, cold, driven, hate, willing to use anyone within the underworld to get his revenge. But, boy, that twist is a knock-out regarding the person responsible for his pal's death, and Jo's decision to allow punishment is equally shocking(..but somewhat satisfying).Stunning set-pieces include how Jo defends himself while tied upside down to a chandelier as gangsters shoot at him, an impressive exterior shot of Yakuza boss Nomoto's whipping of a drug-addicted prostitute in his backyard as a yellow dust storm is transpiring, and how Jo is able to mastermind an effective escape from a hotel room where he was supposed to gun down a rival gangster(..which ends in a frenzy of violence) as police soon arrive on the scene. My favorite set-piece, an exercise in pure style, has Jo meeting Nomoto's gang for the first time, their business room slightly lower from the restaurant/club upstairs(..a window available for the criminals to see the action upstairs), and how Suzuki covers a lot of area/space as the real plot is set in motion was quite impressively shot and staged. My favorite character has to be the gay brother of boss Nomoto who responds unkind to anyone that mentions his mother was a whore(..he's quite a calm, very mild-mannered fellow until then).

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.

Opening on a scene where a double suicide has taken place, the beginning of Youth of the Beast is filmed in black and white, but with the introduction of the violent, raucous Mizuno Joji, Shishido Joe, the film becomes emblazoned with pastel colors! Well, maybe not, but Youth of the Beast is one of Nikkatsu's earliest and Suzuki's first color films. Displaying color usage that would please Thomas Wolfe, Youth of the Beast takes on the stereotype of the yakuza being noble outlaws who fight against the system to preserve traditional Japanese culture. The yakuza in this film resemble more the modern mold: drug dealers, pimps, and extortionists. It is amidst this crowd that Jo tries to establish himself. Beating up random people, harassing waiters, hiring the services of several bargirls, and then saying that he does not have the money to pay, Jo at first is accosted by members of the Nomoto family, but because he is able to impress them with his considerable fighting skills, he is asked to join the gang. With it bespectacled, cat-loving, knife-chunking boss, the Nomoto family makes a chunk of its money by extorting local business owners. Employing such tactics as setting people's heads on fire by using a can of hairspray as a blowtorch, Jo quickly establishes himself as someone not to be messed with and it seems that the Nomoto family has within its ranks a strong guy to further their cause. However, is this man to be trusted? Behind Nomoto's back, Jo also mingles with the Sanko gang, Nomoto's chief rival. Stating that he is only doing it for the money, Jo gives a number of Nomoto's secrets to the Sanko boss. However, is Jo truly in it solely for the money? Visiting the wife of the detective whose body, along with his lover's, was discovered in the opening scene and avoiding other's at the service, it seems that Jo has something to hide…With the recent releases of four classic Suzuki films, Gate of Flesh, Story of a Prostitute, and Fighting Elegy being the other three, Suzuki fans have had a number of good films in which they can sink their teeth into. One of four films Suzuki directed in 1963, Youth of the Beast displays a number of elements that would become familiar aspects of his later films, such as the creative use of color and surreal backgrounds. Also, while primarily a serious film, Youth of the Beast has a comic element as well and, of course, Shishodo Joe is awesome!

One of Suzuki's best films. The scenes behind the one-way glass in the nightclub make for some brilliant camera angles. Joe Shishido turns in another fine performance as a brutish thug with a secret agenda. If you are a fan of 60's era violent gangster type cinema don't pass this up!