Andro, thanks so much for your reply. It's great to chat movies with an actual Japanese movie lover! I can't get over the fact that Beast allows its murdering psychopath to escape at the end. Granted there's a suggestion that his girlfriend might tell the truth but given how thoroughly terrified into silence she is by him that prospect seems unlikely to say the least. When the movie finished I was so impressed my first reaction was to check what year it was made. Surely this was a film from the mid or late 1960's? But no, 1959. Yet It's a film that feels years ahead of its time, as if the makers had anticipated the nihilistic currents of popular cinema to come. As you say, also exceptionally crafted. But then I feel that about every Japanese movie of this period!
@ConsciousSoup_ In a typical Japanese film of that era, they might have been tempted to expand on the subplot involving the young detective and his lover; however, by keeping that to a bare minimum and focusing squarely on character, Date, the film achieves a much higher level of polish.
This is one amazing film noir. I think it is a masterpiece and how it got past the Japanese censors I will never know. I think of the ending with Nakadai escaping the cops and flying off to the US and all I can think of is that because the film clearly implies that his psychopath is the product of postwar American influence then maybe the censors felt that in escaping Japan he was simply as it were returning to his true home. Also, I have never forgotten that opening scene with the policeman showing off a walking Robbie the Robot toy to his colleagues. That toy would be worth an absolute fortune today!
@ConsciousSoup_ Thank you—I’m so glad to hear your thoughts!
The taut atmosphere on screen, combined with the music, creates such a cool vibe—it’s truly a masterpiece of film noir.
It’s astonishing how polished it is, especially considering it was made in 1959—nearly 70 years ago!