Japanese director Seijun Suzuki already shows pulp mastery in this early film from his contentious run at Nikkatsu. And while he can only do so much with the clunky, repetitive, unmotivated script he was given, superb use of monochrome WideScreen TohoScope super charges his images with enough variety & excitement to set aside objections to sense and sensibility. (Some male-on-female roughhousing may prove more of a deterrent.) Sachiko Hidari stars as the chipper tour guide who volunteers at night as a case worker to just released Reform School toughs, helping to ease them back into society. Place to live - √ New job - √ Staying away from the old gang - √ Keeping them out of trouble - √ This avocation a job in itself, especially with tough customer Akira Kobayashi, an unabashed punk, as your assignment. Good luck keeping this one in line; the attention span of a gnat and a habit of violently acting out when crossed. Maybe he’ll straighten up after he’s set up by former pals for a gang killing. The real surprise in here is that rather than stumble his way toward redemption with his attractive social worker, he’s got a girlfriend to reunite with, Hidari’s crush and attention remain platonic. So the main reason to watch lies in seeing how Suzuki pulls this together visually. Something he has no trouble achieving. Though he’ll not hit his stride till the ‘60s when he adds EastmanColor to an increasingly stylized æsthetic that infuriated his studio and delighted his growing international followers.
DOUBLE-BILL/LINK: Can’t go far wrong with Suzuki’s mid-‘60s crime dramas. Best starting point, YOUTH OF THE BEAST/’63. https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2008/06/youth-of-beast-1963.html
ATTENTION MUST BE PAID: Some downloads clip a couple of reels off the running time. Look for 1'39".
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