By the start of the ‘80s, Yusaku Matsuda (Yokohama BJ Blues) had tired of his typical action hero roles and was looking to redefine his talent. Enter director Toru Murakawa and this edgy drama about a traumatized war photographer who goes on a Tokyo crime spree. The already slender Matsuda shed weight and even extracted molars to appear hauntingly gaunt, shredding his good-guy persona to embody the tortured character, Kunihiko Date.
Buy The Beast to Die Blu-rayRecognizing that an accomplice could come in handy, Kunihiko recruits an even more unstable partner in Tetsuo (Takeshi Kaga). The pair set out on a lawless path of destruction with no apparent goal other than destabilizing the safety and blandness of society. The plot doesn’t easily reveal itself, with Murakawa setting a mood rather than streamlining the narrative, but it’s clear that the crazed duo are up to no good. We don’t get much backstory for Kunihiko, and none for Tetsuo, so never really get into the details of why they’re so messed up, but both actors superbly transmit their simmering rage at the folly of polite society.
The Tokyo setting is integral to the film’s power, with Murakawa incorporating strikingly disparate aspects of the cosmopolitan metropolis during its transition to the global economic powerhouse of the ‘80s. One moment the boys are relaxing while a woman nonchalantly covers “Motherless Child” in English to no audience, later two Japanese flamenco dancers contribute fiery performances apropos of nothing, and the soundtrack also switches to classical music at times, with no signs of Japanese traditional music or fashion. It’s as if Murakawa is holding up a mirror to the Westernized Tokyo, forcing Japanese viewers to face what they have wrought in their society’s quest to succeed on the global stage.
Matsuda was a national superstar at the time, making this career switch a major gamble that could have alienated his well-established fanbase. To his credit, he fully commits, with an especially unhinged, bravura final act that completely demolishes his cool-guy persona with an utterly transfixing conclusion. He’d continue with challenging roles throughout the ‘80s, eventually riding his momentum to Hollywood in his final role as the baddie in Ridley Scott’s Black Rain, with cancer prematurely taking his life not long after.
The Blu-ray is limited to 3,000 copies, presenting a new 4K transfer with uncompressed stereo PCM audio. The print is somewhat grainy, but rubbed of all imperfections, while sound is also super clean. Bonus features are highlighted by new 20+ minute interviews with both Murakawa and screenwriter Shoichi Maruyama, with the still-lucid director’s feature far more engaging. The collection is rounded out with a new video appreciation by Jordan Harper and a booklet with new and archival writing about the film.
