UK Premiere: Yajû shisubeshi (The Beast To Die)

Toru Murakawa’s gritty and violent thriller is a vital addition to the pantheon of Japanese crime epics, centring on a deeply scarred war photographer turned bank robber.

Yusaku Matsuda plays a war photographer deeply scarred by what he’s captured on the blood-soaked Asian battlefields. On returning to the bustling metropolis of Tokyo, he channels his disillusion into robbing a bank – but first he needs an accomplice in the form of the volatile Tetsuo (Takeshi Kaga, Death Note).

This is the jumping-off point for a tough and uncompromising look at urban alienation and endemic violence from director Murakawa (the Game trilogy), adapted from the novel by Haruhiko Ōyabu. Although little seen in the west, it’s a movie that proved highly influential on later hardboiled Japanese classics including Takeshi Kitano’s Violent Cop (1989).

Radiance Films present the debut of the film’s 4K restoration in which the nihilistic tone and set pieces shine even more luridly. Above all, it allows noted actor Matsuda to put a darker spin on his then well-established action movie persona. It remains one of Matsuda’s most noteworthy roles prior to his premature death at the age of 40.

This film contains a depiction of sexual assault which may be triggering to some viewers.

Presented in collaboration with Film Noir UK.

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