Film Review: Underworld Beauty (1958) 

Official synopsis: Released from prison, a gangster immediately sets out to make things right with his friend and collaborator Mihara who was severely injured in the jewelry heist that went awry. Now he finds himself going to war with the people he pledged fealty to.

Legendary Japanese director Seijun Suzuki had a storied career, with several of his most famous titles dealing with yakuza and crime elements. Underworld Beauty is one of his earlier works, and it is a riveting morality play that finds Miyamoto (Michitarô Mizushima) freshly released from prison after serving time for a jewel heist that left fellow robber Mihara (Toru Abe) lame for life. Although Miyamoto’s former boss Oyane (Shinsuke Ashida) agrees to give the proceeds from selling three diamonds that Miyamoto hid away before being jailed to Mihara, double crosses and other forms of greed come into play, leaving Mihara dead after swallowing the diamonds and his sister Akiko (Mari Shiraki) in all kinds of shambles.

The 4K restoration is fantastic, and really makes the black-and-white pop for Wataro Nakao’s splendid cinematography. The set design is absolutely gorgeous, especially the layout of the Turkish bath run by Oyane. Suzuki builds incredible atmosphere, from the foulness of the sewers where guns and diamonds are hidden to the palpable oppression of intensely hot rooms in the bathhouse. The cast is solid throughout, with Mizushima and Shiraki playing off each other in an intense association to lead the way.

If you haven’t yet experienced any of Suzuki’s crime films such as Tattooed Life (1965), Tokyo Drifter (1966), and Branded to Kill (1967), Underworld Beauty is a fine place to start. For those familiar with his work, the film is a superb display of promise regarding what was yet to come.

The 4K restoration of Underworld Beauty from MVD/Radiance Films is currently screening on OVID. For more information, visit  https://www.ovid.tv/browse.

Joseph Perry also writes for the websites Gruesome Magazine (gruesomemagazine.com), The Scariest Things (scariesthings.com), Horror Fuel (horrorfuel.com), B&S About Movies (bandsaboutmovies.com), The Good, the Bad, and the Verdict (gbvreviews.com), and Diabolique Magazine (diaboliquemagazine.com), and film magazines Phantom of the Movies’ VideoScope (videoscopemag.com) and Drive-In Asylum (etsy.com/shop/GroovyDoom). 

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