THE RAPACIOUS JAILBREAKER And The Irredeemable Bastard

THE RAPACIOUS JAILBREAKER (Blu-ray)

1974 / 97 min

From Radiance Films

Review by Stinky the Destroyer😼

Low-level criminal Ueda (Hiroki Matsukata) is an irredeemable bastard. He’s an irredeemable bastard as the film opens; he’s an irredeemable bastard as the end credits roll. In between, he spends a lot of time in prison for murdering other irredeemable bastards. He spends just as much time repeatedly breaking out of that same prison, none the wiser from the experience. In addition to being an irredeemable bastard, Ueda doesn't seem all that bright.

As the title suggests, The Rapacious Jailbreaker chronicles Ueda’s adventures in and out of prison. Whether doing solitary for shanking fellow inmates or illegally slaughtering cows after breaking out, he doesn’t change one iota…no character growth, no remorse, no epiphanies. Self-absorbed, unrepentant, angry, apathetic and violent, he’s kind of like a Japanese Tony Montana. 

This is an unapologetically brutal and sleazy exploitation film that revels in bad behavior. But hey…sometimes it’s fun to watch bad behavior. As Ueda, Matsukata convincingly exudes toughness and resolve (but I do wonder why he’s often hunched over like he’s got a crick in his neck). The prison scenes are gritty and harrowing, while Ueda’s repeated escapes carry tension (though by the third one, it’s almost like a running gag).

"Up for a swordfight?"

Less interesting are the scenes outside of the prison walls (even with bonus female nudity and gratuitous sex). However, the climactic police pursuit after Ueda becomes a fugitive for the third time is suspenseful and exciting. By now, we’re kind of invested in him, because even though Ueda is an irredeemable bastard, the cops and prison guards are even worse.

The film ends rather abruptly, but at least director Sadao Nakajima seems to sense when the audience has probably had enough. The Rapacious Jailbreaker runs a lean, mean 97 minutes, just long enough for us to find guilty pleasure in the antics of an irredeemable bastard without him wearing out his welcome. 

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTE - Rule Breaker is a 17-minute video essay summarizing director Sadao Nakajima’s career.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By Nathan Stuart.