Kunihiko Date (Yusaku Matsuda) is one maladjusted mofo. Japan's The Beast to Die opens with him beating a cop and stealing his gun. Then he robs a casino, killing a bunch of mobsters in the process. But Date isn’t a gangster or hitman himself. In fact, the film initially reveals little about him beyond a love for classical music and his penchant for watching hookers masturbate. Around others, he appears shy, even a bit introverted.
Still, he catches the eye of Reiko (Asami Kobayashi), an aspiring pianist who works as a bank teller. Having seen her in concert, Date appears equally infatuated, though he shuns her efforts to get to know him. Meanwhile, he engages in a lot of violent fuckery, eventually recruiting hot-headed waiter Endo (Kei Sato). After convincing Endo to kill his own girlfriend, Date plans a robbery of the very bank where Reiko works.
It’s eventually revealed that Date's psychotic behavior is the result of his time as a combat photographer. So yeah, The Beast to Die serves-up yet-another variation of the unstable Vietnam vet, which more-or-less became an overused plot device shortly after Taxi Driver. But here’s the thing…despite his violent tendencies and disturbing worldview, at least Travis Bickle has something resembling a moral code (twisted as it might be).
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The Beast to Die does have its admirers, and I can sort-of see why. The film is well directed and features a dedicated performance by Matsuda, probably best known to American audiences for his villainous role in Ridley Scott’s Black Rain (sadly, he passed away shortly after). But narratively, there’s no character arc or engaging examination of Date’s descent into madness. We’re just watching the actions of a unrepentant sociopath for two hours.
EXTRA KIBBLES
INTERVIEWS - Individual interviews with director Toru Murakawa and co-screenwriter Shoichi Maruyama.
CRITICAL APPRECIATION - By author Jordan Harper
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