Released convict Miyamoto (Michitaro Mizushima) celebrates his newfound freedom after three years in the slammer by approaching his old bosses, informing them that in exchange for never informing the police about his accomplices in a robbery, he should be able to sell off three valuable diamonds hidden during his imprisonment. His motives aren't really selfish, however, as he plans to use the funds to help out one of his colleagues who was partially paralyzed during the failed heist. Though the mob bosses agree, they immediately conspire to snag the jewels for themselves and enlist the aid of an unscrupulous sculptor, who is involved with gorgeous, free-spirited Akika (Mari Siraki), the wounded cohort's sister. However, the diamonds soon wind up in a most unorthodox location, leaving all of the parties scrambling for the loot before the police close in.
Made at the same time European filmmakers were busy dissecting the elements of film noir, this Japanese counterpart performs many of the same functions one might expect from the likes of Jean-Pierre Melville or Jules Dassin. The conventions are turned a bit here as we don't have a femme fatale (though her relationships do prove to be the hero's Achilles heel) and the ending is a bit more optimistic than usual; however, the stark lighting, fatalistic attitudes, and sudden punctuations of hand-to-hand violence mark this as an obvious offshoot of '40s Hollywood.
The organic use of music as counterpoint to the action also displays an affinity to the nightclub numbers and jazzy background routines found in '40s films, a stark contrast to the madcap, free-for-all approach Suzuki adopted in his later work. However, one trademark already in place is his startling, often breathtaking use of the scope frame, injecting strange compositions during even the most mundane scenes. The fight scenes are well choreographed, brutal without becoming overly graphic, and the actors fulfill their functions well enough. Mizushima doesn't really reach iconic status with his performance (he's no Alain Delon) but maintains viewer sympathy enough to have audiences rooting for him during the double-triple-cross finale.
Included in Home Vision's first wave of significant Japanese crime films, Underworld Beauty benefits from a solid scope transfer that shows off the moody monochrome cinematography to flattering effect. However, it's also the most sparingly appointed disc in the batch, containing only a Suzuki filmography and general liner notes by Tatsu Aoki covering the crime genre's history at Nikkatsu Studios.
For more information about Underworld Beauty, visit Home Vision Entertainment. To order Underworld Beauty, go to TCM Shopping.
by Nathaniel Thompson
