By A Man’s Face You Shall Know Him

Director: Tai Katō
Screenplay: Tai Katō
Starring: Noboru Andô, Ichirô Nakatani, Sanae Nakahara
Country: Japan
Running Time: 89m
Year: 1966
BBFC Certificate: 15

A community struggles against immigrant gangs in the ruins of postwar Tokyo. Only doctor Amamiya (real-life ex-yakuza Noboru Ando) can save them, but he had enough fighting in the war. His pacifism is severely tested by the gangs’ increasingly outrageous taunts and when his neighbours decide to take matters into their own hands, Amamiya is forced to take action. The consequences prove to be much more far-reaching than he could ever foresee. With a story spread across three time periods, Tai Kato’s ambitious revision of the yakuza movie was one of the first films to tackle the taboo subject of Japan’s Korean nationals, greatly influencing the work of later directors such as Kinji Fukasaku and Takashi Miike.

With such a mouthful of a title, you’d be forgiven for imagining By A Man’s Face You Shall Know Him as a rather sombre, contemplative piece. Actually, it’s a hidden gem of the Yakuza sub-genre.

It’s a rich film, frenetic and raw, with a sly sense of focus that keeps everything on an even keel. The style is more American; Japanese cinema by this point was less hung up on US influence and already showing some of the grit that would later drive their cult genres lead by, as that introduction suggested, Kinji Fukasaku or Takashi Miike. And the story has common ground with many gangster flicks, but less stylised than John Woo or Tarantino for example. Instead, I found myself looking backwards and was reminded of Akira Kurosawa. Perhaps there are tenuous links with Drunken Angel, but in any case, Tai Katō has an astonishing accomplished style all of his own.

Characters are well-defined with strong, gutsy performances. Not least, gangster-turned-actor Noboru Andô. His real past is fascinating and it contributes to a strong, just as real charisma for the screen. It is a gorgeous looking film too. The framing and composition is extraordinary; not a single frame can be dismissed as obvious or boring. While the story is far more violent and nihilist than Ozu or even Kurosawa at his darkest, this film follows their tradition of virtuoso filmmaking.

This is why Radiance and their ilk are needed. By A Man’s Face You Shall Know Him is a fantastic film that deserves more attention.

We should avoid “if you like this then” conclusions, but for a rare film like this, touchstones are important. The story is more Scarface and Goodfellas than The Godfather. Italian Westerns maybe, particularly in sudden explosions of confident violence. But otherwise, it all belongs to Tai Katō.

VIDEO

While the framing often seems too tight, it’s claustrophobic and a means to an end. Note also the favoured low point of view. In any case, it looks fabulous and the transfer is perfectly balanced and sympathetic to the style. It’s a dark film, with a muted palette, but colours and tone are life-like. Contrast shifts are handled beautifully. Indoor, outdoor, night or day, it’s consistent with a lovely fine grain.

EXTRA FEATURES

Radiance have curated a modest but focused set of extras.

• Kenta Fukasuka discusses appreciation of Tai Kato
• Tribute to Sanae Nakahara (lead actress and host Kenta Fukasuka’s mother
• “Tale of a Scarface”: Nathan Stuart essay on gangster turned star Noboru Ando, and the Yakuza genre in general