The Rapacious Jailbreaker – Radiance

Director: Sadao Nakajima
Screenplay: Tatsuo Nogami
Starring: Hiroki Matsukata, Tomisaburô Wakayama, Naoko Ôtani, Tsunehiko Watase, Tatsuo Umemiya, Gorô Ibuki
Country: Japan
Running Time: 97 min
Year: 1974
BBFC Certificate: TBC

The esoterically titled Japanese crime film The Rapacious Jailbreaker (a.k.a. Datsugoku Hiroshima satsujinshû) came about when Toei president Shigeru Okada requested a film in the mould of Franklin J. Schaffner’s prison-break drama Papillon, which had been a considerable success on release in 1973.

The Rapacious Jailbreaker was intended to be a jitsuroku eiga (‘true record’ film), as Papillon was based on a true story, and the genre was still making Toei a lot of money at the time. So the script was based on interviews with guards and prisoners, taking much from one particular prisoner (I missed the name) but also throwing in other stories and presumably a few made-up ones to boost the action quota.

The film went on to become the first part of a loosely connected thematic trilogy alongside Shimane Prison Riot and Robbery Arson Murder. Hiroki Matsukata starred in all of them, playing a different prisoner each time, but one that always makes audacious attempts to break out or cause a riot.

Radiance Films, always on the lookout for films that have been forgotten or haven’t gained much attention in the UK, are releasing The Rapacious Jailbreaker on Blu-ray, and I got hold of a copy to share my thoughts.

The film sees Hiroki Matsukata play Ueda, a criminal who’s sentenced to 20 years in prison in 1947 after a double murder. He has no intention to stay there that long though, so he continues to break out, only to be dragged back, time and time again.

And that’s basically it, in terms of narrative, other than Ueda’s long-suffering wife, sister and another few acquaintances that he uses to improve his chances of survival. It’s a highly efficient film, racing through its story with very little extra fluff. As such, it’s a tough, no-nonsense ride throughout.

Director Sadao Nakajima even refuses to waste time during the opening credits, with a montage playing out under them to briskly paint a frank, evocative picture of life in prison at the time. It doesn’t shy away from any of the details, even being open and non-judgemental about men having sex with each other to unburden themselves from any repressed sexual desires.

In this sense, the film is incredibly atmospheric, giving a presumably accurate depiction of life behind bars in the late 1940s and early 50s, when the film is set. This is boosted by some wonderful low-key lighting and stylish compositions.

The film is pretty brutal in places too, with a few violent, bloody murders and a couple of wince-inducing, viscerally unpleasant sequences. These include a scene where our protagonist gets stuck whilst trying to crawl out of a sewage pipe and when he persistently scratches the restraints behind his back, in an attempt to remove them, ripping into his flesh in the process.

Aiding the impactful nature of the film is Matsukata’s intense central performance. He manages to make a compelling character from someone who, on paper, is totally reprehensible. The audience is also gripped by the character’s persistence and ingenuity in doing everything in his power to break out of prison. You watch on edge, hoping for his efforts to succeed, even if you think he deserves to stay in prison.

So, The Rapacious Jailbreaker is a film as driven as its lead character, motoring forward in a grimly tactile but thrilling ride.

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