Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

By a Man's Face Shall You Know Him Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman February 3, 2024

In what may be a relatively rare example of a general adage having any number (a salient word, as will soon be disclosed) of variants, there's a well known saying in English that "you get the face you deserve by. . .", with various pundits offering different ages at which point that "end" is "achieved". If age is at least a barometer of experience, it's the experience itself which probably adds as much "character" as anything to anyone's face, and in that regard, one only need look for a moment at the incredible scar covering the entirely of the left side of Noboru Andô's face to realize that this man has been through something pretty dramatic. Rather interestingly in terms of the subtext of By a Man's Face Shall You Know Him, it was a real life conflict between Koreans and Japanese that gave Noboru Andô his gruesome "souvenir". In a perhaps grimly ironic riff on "physician, heal thyself", Andô portrays a doctor named Amimaya whose past catches up with him, more than once in a manner of speaking.

By a Man's Face Shall You Know Him is whatever the Japanese cinematic equivalent of a smörgåsbord there might be, as it flirts with being a yakuza movie without really "going there" in a traditional way, and then adds in an interwoven set of stories, eras and sociopolitical and/or socioeconomic aspects. And in fact, as alluded to above, in at least one of the film's time frames, it's Korean (even if born in Japan) gangsters who are wreaking havoc, ironically at least in part because World War II has deprived Japan of its own native thugs. Amimaya has repeated interactions with a character known variously as Shibata or Choi (name choices which themselves allude to Koreans' fitful attempts to assimilate into Japanese society), which then provides the film with a series of flashbacks detailing the two men's histories with each other. That part of the film can almost play like the Japanese version of old Warner Brothers gangster opuses where two lifelong friends end up on different sides of the law and order divide, which admittedly isn't exactly what's on tap in this story, although the way the two have a relationship within an at least occasionally criminal context that spans decades may feel somewhat similar.

But there are a number of other elements at play in addition to a kind of roiling and simmering mentality existing between Japanese and Koreans. There are hints of tragic romance, and really romances, offering some maybe slightly Sirkian melodrama, and a rather interesting "arc" for Amimaya which may feel like Straw Dogs in reverse. In fact it's fascinating to see a "tough guy" like Andô essay a character like Amimaya, especially this relatively early in his film career.

By a Man's Face Shall You Know Him Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

By a Man's Face Shall You Know Him is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Radiance Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.44:1. Radiance sent a check disc for purposes of this review, and so I'm not privy to any information that may be included in an insert booklet, and their website only offers a fairly generic "high definition digital transfer" as a technical data point. This is an appealing looking presentation, with some commendable detail levels bolstered by some occasionally somewhat unusual framings where not all of a character is within the frame, but where the camera is close enough that fine detail on things like costume fabrics or, memorably, linen gauze covering a patient's head, is very precise looking. It may be just a bit odd that Tai Katô chose to shoot most of this "gritty" tale in color, but the palette is quite appealing throughout, and often quite moody and almost John Wick-esque at times in terms of some purple and teal backgrounds. That said, things can look just slightly anemic in this presentation, perhaps exacerbated by a somewhat gritty looking grain field that can add a gray scrim like texture to more brightly lit moments in particular. As can be seen in a couple of the screenshots, some flashback material is in black and white. I personally might have liked things to be a bit more on the high contrast side, as that may have elevated some detail levels, but things are once again rather evocatively moody looking, with some generally nice detail levels.

By a Man's Face Shall You Know Him Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

By a Man's Face Shall You Know Him features a well wrought LPCM 2.0 Mono track in the original Japanese. There's good attention paid throughout the sound design to subtle but quite effective use of ambient environmental sounds, and at least occasionally a bit more boisterously in some of the wartime flashback material. A lot of the film, though, is devoted to dialogue, and all spoken material is presented cleanly and clearly. While this track is unavoidably narrow and probably a bit on the boxy side overall, it's still rather nicely full bodied throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

By a Man's Face Shall You Know Him Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Kenta Fukasaku (HD; 17:56) features the filmmaker son of Sanae Nakahara discussing this film in particular and Tai Katô in general. Subtitled in English.


• Tribute to Sanae Nakahara (HD; 14:23) features Fukasaku again, sweetly reminiscing about his mother. Subtitled in English.


• Tale of a Scarface (HD; 22:01) is an interesting and informative visual essay by Nathan Stuart focusing on famous ex-yakuza and subsequent movie star Noboru Ando.

Radiance sent a check disc for purposes of this review, but their website lists their standard operating procedure vis a vis packaging, with a reversible sleeve, insert booklet and Obi strip.

By a Man's Face Shall You Know Him Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Radiance continues to curate a fascinating array of films and By a Man's Face Shall You Know Him offers a rather remarkable cast some chances to shine in some admittedly emotionally overwrought material. Technical merits are solid, and the on disc supplements very appealing. Recommended.