Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Underworld Beauty Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 26, 2025

By the time of the late fifties, Hollywood's film noir era was arguably drawing to a close, and was often a genre mined by B movies or at least less fulsomely budgeted fare. Somewhat interestingly in that regard, the cover of this release of 1958's Underworld Beauty calls it an "early noir", which may unavoidably suggest Japan's fascination with the idiom came a bit later than that in the West. The fact that this was an early outing for the ultimately fairly notorious Seijun Suzuki may help to explain another comment on the cover of this release, namely that despite this pretty effortlessly fitting into an overall noir ambience and even setting and heist adjacent plot, Underworld Beauty finds Suzuki "infectiously playing with genre rules and gender stereotypes."

Perhaps just slightly hilariously, Underworld Beauty may also at least intermittently echo a (sub?)genre that was kind of taking over American movie houses in the late fifties, albeit again often in lower budgeted offerings, namely dramas featuring wild and woolly teenagers who listened to raucous rock 'n' roll at dance parties, and then who might tend to engage in juvenile delinquency. That admittedly tangential sidebar to the main story here revolves around the titular character, a young woman named Akiko (Mari Siraki) who almost seems to be a sidebar herself in the early stages of the narrative, but who ends up assuming a more central position as things progress. The plot is both relatively labyrinthine and actually kind of basic simultaneously, with a newly minted ex-con named Miyamoto (Michitaro Mizushima) wanting to sell of some stashed away booty in order to help Akiko's brother, one of his fellow robbers who was seriously injured in the crime Miyamoto got put away for. Suffice it to say that the treasure ends up getting stashed away again (and for those who have seen the film, yes, there's a booty joke in there somewhere), with the upshot perhaps unsurprisingly leaving Akiko and Miyamoto fighting for their lives, let alone their share of the proceeds from a long ago heist.

While this is probably a B movie itself, Underworld Beauty shows some of the nascent flair that would later grant Suzuki such a formidable reputation. His widescreen framings are inventive, if maybe just a little weird at times, and he keeps things moving at a breakneck pace for the most part. Moral shades of gray run rampant throughout, which as much as anything style related may tether this film to a noir sensibility. The character of Akiko, and Mira Shiraki's portrayal of her, give this film some of its most distinctive content.

Underworld Beauty Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Underworld Beauty is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Radiance Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Radiance's insert booklet contains the following information on the transfer:

Underworld Beauty was transferred in 4K by the Nikkatsu Corporation and supplied to Radiance Films as a high definition digital file.

This is an appealing looking presentation for the most part, with some especially nice nuance in gray scale modulation, even if contrast can occasionally be just slightly variable. Some chiarascuro cinematography by Wataro Nakao, as in an early scene in a sewer which some may find reminiscent of The Third Man, offers some really sumptuous blacks. Outdoor material can look just slightly blanched at times, and what I'm assuming may have been some second unit location work out and about may not have quite the clarity of more controlled set bound material. Detail levels are typically excellent on any of the "midcentury" outfits and sets. Grain can understandably spike during some occasional opticals (and some dissolves have a few "hiccups" in the "bumps" in and out), and can be rather thick one way or the other, but on the whole resolves organically. My score is 4.25.

Underworld Beauty Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Underworld Beauty features an LPCM 2.0 Mono track in the original Japanese. There's some prevalent hiss and just a bit of distortion in some of the more bombastic cues in Naozumi Yamamoto's kind of curious score, but dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Underworld Beauty Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Mizuki Kodama (HD; 14:44) features the film critic discussing Seijun Suzuki's anarchic proclivities. Subtitles in English.


• Trailer (HD; 3:15)


• Love Letter (HD; 39:28) is a fascinating short shot by Suzuki the year after Underwolrd Beauty, and which is touted here as presaging some of his daring editing choices that made Tokyo Drifter so memorable.

  Audio Commentary by William Carroll is accessible under the Love Letter menu.

  
  

  Trailer (HD; 2:54) is accessible under the Love Letter menu.

Radiance also provides another nicely appointed insert booklet with new writing by Claudia Siefen-Leitich and an archival review from the film's theatrical exhibition, along with the usual cast and crew and technical information. Radiance's trademark Obi strip is also included and the keepcase insert features a reversible sleeve.

Underworld Beauty Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Underworld Beauty should certainly be of interest to fans of Seijun Suzuki, and it's an especially interesting viewing experience when placed contextually in terms of what came after in Suzuki's long and notable career. If Akiko is about as diametrically opposite to the blonde bombshell that was often the focus in American noir outings, in her own way she is just as formidable a femme fatale as any of them. Technical merits are generally solid, and this release has some outstanding supplements. Recommended.