Tonight's Movie: Rusty Knife (1958)

Last month I watched TAKE AIM AT THE POLICE VAN (1960), the first film I've viewed from the Criterion Eclipse Nikkatsu Noir DVD collection.

I've now returned to the set to see RUSTY KNIFE (1958). While I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the previous film, it was still interesting and worthwhile.

The film's lead actors, Yujiro Ishihara and Mie Kitahara, also star in another film in the collection, I AM WAITING (1957). In RUSTY KNIFE Ishihara plays Yukihiko Tachibana, an ex-con who had killed the man who raped his girlfriend, leading to her suicide.

A local prosecutor (Shoji Yasui) is trying to imprison crime boss Katsumata (Naoki Sugiura) and learns of his involvement in the supposed suicide of a local councilman. An anonymous letter leads the prosecutor to ask for help from Tachibana and his friend Makoto (Akira Kobayashi), but cooperating with the police could prove deadly.

Tachibana's friend Keiko (Kitahara), who makes documentaries, happens to be the daughter of the late councilman, and she's shocked to learn her father may have been murdered. She has no idea more shocks are in store...

The movie is somewhat slow out of the starting gate, and it also took me a bit longer than usual to fully absorb "who's who" among all the characters and their connections.

That said, this 90-minute film gradually picks up speed, building to an exciting final half hour involving a truck chase, ham radio, and an unexpected suicide.

The movie's tropes are comfortably familiar to fans of American crime films, while at the same time the film shows a nicely creative side along with providing insights into Japanese postwar life. I suspect this is one of those movies which I'll find even more rewarding on a second viewing, understanding it better from the outset.

RUSTY KNIFE was directed by Toshio Masuda and filmed in black and white by Kurataro Takamura. The screenplay was by director Masuda and Shintaro Ishihara, based on their own story.

The Criterion print is somewhat faded and soft at times, but overall makes a fine watch. I'm very much looking forward to the other titles in this set.

I love the Criterion Eclipse DVD sets, and indeed, they have been instrumental exposing me to Japanese cinema. It's a shame that Criterion seems to have discontinued this line as they focus more on Blu-rays, 4Ks, and newer films, and I hope they'll consider reviving it in the future.

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