Afraid to Die (1960)

Production: Daiei
Color / Length: Color, 97 minutes
Director: Yasuzo Masumara
Actors: Yukio Mishima, Ayako Wakao, Eiji Funakoshi, Jun Negami

Review:
"You call yourself a Man?"
"No, I’m a Yakuza."

Outside of Japan, director Yasuzo Masumura is more known for his New Wave-influenced movies “Manji” and “Blind Beast” or his socio-critical comedies like “Giants and Toys” and “Black Test Car”. Little is known about his efforts in Yakuza-Eiga, although he created some of the most interesting genre bending examples of Yakuza-Eiga. Not only did he foreshadow the No-good-for-nothing Yakuza-Loner with “Afraid to die”, he also was responsible for the first (and the last) Part of the long-lasting Shintaro Katsu-Vehicle “Yakuza-Soldier”. Most of Masumuras movies transport some kind of criticism, be it about consumer- (Giants and Toys) or faux heroism (Yakuza Soldier). Mostly he manages to deliver the message packed in humour, black humour, that is. But please keep in mind; an interesting movie isn’t automatically an entertaining movie.

On his release-day, a substitute for Takeo Asahina (Yukio Mishima) get’s killed by a hitman of the Sagara-Group. Sagara (Jun Negami) wants to get revenge for an attempted Hit that sent Asahina into Prison in the first place. Not wholly believing that Asahina got taken out, Sagara follows Asahinas Uncle (Takashi Shimura) and Gangbrother Aikawa (Eiji Funakoshi) to the Tokyo Prison, where the wait for Asahina to be released. But since Asahina obviously is in danger, the Prison Director granted Asahinas wish to sneak out without being seen. Through this trick he manages to get into his turf without being noticed by anybody. He calls his Girlfriend Miasako (Yoshie Mizutani… no idea if she’s related to sexpot and “Weatherwoman” Kei Mizutani) who works as a singer in a sleazy cabaret (Listen closely to her Banana-Song, remember: 1960!). He manages to get a message through to her, before Sagaras men listen into the phone call. Miasako doesn’t seem too happy with meeting up with Asahina again, though she still is in love with him, she’s also having an affair with her manager. Both meet at the cinema run by the Asahina-Group, where Asahina also runs into Yoshie (Ayako Wakao) who works as an Usher in the cinema and at first doesn’t know who he is. After some wild sex, Asahina ditches Miasako, because it’s too dangerous for him to have someone he could be blackmailed with. Miasakos feelings are ambivalent, but she doesn’t throw a big fuss aobut it either.

Later on Asahina meets up with his Uncle and Gangbrother to celebrate his release. While Aikawa seems to have thoughts about quitting Ganglife, Uncle urges Asahina to take out Sagara once and forever. He still lives strongly after the Yakuzarules. Asahinas hesitation doesn’t please his Uncle, so he promises to try and kill Sagara. In the meantime Sagaras second introduces Masa “the asthmatic” (Shigeru Koyama), a Professional Killer from Hokkaido, to his Boss. “The asthmatic” isn’t just a nickname with no meaning, Masa has to rely heavily on medicine to keep going and his coughing and wheezing gives him away, everytime he’s near. For Yoshie, the Usher, things turn bad, when she visits her brother Shoichi (Keizo Kawasaki), who is heading a strike. Some of Sagaras men, camouflaged as strikebreakers, start a fight with the workers and in the chaos Yoshie gets thrown in Jail as well. Even worse, when she’s back out again, she finds that Asahina has already replaced her and shes without a job. But that’s not all; he rapes her and then declares that he actually likes her a lot. Hmmm….. Anyway. Aikawas Girlfriend who runs a little drugstore, tells him about a cancermedecin that had to be taken from the market because it had deadly sideeffects. A shipment of this medecin has gone missing and the Manufactorer would be ready to pay anything to get the medicine back. Aikawa sees this as the chance, to get to some money and make more out of the petty Asahina-Gang. After escaping another attempt on killing him, Asahina gets the chance to get to the medicine, which is in Sagaras hands, when he kidnaps Sagaras daughter. Everything seems to work the way he planned, when suddenly the Über-Godfather interfears.Though the Asahinas get their share of money and through Aikawas clever investment manag to grow bigger, there is lots of trouble around the corner for the Gang. A Pregnancy and another Kidnapping put Asahina into a spot, where he has to decide, what life he wants to live and whom he is loyal to. But can a man who always was a Yakuza suddenly change sides?

“Afraid to die” follows a rather classic storyline, only the characters are drawn out refreshingly new. Takeo Asahina is not the chivalrous Yakuza of the Ninkyo-Eiga (dont forget, this movie was made in 1960), he is an egoistic, cowardly Gangster, who’s not to bright and couldnt give shit about honour or morals. He treats his women like cheap whores and the thought of becoming a father drives him to do things (forced abortions f.e.), not even the worst of the Anti-Heroes of the Jitsuroku-Eiga would’ve done. But none of the Gangsters portrayed in “Afraid to die” is really brave, nor does anyone of them live “Jingi” (Asahinas Uncle being the sole exception). Even Asahinas bloodbrother Aikawa, who at first seems to be the real chivalrous hero, is more of a clever businessman than anything else. “Afraid to die” foreshadows the Anti-Hero of the seventies ten years before they would be peronalized by Bunta Sugawara, Tetsuya Watari or Hiroki Matsukata. But still, “Afraid to die” wasn’t an overwhelming experience; all in all it’s only a showcase for Poet-Actor-Politician Mishima and the distinctive style of director Yasuzo Masumura . “Afraid to die” is an interesting and maybe even an influential Yakuza-Eiga, but in my opinion no Masterpiece, there are just a little too many flaws for that.

3 1/2 Katanas