The Youth Killer (1976)

Interesting facts

The Youth Killer is a 1976 Japanese crime drama film directed by Kazuhiko Hasegawa in his directorial debut, with a screenplay by Tsutomu Tamura. It is an adaptation of the short story Snakelust (Ja'in) by Kenji Nakagami, which itself was based on a real life patricide that occurred in Ichihara. The film's story is a study of alienation focusing on a young killer, starring Yutaka Mizutani in the lead role, in addition to Mieko Harada, Etsuko Ichihara, Ryōhei Uchida and Kazuko Shirakawa. Shinji Sōmai was an assistant director on the production, while Shōhei Imamura was the film's co-producer and Hideyuki Hirayama served as a production manager.

Production

Hasegawa had seen Yutaka Mizutani in the television series Kizu darake no tenshi and asked mutual acquaintance Kenichi Hagiwara to introduce them. Upon meeting Mizutani, Hasegawa asked him "Would you like to be the Japanese James Dean?" Mizutani was cast as Jun shortly afterwards.

Mieko Harada, who was 17 at the time of filming, hated the film's intense production process and never saw it.

The Youth Killer was shot guerrilla style on location in Ichihara and Shimoda. The production went over budget, with Hasegawa reportedly incurring a debt of ¥15 million. Hasegawa and Mizutani received no payment for their work.

The film's final scene, in which a bar is set ablaze, was shot without permission from the Ichihara government. To execute the sequence, a bar set was constructed in the city and then lit on fire. However, the fire was initially weaker than expected, prompting the crew to take turns pouring gasoline onto the set. The fire grew to such a degree that it caused traffic congestion in the surrounding area.

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