Nikkatsu Diamond Guys: Volume 1

In the late 1950s, the Japanese film company Nikkatsu inaugurated a “Diamond Line” of genre films showcasing top stars. This first volume should especially appeal to aficionados of film noir, since two of the three films are in atmospheric black-and-white and favor typically unusual camera angles. Seijun Suzuki's Voice Without A Shadow (1958), starring Hideaki Nitani as a reporter, is centered on a telephone operator who accidentally hears the voice of a killer with a very distinctive laugh; three years later, she's convinced the laugh belongs to a business associate her husband brings home for dinner. And that's only the start of this twisty tale. Toshio Masuda's Red Pier (1958) is set in Kobe, where a suave young crook (Yujiro Ishihara) is targeted by both local mobsters and the cops after he witnesses a killing. The third film, Buichi Saitô's The Rambling Guitarist (1959), shot in color and clearly aimed at the youth audience, stars Akira Kobayashi as a footloose, ultra-cool musician who takes a job with a mobster and then becomes romantically involved with the man's lovely daughter. Ultimately, he will turn on his boss, occasioning a prolonged fight with a large gang in the headquarters nightclub. All are essentially exploitation movies, but have held up well and are surprisingly enjoyable, overall. Extras include interviews with Japanese film historian Jasper Sharp on Nitani and Ishihara, stills galleries, and a booklet with essays. Recommended. (F. Swietek)