The Graceful Brute

1962 [JAPANESE]

Action / Comedy / Drama

IMDb Rating 7.4/10 10 560 560

japanese family apartment

Plot summary

A greedy, materialistic family attempts to cover-up the embezzlement committed by the son while keeping their other schemes active. They discover there are other, equally conniving players involved.

Director

Yûzô Kawashima Photo
Yûzô Kawashima

Top cast

Ayako Wakao Photo
Ayako Wakao as Yukie Mitani, the agent's accountant
Hisano Yamaoka Photo
Hisano Yamaoka as Yoshino, Tokizo's wife
Eiji Funakoshi Photo
Eiji Funakoshi as Eisaku Kamiya, the tax collector
Chôchô Miyako Photo
Chôchô Miyako as Yuki
720p.BluRay 720p.WEB 1080p.BluRay 1080p.WEB
879.78 MB
1280*544
Japanese 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 35 min
Seeds ...
878.11 MB
1280*526
Japanese 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 35 min
Seeds 1
1.59 GB
1920*816
Japanese 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 35 min
Seeds 4
1.59 GB
1920*788
Japanese 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 35 min
Seeds 1

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by mattflohr 6 / 10

A drink not quite to my taste

My latest Radiance Films pickup, Elegant Beast is an intriguing but unfortunately bland family of grifters film. While it has some fun elements and some stylish moments, it's a far too dry embezzlement and blackmail story, lacking in humor and personality, having only a few touches of music and flair, with performances and direction that are amateurish and forgettable. There is too much talking in one place about so many different angles and sums of money that it was impossible to focus or keep track, and I didn't really care. It's overwritten and rarely has time to breathe or find a real spark of energy. It's an interesting oddity but not much more.
Reviewed by manfromplanetx 10 / 10

"selfish and calculating"...

Our opening introduction to Mr & Mrs Maeda follows the pair as they hurriedly stash out of sight all their valued possessions, for on the way up the apartment stairs their son's boss with an accountant to present accusations of large-scale embezzlement... So begins this brilliant cynical social satire you could almost say chamber drama, stay tuned, unravelling in a volatile atmosphere the offbeat story has some extraordinary surprises ahead... The outstanding film is a deliriously black humoured, a distinctive collaboration between two masters of their art director Yûzô Kawashima and writer Kaneto Shindô,. Complimenting the tale is vibrant expressive colour cinematography, composed cleverly within the tight settings by Nobuo Munekawa . Coming back to the film after some years spellbound throughout compels me to give an extra shout-out for this classic film, one that still mysteriously lingers somewhat in obscurity. A knockout cast of flawed characters excel in the confined apartment setting , but one role in particular I will single out. Every captivating performance from Ayako Wakao is always her best, here she is exceptional as the titular character. . Yasuzo Masumura reflected in a 1970 interview that Wakao was, "selfish and calculating ... she's hardly a pure-hearted woman and she knows it."... A formidable natural, this is the very essence of her chic, scintillating role as the firms manipulative accountant Yukie, "The Graceful Brute" ! Say no more, Shitoyakana kedamono for me a treasured essential of Classic Japanese Cinema. Highly Entertaining Highly Recommended !!
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