NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Radiance Blu-ray (July 2025): Radiance has transferred Toru Murakawa's The Beast to Die to Blu-ray. It is cited as a "4K Restoration by Kadokawa". The film’s visual language, crafted by cinematographer Seizō Sengen (Legend of the Eight Samurai,) contrasts Tokyo’s sterile urban landscapes with claustrophobic interiors, emphasizing Kunihiko Date’s alienation. Night scenes (lit with harsh neon and shadows) evoke classic noir, while daytime shots feel cold and uninviting. Flashbacks to Vietnam are grainy, monochrome, and chaotic, using handheld camerawork to convey disorientation. The 1080P preserves the film’s neo-noir aesthetic. The visuals lean green with a typical era heaviness. Streets glisten with rain, and alleyways are shrouded in darkness, creating a sense of entrapment that mirrors Date’s psychological state. Daytime scenes, by contrast, are deliberately stark with overexposed whites and flat lighting that make Tokyo’s modern architecture feel sterile and uninviting. This visual dichotomy underscores the theme of alienation, presenting the city as a labyrinth where Kunihiko Date is both hunter and hunted. This HD presentation faithfully honors the film’s original look.

NOTE: We have added 70 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE.

On their Blu-ray, Radiance uses a linear PCM 2.0 channel track (24-bit) in the original Japanese language. The jazzy, discordant score by Akihiko Takashima (Stray Cat Rock: Machine Animal) is a standout, blending moody saxophone riffs with frenetic percussion to mirror Date’s psychological state. The music alternates between seductive and jarring, amplifying the film’s tension. Sound design (including the amplified sounds of gunfire and footsteps) heightens the visceral impact of violent scenes. The mono track's simplicity enhances the film’s claustrophobic feel (ensuring every auditory cue - from the hum of neon to the silence of introspective moments) and serves the narrative effectively. This presentation is a respectful nod to the film’s original audio design. Radiance offers optional English subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

The Radiance Blu-ray offers new supplements. The 2025 interview with director Tōru Murakawa, running 20 minutes, offers insightful reflections on the film as a career turning point for both him and Yūsaku Matsuda, marking the end of their prolific collaboration. Scriptwriter Shoichi Maruyama’s interview (shy of 23 minutes) delves into adapting the novel, understanding the protagonist’s motivations and his long partnership with Matsuda, providing a behind-the-scenes perspective. Additionally, Edgar Award-winning crime novelist and screenwriter Jordan Harper’s critical appreciation (just over a dozen minutes) brings a fresh analytical lens to Murakawa’s work. The Blu-ray package is enhanced with a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork (see below) by Time Tomorrow, a limited edition booklet with new writing by Tatsuya Masuto.

Toru Murakawa's The Beast to Die is a psychological crime thriller adapted from Haruhiko Ōyabu’s 1958 novel 'Yaju shisubeshi'. The Beast to Die is a meditation on the psychological and societal scars of war, the alienation of the individual in postwar Japan, and the thin line between sanity and madness. Kunihiko Date’s (Yūsaku Matsuda - Kagerô-za) experiences in Vietnam serve as the catalyst for his transformation into a “beast.” The film suggests that exposure to extreme violence erodes moral boundaries, leaving Date incapable of empathy or connection. His actions  (calculated yet reckless) reflect a rejection of societal norms, positioning him as a product of war’s lasting damage. This theme resonates with Japan’s own postwar identity, grappling with the legacy of World War II and the cultural shock of rapid modernization. The film critiques the emptiness of Japan’s economic miracle, portraying a world where traditional values have been supplanted by materialism, leaving individuals, like Date, directionless. His nihilism is not romanticized but presented as a tragic consequence of his inability to reconcile his past with the present. This Radiance Blu-ray release serves as a tribute to the film’s cult following and Kadokawa’s dedication to safeguarding Japanese cinematic legacy, offering a valuable physical media addition for enthusiasts of both Japanese and global cinema. Recommended.

Gary Tooze