Bad Boys (1961 film)

Not to be confused with Bad Boys (1983 film) or Bad Boys (1995 film).

Bad Boys (Japanese: 不良少年, Hepburn: Furyō Shōnen) is a 1961 Japanese pseudo-documentary drama film about juvenile delinquents, written and directed by Susumu Hani. It is based on the novel of the same name by Aiko Jinushi.

Bad Boys
Poster
Directed by	Susumu Hani
Written by	Susumu Hani
Based on	Bad Boys by Aiko Jinushi
Starring	Yukio Yamada Hirokazu Yoshitake Koichiro Yamazaki Yasuo Kurokawa Masayuki Itō Katsuhiro Segawa Chieko Wada
Cinematography	Mitsuji Kanau
Music by	Toru Takemitsu
Production company	Iwanami Productions
Release date	29 March 1961 (1961-03-29) [1]
Running time	89 minutes[1]
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese
Budget	$16,000[2]

Plot

After his arrest for theft in a jewelry store, juvenile delinquent Asai is sent to a reform school. He is first assigned to the laundry group, where he is bullied by the group's reckless leaders, before he is allocated to a group of youths manufacturing furniture and experiences solidarity and team spirit. He befriends Debari, who was sentenced for repeated mugging with his gang and urges Asai to wise up and not end like him. Asai is eventually released, facing an uncertain future.

Production and reception

Since Hani had a background in documentaries, he shot Bad Boys, his first feature-length fiction film, in a documentary style, using "nonprofessional actors, black and white, hand-held cinematography, and location shooting."^[3] It has been considered one of the films to launch the Japanese New Wave.^[4]

A facility was used as the filming location.^[5]

Awards

Bad Boys was voted the best film of 1961 in the poll of film critics by Kinema Junpo.^[6] Hani was awarded the Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award,^[7] and Toru Takemitsu received the Mainichi Film Award for Best Film Score for his work on Bad Boys and Mozu.^[8]