Eighteen Years in Prison, from director Tai Katō, shows how life in Japan can move at a fast pace. One minute, Kawada (Noboru Andō) is coming back from the war, helping out families until he meets Tsukada (Asao Koike). Together, they work in the black market until authorities catch Kawada, taking the fall for them. Quickly, Kawada learns things like how to get out of factory detail and deals with a cruel Warden (Tomisaburō Wakayama). Kawada learns how to be deferential to the Warden to get what he wants, privileges, and if that doesn’t work, an escape. He needs his freedom, avenging himself against Tsukada, who is keeping his beloved Hisako (Hiroko Sakuramachi) hostage.

It’s obvious to write that prison has its own power dynamics and Eighteen Years reinforces what viewers may know. Kawada starts out as a defiant prisoner. He wags his finger at one of the guards, something most do not do. The Warden, in turn, must beat him into submission the way he does prisoners who think they can speak out of turn. Eventually, he becomes the kind of prisoner that has his moments in the Warden’s office as an unofficial ‘snitch’. During these meetings, Kawada is physically above the Warden, but the latter is confident during these scenes. The Warden thinks he can get the truth out of Kawada before asking but of course, we know Kawada is lying as a means of survival.

Eighteen Years in Prison shows the characters’ push and pull in getting some leverage despite their positions. Some of them don’t have to work as hard as others – it’s funny that the Warden is usually sitting during scenes. Of course Kawada is the one working harder, especially since he can’t control what’s going on on the outside. Tsukada visits him in prison, where he confronts the former about the red light district and the suicides there. Perhaps, reminding someone of their powerlessness can push them over the edge towards making some plans. The Warden did give Kawada permission when it comes to having them play against a female baseball team, which becomes a factor later.

A riveting crime drama, Eighteen Years in Prison is inherently a critique of Japan’s prison system a generation after the Second World War. Sure, the incarcerated do have their privileges. They get visits from family members that Kawada is able to arrange for his new friends inside. Some of the guards can be their friends but others can be beaters and torturers. They make them work outside in the rain like a chain gang. The film shows the prison’s concrete walls. But that doesn’t mean that the outside world can’t influence the incarcerated people, obviously inside. Captivating images and a jazz score help deliver a thrilling film about a man watching the disruption of morals and systems.

Eighteen Years in Prison is coming soon on OVID.