"Actor: Akira Kobayashi"

• Retaliation | Blu Ray | (11/05/2015) from £35.74   |  Saving you £-15.75 (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  In 1969 future sexploitation specialist Yasuharu Hasebe (Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter) teamed up with the inimitable Jô Shishido (Tokyo Drifter Branded to Kill) for a follow up to their yakuza hit Massacre Gun. A tale of gang warfare that features a raft of the period’s most iconic stars Akira Kobayashi (Battles Without Honor and Humanity The Flowers and the Angry Waves) is a yakuza lieutenant who emerges from jail to find his gang dispersed and his aging boss in his sickbed. Shishido is the rival waiting to kill him and a young Meiko Kaji (Lady Snowblood) is the girl caught in the crossfire. Gritty and cynical Retaliation is a hardboiled precursor to Kinji Fukasaku’s revisionist yakuza pictures of the 1970s. SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS: Limited Edition Blu-ray (3000 copies only) Restored High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation on Blu-ray for the first time in the world! Original uncompressed mono PCM audio Newly translated English subtitles Brand new interview with star Jô Shishido Interview with renowned critic and historian Tony Rayns Original theatrical trailer Gallery featuring rare promotional images Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Ian MacEwan Booklet featuring new writing on the film by Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp newly illustrated by Ian MacEwan and featuring original archive stills

• VIOLENT STREETS | Blu Ray | (20/02/2023) from £13.29   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  One of the finest directors of Japanese chambara (sword fighting) films, Hideo Gosha (Sword of the Beast, Three Outlaw Samurai) also directed a number of films in the yakuza genre. The most outstanding of these was Violent Streets; a baroque crime thriller about a retired yakuza who gets pulled into a violent gang war by his former associates. A former yakuza member, Egawa (Noboru Andô) is now a brooding world-weary nightclub owner. Some of his former associates are released from prison and want to regain a foothold in the criminal underworld by igniting a gang war between the local yakuza, and an out-of-town clan led by veteran actor Tetsurō Tanba (Harakiri). A bold and colourful entry in the yakuza genre, Hideo Gosha's Violent Streets makes its worldwide debut on Blu-ray from a new restoration completed by Toei Company, Ltd. Product Features Limited Edition slipcase featuring new artwork by Tony Stella 1080p presentation on Blu-ray from a 2K restoration of the original film elements Optional English subtitles An introduction to Violent Streets and the works of director Hideo Gosha by film critic Tony Rayns Jasper Sharp on Violent Streets PLUS: A collector's booklet featuring a new essay by Japanese cinema expert Tom Mes *All extras subject to change

• Black Tight Killers | Blu Ray | (24/03/2025) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  After wooing stewardess Yoriko (Chieko Matsubara, Tokyo Drifter), war photographer Hondo (Akira Kobayashi, Battles Without Honor and Humanity) sees her kidnapped by a team of deadly female assassins who use vinyl records as weapons. Investigating her whereabouts, Hondo uncovers a conspiracy to steal a buried stash of WWII-era gold. Soon he must dodge go-go dancing ninjas and chewing-gum bullets to save Yoriko, whose family secret is tied to the hidden treasure. Every bit as stylish and inventive as the wildest works by his mentor Seijun Suzuki, Yasuharu Hasebe's spy spoof is a gaudy 1960s pop delight that ranks with the likes of Joseph Losey's Modesty Blaise and Mario Bava's Danger: Diabolik!

• Black Tight Killers (Limited Edition) | Blu Ray | (26/02/2024) from £14.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  After wooing stewardess Yoriko (Chieko Matsubara, Tokyo Drifter), war photographer Hondo (Akira Kobayashi, Battles Without Honor and Humanity) sees her kidnapped by a team of deadly female assassins who use vinyl records as weapons. Investigating her whereabouts, Hondo uncovers a conspiracy to steal a buried stash of WWII-era gold. Soon he must dodge go-go dancing ninjas and chewing-gum bullets to save Yoriko, whose family secret is tied to the hidden treasure. Every bit as stylish and inventive as the wildest works by his mentor Seijun Suzuki, Yasuharu Hasebe's spy spoof is a gaudy 1960s pop delight that ranks with the likes of Joseph Losey's Modesty Blaise and Mario Bava's Danger: Diabolik! Product Features High-Definition digital transfer Uncompressed mono PCM audio Audio commentary by Jasper Sharp Archival interview with director Yasuharu Hasebe Trailer Optional English subtitles Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Japanese cinema expert Chris D. Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings

• Nikkatsu Diamond Guys Vol 1 | Blu Ray | (25/01/2016) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  Nikkatsu, the oldest film studio in Japan, inaugurated a star system in the late 1950s, finding talent and contracting to their Diamond Line for a series of wild genre pictures. This collection celebrates these Diamond Guys with three classic films from directors Seijun Suzuki (Branded to Kill), Toshio Masuda (Rusty Knife) and Buichi Saito (Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril). An old hand at tough guy action roles, Hideaki Nitani (Tokyo Drifter, Massacre Gun) stars in Suzuki's Voice Without a Shadow. Asako, a former telephone operator once heard the voice of a murder suspect which has continued to haunt her. Years later her husband invites his boss, Hamazaki, over for dinner and she realises his voice is suspiciously like that of the killer. Before she can investigate further, Hamazaki is found dead and her husband becomes the prime suspect Next, 50s subculture icon Yujiro Ishihara (Crazed Fruit) stars in Masuda's Red Pier as Jiro the Lefty, a killer with a natural talent. Shortly after arriving in Kobe, he witnesses a man die in a crane accident which turns out to be a cover-up for a murder. Jiro soon finds himself on the run, tailed by a determined cop Finally, in Saito's The Rambling Guitarist, mega star Akira Koabyashi (Battles Without Honour and Humanity) stars as wandering street musician Shinji, who falls in with mob boss Akitsu after saving one of his henchmen in a bar fight. Tasked by Akitsu with evicting an offshore fishery, Shinji finds himself in the middle of a very unusual domestic dispute Presented on Blu-ray and DVD for the first time in the West, these thrilling genre films feature Nikkatsu's leading talent at their best. Includes Special Edition Content: Limited Edition Blu-ray collection (3000 copies) High Definition digital transfers of all three films, from original film elements by Nikkatsu Corporation High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation Original uncompressed mono audio Newly translated English subtitles Specially recorded video discussions with Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp on Diamond Guys Hideaki Nitani and Yujiro Ishihara Original trailers for all three films and trailer preview for Diamond Guys Vol. 2 Extensive promotional image galleries for all three films Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys Booklet featuring new essays on all three films and director profiles by Stuart Galbraith, Tom Mes and Mark Schilling

• Nikkatsu Diamond Guys Vol. 2 Blu-Ray + DVD | Blu Ray | (13/06/2016) from £21.19   |  Saving you £8.80 (41.53%)   |  RRP £29.99

  Nikkatsu, the oldest film studio in Japan, inaugurated a star system in the late 1950s, finding talent and contracting them to a series of wild genre pictures. This collection celebrates these Diamond Guys with three classic films from directors Buichi Saito (Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril), Ko Nakahira (Crazed Fruit), and Haruyasu Noguchi, who is a new discovery for the West. In Saito's Tokyo Mighty Guy, mega star Akira Kobayashi stars as Jiro in the rambunctious tale of a chef who opens a restaurant in the busy Ginza district. His culinary skills and dashing good looks bring in the women as well as unwanted trouble, while an explosive political scandal builds around his girlfriend's business Next, Jo Shishido (Massacre Gun, Retaliation), one of the most popular Diamond Guys in the West, stars in Danger Paws, a crime caper from Ko Nakahira about counterfeiting. When one billion yen goes AWOL, Joe the Ace (Shishido) spies an opportunity to get rich quick, but things soon go wrong as it turns out he isn't the only one who'll stop at nothing to get his hands on the missing cash Finally, Shishido stars once again in Noguchi's screwball classic Murder Unincorporated. When the mysterious Joe of Spades executes one of the bosses of a powerful syndicate, his colleagues, fearing for their own lives, call on the services of assassin agency Murder Unincorporated to take care of the problem. This unique entry showcases some of the most peculiar killing tactics to ever hit Japanese cinema! Presented on DVD and Blu-ray for the first time in the West, these thrilling genre films feature some of Nikkatsu's leading talent at the top of their game.

• The Flowers And the Angry Waves | DVD | (26/03/2007) from £19.75   |  Saving you £0.24 (1.22%)   |  RRP £19.99

  In early 20-century industrial Japan Yakuza member Kikuju flees to Tokyo with his master's proposed bride leaving more than a few corpses in his wake. Settling down to work with some corrupt building contractors Kikuju is unaware that an assassin from his old gang is in town looking for him... Seijun Suzuki's blistering run of off-the-wall subverted genre movies continued with this scathing look at the stand-off between Japanese big business and no less corrupt trade unions while throwing in some stunning cinematography characteristic camera moves and of course a tattoed bandit geisha femme fatale!

• Madadayo | DVD | (24/09/2007) from £8.79   |  Saving you £11.20 (127.42%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The main story of the film is based on the life of a Japanese academic and author Hyakken Uchida (1889-1971). The film opens with him resigning as a professor of German in the period immediately before the Second World War. The plot of the film is centered around his relationship with his former students who care for him in his old age. The title 'Not Yet' in English is an allusion to an ancient Japanese legend mentioned in one scene of the film of an old man who refuses to die. This story is constantly referred to in the movie as every year on the professor's birthday his students throw him a party in which they all ask him ""Mada kai?"" (""Are you ready?""). He responds by drinking a large ceremonial glass of beer and shouting ""Mada dayo!"" (""Not yet!"") implying that death may be near but life still goes on!

• Blood Thirsty Trilogy | DVD | (03/05/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Director Michio Yamamoto's early 1970's 'Blood Thirsty Trilogy' classic Japanese vampire tales rarely seen in the Western world! Legacy Of Dracula: When Kazuhiko visits the grave of his girlfriend Yuko he is shocked by what he finds... Following his subsequent disappearance his sister and her boyfriend follow his tracks to Yuko's ancestral home. Lake Of Dracula: When 5-year old Akiko witnesses a bloody murder by a hideous golden-eyed vampire she grows up forever