"Director: Kinji Fukusaku"

• Graveyards of Honor | Blu Ray | (07/09/2020) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Two peerless masters of Japanese cinema Kinji Fukasaku (Battles without Honor and Humanity, Battle Royale) and Takashi Miike (Dead or Alive, Audition) present their own distinctive adaptations of yakuza expert Goro Fujita's gangster novel Graveyard of Honor, each tapping into the zeitgeist of a distinct period of Japanese history. Set during the turbulent post-war years, Fukasaku's original 1975 film charts the rise and fall of real-life gangster Rikio Ishikawa (Tetsuya Watari, Outlaw Gangster VIP). Shot through with the same stark realism and quasi-documentarian approach as Fukasaku's earlier Battles Without Honor and Humanity, Fukasaku nonetheless breaks new ground through his portrayal of a gangster utterly without honor or ethics, surviving by any means necessary in a world of brutal criminality. Meanwhile, Miike's 2002 retelling transplants the story to Tokyo at the turn of the millennium. Less a direct remake of Fukasku's film than a radical reimagining of the same overarching premise, Miike's film captures both the hedonism and nihilism of the modern Japanese crime scene in deliriously stylish fashion, resulting in a fascinating companion piece to the original that nonetheless stands as its own entity. With both films making their High Definition debut in a sumptuous limited edition packed with new and archival bonus content, Arrow Video is proud to present these two intertwined but unique crime thrillers from two celebrated filmmakers at the peak of their creative powers. LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS Exclusive two-disc set featuring two different versions of Graveyard of Honor: the 1975 film by Kinji Fukasaku and the 2002 film by Takashi Miike Limited edition packaging featuring newly commissioned artwork by Ian MacEwan Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on both films by Jasper Sharp DISC ONE GRAVEYARD OF HONOR (1975) High Definition Blu-ray™ (1080p) presentation Original lossless Japanese PCM 1.0 mono soundtrack Optional English subtitles New audio commentary by author and critic Mark Schilling Like a Balloon: The Life of a Yakuza, a new visual essay by critic and Projection Booth podcast host Mike White A Portrait of Rage, an archival appreciation of Fukasaku and his films, featuring interviews with filmmakers, scholars, and friends of the director On the Set with Fukasaku, an archival interview with assistant director Kenichi Oguri Theatrical trailer Imagery gallery Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Ian MacEwan DISC TWO GRAVEYARD OF HONOR (2002) High Definition Blu-ray™ (1080p) presentation Original lossless Japanese PCM 2.0 stereo soundtrack Optional English subtitles New audio commentary by Miike biographer Tom Mes New visual essay by author and critic Kat Ellinger Archival interview special featuring Miike and cast members Goro Kishitani and Narimi Arimori Archival making-of featurette Archival making-of teaser Archival press release interviews featuring Miike, Kishitani and Arimori Archival premiere special featuring Miike, Kishitani and Arimori Theatrical trailer Imagery gallery Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Ian MacEwan

• Doberman Cop | Blu Ray | (26/06/2017) from £44.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Released just as the popularity of yakuza movies was waning in Japan, and as the country's film industry was undergoing some fundamental shifts, Doberman Cop is a unique entry in the career of director Kinji Fukasaku (Battles Without Honor and Humanity, Cops vs Thugs), and reunited him with star Shinichi Sonny Chiba (The Street Fighter, Wolf Guy) in an American-style crime movie that mixes gunplay and pulp fiction with martial arts and lowbrow comedy to create one of their most entertaining films. Based on a popular manga by Buronson (creator of Fist of the North Star), Doberman Cop follows the fish-out-of-water adventures of Joji Kano (Chiba), a tough-as-nails police officer from Okinawa who arrives in Tokyo's Kabuki-cho nightlife district to investigate the savage murder and mutilation of an island girl who had been working as a prostitute. Initially dismissed as a country bumpkin (complete with straw hat and live pig in tow!), Kano soon proves himself a more savvy detective than the local cops, and a tougher customer than anyone expected. As he probes deeper into the sleazy world of flesh-peddling, talent agency corruption and mob influence, Kano uncovers the shocking truth about the girl, her connection to a yakuza-turned-music manager (Hiroki Matsukata), and a savage serial killer who is burning women alive. Made to appeal both to the youth market with its biker gangs and popular music, as well as to old-time yakuza movie fans, Doberman Cop is an surprising oddity in Fukasaku's career, his sole film adapted directly from a manga and never before released on video outside of Japan. Featuring Chiba at his charismatic best channeling a Japanese Dirty Harry while doing all his own stunts and Fukasaku at his most fun, deftly showcasing the combined talents of his Piranha Army stock company of actors and other regular players Doberman Cop is a classic action comedy and a missing link in 1970's Japanese cinema deserving of rediscovery. SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS: High Definition digital transfer High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations Original uncompressed mono audio Optional English subtitles Beyond the Film: Doberman Cop, a new video appreciation by Fukasaku biographer Sadao Yamane New video interview with actor Shinichi Sonny Chiba New video interview with screenwriter Koji Takada Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Chris Malbon FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector's book featuring new writing on the films by Patrick Macias

• Sure Death Revenge | DVD | (02/08/2004) from £9.98   |  Saving you £8.00 (114.45%)   |  RRP £14.99

  A gang of wild samurai start terrorising the local peasants and Mondo Nakamura and his band of assassins must team up with eccentric top spinning avenger Bunshichi (Sonny Chiba) to stop them. But the samurai are only the start of the corruption that may lead all the way to the Shogun himself!