6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Shinichi Tachibana and an ex-cellmate struggle with civilian life after release from Abashiri, before getting mixed up with Yumi, a pickpocket, then coming into possession of a marimo (algae ball) that conceals stolen diamonds.
Starring: Ken Takakura, Tôru Abe, Kunie Tanaka, Kanjûrô Arashi, Ichirô NakataniForeign | 100% |
Crime | 21% |
Action | 2% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Japanese: LPCM 2.0 Mono
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Prison Walls: Abashiri Prison I-III.
There seems to be a general consensus based both upon some supplements included with this release as well as any number of other online data
sources
that The Defiant Ones* served as an inspiration for
at
least the first Abashiri Prison film. But as some of those same supplements make clear, that perceived cinematic "connection" really only
pertains to
the last third or so of the first film in a rather celebrated franchise, and in this case without some of the potent subtext of the well remembered
Stanley Kramer film
featuring Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier. As tangential as The Defiant Ones may therefore be, evidently the idea
of two escaped prisoners shackled to each other and on the run provided some kind of interest for audiences, since this 1965 adaptation
of
a novel by Hajime Itō led to a glut of sequels (the first two of which are included in this set), while an earlier 1959 adaptation of the novel (which
I'm
assuming did not feature two escaped prisoners shackled to each other) seems to have been more or less buried by the vagaries of time
and tide. The supplements on this set get into the unexpected success of Abashiri Prison, a success which perhaps surprisingly was more
abundant with some of the sequels than with the first outing, and not only without that oft mentioned "sophomore slump", but an audience reaction
that was evidently more favorably inclined toward both the second and (perhaps especially) third films.
*Note: The link points to a UK Blu-ray release.
Abashiri Prison II is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka! Entertainment's Masters of Cinema imprint with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. There's no technical information provided on this release that I could find in the insert booklet, other than standard verbiage alerting the still uneducated about why there are "black bars" and another warning about 4K UHD setups in particular which may have "motion smoothing" defaults. The back cover offers only a generic "1080p HD presentation of all three films from restorations of the original film elements supplied by Toei". While the change to color from black and white for this second film may arguably offer a more robust viewing experience for some, the palette here can be slightly wonky looking at times, as may be evident from some of the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review. There can be just a hint of a slightly sickly yellow- green undertone, sometimes combined with a hint of dowdy brown, that can give this a somewhat faded appearance, but that said, there can still be incredibly bright pops of primaries in particular (look at that groovy red hat on Kunie Tanaka in screenshot 9 for one example). I'm actually going to discuss this in more detail in some reviews from the upcoming The Game of Clones: Bruceploitation Collection Vol. 1, but there are some noticeable anamorphic oddities here that are not just relegated to things like squeezing at the edges of the frame. There are moments here where the x / y axes of the frame's rectangle look like they've been almost tweaked to be a parallelogram, so that the entire image can slant or tilt weirdly (see screenshot 10 for just one example). Grain can be quite heavy at times, but resolves without any major issues. There are some minor blips, flecks and scratches to be seen, but nothing of any major import.
Abashiri Prison II features an LPCM 2.0 Mono track in the original Japanese that is really not materially different, quality wise, from the tracks on the other two films in this set. There's a noticeably boxy sound that tends to afflict mostly midrange and low end scoring and sound effects, but which can be discerned in some of the spoken material as well. Nonetheless, dialogue is rendered cleanly and without any issues to report. Optional English subtitles are available.
Eureka has packaged this set with the first two films on Disc One and the third film on Disc Two. The supplements, including the commentaries, can
be
far ranging (i.e., not necessarily limited solely to any given film), and so I'm including the complete array of supplements below.
Disc One ( Abashiri Prison and Abashiri Prison II)
- Audio Commentary by Tom Mes
- Original Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:45)
- Audio Commentary by Chris Poggiali
- Original Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:50)
You can simply tell how rushed this whole effort was, and the "intrigue" surrounding the jewels is never really very visceral. Ishii may have felt like he was strong armed into doing the series as a whole, and maybe this first sequel in particular, but he brings his usual professionalism to the job, and Takakura is once again commanding in the lead. Technical merits are occasionally a little iffy in both the video and audio departments, but are generally solid. The supplements are very enjoyable for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.
(Still not reliable for this title)
網走番外地 望郷篇 / Abashiri bangaichi: Bōkyō-hen | Masters of Cinema
1965
網走番外地 / Abashiri bangaichi | Masters of Cinema
1965
現代やくざ 人斬り与太 / Gendai yakuza: hito-kiri yota
1972
1968
1968
Jingi no hakaba
1975
1968
1968
暗戰2 / Am zin 2
2001
Mottomo kiken na yuugi / 最も危険な遊戯 / Games of Maximum Risk
1978
1968
Minagoroshi no kenjû
1967
8時間の恐怖 / Hachijikan no kyôfu
1957
1969
Battles Without Honor and Humanity - Deadly Fight in Hiroshima
1973
2000
東京騎士隊 / Tokyo naito
1961
密航0ライン / Mikkô zero rain
1960
ドーベルマン刑事 / Doberuman deka
1977
省港旗兵 / Shěng gǎng qí bīng
1984