6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Karate master and anti-drug vigilante Kiba returns to his home in Japan, where he aims to wipe out the nation's drug industry.
Starring: Shin'ichi Chiba, Etsuko Shihomi, Jirô Yabuki, Mari Atsumi, Yayoi WatanabeForeign | 100% |
Martial arts | 29% |
Drama | 18% |
Crime | 11% |
Action | 10% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Japanese: LPCM 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Ryuichi Takamori's "Bodyguard Kiba" (1973) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary by critics Mike Leeder and Arne Venema; archival program with action director Kenji Tanigaki; vintage trailer; and more. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
You are my precious bodyguard now.
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Bodyguard Kiba arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.
The entire film has a wonderful organic appearance. It is the type of appearance I would expect to see from a recent master struck from an interpositive, but I do not know what elements were accessed at Toei when the film was restored. Delineation, clarity, and depth range from good to very good to excellent. The best looking material usually features well-lit close-ups, but several outdoor sequences are equally impressive. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Grain can be slightly more attractive, but I did not see any anomalies. The same can be said about color balance. A few primaries and supporting nuances can be better saturated, but they are properly set and look healthy. Image stability is very good. I did not see any distracting image imperfections to point out in our review. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Japanese LPCM 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
The lossless track is healthy and stable. The jazzy tunes and action material produce wonderful dynamic contrasts, but it is very easy to tell that the film comes from the 1970s. All dialog is very clear and easy to follow. Some unevenness can be noticed, but this is something that is very common on Japanese crime films from the 1970s and even the 1980s. The English translation is excellent.
Despite its many obvious flaws, and especially the ones that affect the structure and quality of its narrative, Bodyguard Kiba is a pretty entertaining film. It runs on pure Japanese enthusiasm and admiration for the classic American gangster films that gives it a memorable identity, which is present only on its original Japanese theatrical version. The American version is worth a look too, but primarily because it destroys this identity and becomes a very different, very silly film. Eureka Entertainment presents a wonderful recent restoration of Bodyguard Kiba with a couple of nice bonus features. If you decide to pick it up for your library, please keep in mind that it is Region-B "locked". HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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1976
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2003
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1969
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1972
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1972
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1976
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1985
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1999
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2001
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1990
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仁義なき戦い 代理戦争 / Jingi naki tatakai: Dairi senso / Battles Without Honour and Humanity: Proxy War
1973
달콤한 인생 / Dalkomhan insaeng
2005
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1995
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1972
殺破狼 / SPL: Kill Zone / Saat po long
2005
導火綫 / 导火线 / Dǎo Huǒ Xiàn / Dou fo sin | Ultimate Edition
2007