Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Bodyguard Kiba Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 27, 2024

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.

Ryuichi Takamori’s Bodyguard Kiba can be seen in two versions. One is the original Japanese theatrical version, while the other is an international version, which was prepared for distribution in the United States. Both are worth seeing for completely different reasons. The original version is a small film that delivers quite a bit of what one would expect from a Japanese crime thriller starring Sonny Chiba in his prime. The second is a hybrid project dubbed in English that adds newly shot bonus footage and changes the tone, atmosphere, and style of the film Takamori shot. It is impossible to praise. However, it is pretty entertaining because it is dubbed in the same manner many old cult Hong Kong films are dubbed in English. The dubbers are too enthusiastic, so virtually everything they utter in English sounds goofy or out of sync, or sometimes both. As a result, viewing this version of Bodyguard Kiba is a lot like viewing a filmed stage production of Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto in which The Rock dubs the Italian lines of all male characters in English.

After successfully disarming several terrorists trying to hijack the plane that is taking him back home, karate specialist Naoto Kiba (Chiba) instantly becomes a media star. While the cameras of all major TV stations in Japan are pointed at him, Kiba then announces that he is available for hire, and shortly after, at home, he reveals to his younger sister, Maki (Yayoi Watanabe), that he wants her to be his secretary. A few hours later, Kiba is contacted by a beautiful mysterious woman (Mari Atsumi), who asks him to become her personal bodyguard while she finalizes an important business deal. Kiba enthusiastically agrees to do the job, but before he can pocket the beauty's check Maki is crucified on the parking lot in front of their building by several shady characters looking for his first client. In the days ahead, while protecting his client, Kiba becomes a target for various criminal elements and, much to his surprise, the Mafia.

Bodyguard Kiba cannot be placed among Chiba’s best films because it has a disjointed narrative and too many fancy visuals of the kind that would have been perfect for a series of TV commercials, not a feature film. However, its original theatrical version is so desperate to emulate the classic American gangster films and loaded with pure Japanese machismo that the mixture of over-the-top attitudes, action, and fancy visuals becomes enormously attractive. Frankly, the only thing that Bodyguard Kiba lacks so that it can be profiled as a so-bad-it-is-great cult film is a tipple dose of sexually explicit visuals that would have instantly enraged the prudish viewer.

The drama and its progression are, to put it mildly, beyond unbelievable. The drama is initiated in America, where an aging Italian mobster is murdered by Japanese hitmen who somehow miss his younger mistress. At the right time, the mysterious beauty that hires Kiba is revealed as the elusive mistress, and her important business deal, which involves stolen drugs, proves to be her ticket to freedom. The local shady characters that complicate her plan to get rich with the money from the business deal and disappear without a trace while using an alias also become involved in a backstabbing game with partners and competitors, a few of which are operating from inside the area’s biggest U.S. military base. Takamori does not even attempt to control Chiba and the important supporting actors in this wild material, so once the fireworks begin, it very much begins to look like everyone is contributing without the awareness that Bodyguard Kiba is supposed to be a team project. This is what irreversibly fractures the narrative and then makes different segments of it look like they would have been more appropriate in TV commercials.

The most outlandish of these segments feature action material with fancy framing, zooms, cuts, slowed-down and still shots. Plenty of edgy music is utilized as well. These segments and plenty of other material could have been managed a lot better, but their awkwardness make Bodyguard Kiba worth seeing.

Bodyguard Kiba Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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).

Bodyguard Kiba Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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.

Bodyguard Kiba Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• U.S. Version - presented here is the international/American version of The Bodyguard. In English, not subtitled. (88 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Mike Leeder and Arne Venema. As usual, the two commentators cover a lot of ground. Some of the more interesting information is about the American version of Bodyguard Kiba, the common practice of plane hijacking during the 1970s, the visual style of the film, some of the religious symbolism in it, the marketing of the film, etc.

• Talking Chiba - in this archival program, action director Kenji Tanigaki discusses the impact Sonny Chiba's films had on him, the iconic actor's image and reputation in Japan, and the popularity of his work around the world. In English, not subtitled. (28 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered original Japanese trailer for The Bodyguard. In Japanese, with English subtitles. (3 min).

• Booklet - a collector's booklet featuring new writing by Jasper Sharp as well as technical credits.

Bodyguard Kiba Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.