7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 3.8 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.9 |
A yakuza assassin with a fetish for sniffing steamed rice botches a job and ends up a target himself.
Starring: Jô Shishido, Kôji Nanbara, Isao Tamagawa, Anne Mari, Mariko OgawaForeign | 100% |
Drama | 77% |
Surreal | 16% |
Crime | 10% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Japanese: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Japanese director Seijun Suzuki's "Koroshi no rakuin" a.k.a. "Branded to Kill" (1967) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include the film's original theatrical trailer; new and exclusive video interview with director Seijun Suzuki and assistant director Masami Kuzuu; new and exclusive video interview with actor Joe Shishido; and a video interview with director Seijun Suzuki recorded during a retrospective of his work by the Japan Foundation and Los Angeles Filmforum. The disc also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring an essay by Asian cinema expert Tony Rayns, and a statement by the film's art director, Sukezo Kawahara. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles. Region-A "locked".
Hanada, the rice-sniffing killer
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Seijun Suzuki's Branded to Kill arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:
"This new high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit Datacine from a fine-grain master positive. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, warps, jitter, and flicker were manually removed using MTI's DRS and Pixel Farm's PFClean, while Image System's DVNR was used for small dirt, grain, and noise reduction.
Telecine supervisor: Lee Kline.
Telecine colorist: Joe Gawler/Technicolor, New York."
Aside from some random artifacts that occasionally pop up, the presentation of this classic Japanese film is very impressive, and especially when one attempts to compare it to the old R1 non-anamorphic DVD release Criterion produced back in 1999. In addition to dramatically improved detail, the new high-definition transfer also impressively stabilizes the color scheme, which is both delicate and dramatic. Naturally, the noirish nighttime sequences (see screencapture #3) now look beautiful, not fuzzy and blocky, while the close-ups convey pleasing depth (see screencapture #5). Contrast levels are also stabilized, giving the film an entirely new, very healthy look. Additionally, various delicate noise and grain corrections have been performed, but when projected the film boasts wonderful organic qualities. There are no serious stability issues. The high-definition transfer is also free of large damage marks, debris, stains, and cuts. All in all, the Blu-ray release of Branded to Kill offers a much needed, and anticipated, gigantic upgrade in visual quality. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: Japanese LPCM 1.0. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:
"The monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from the original soundtrack print. Clicks, thumps, hiss, and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using AudioCube's integrated workstation."
The uncompressed monaural soundtrack serves the film very well. During the shootouts, for instance, the sound is crisp and clean, and a few of the car crashes sound quite intense. Naozumi Yamamoto 's score also gets a decent boost, though admittedly the music in Branded to Kill is not as prominent as it is in Tokyo Drifter. The dialog is crisp, clean, stable, and easy to follow. For the record, there are no sync issues or audio dropouts to report in this review. The English translation is very good.
Wildly entertaining and seriously atmospheric, Branded to Kill is director Seijun Suzuki's boldest, darkest, and most perverted film. It is rather easy to argue that it is one of the most stylish Japanese films from the 1960s as well. Its transition to Blu-ray is the revelation many film aficionados have been waiting for, and likely to remain its definitive presentation for years to come. The Blu-ray also features exclusive new supplemental features, including a hilarious new video interview with the star of the film, Joe Shishido. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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