Burst City Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Burst City Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 2, 2020

It might seem just a little odd or at least a bit anachronistic for a society regularly thought of as being impeccably “polite”, the way that many Westerners tend to think of Japan and its native citizens, as having had a pretty energetic “punk” movement, and yet like virtually every industrialized country in the 1980s, Japan, too, had its own flirtation with this genre. If punk rock is often typified by its proponents’ devil may care attitudes, Burst City may be a cinematic equivalent of those attitudes in a very real way. Commentator Tom Mes compares the film to a patchwork quilt (not necessarily entirely favorably), and he also quotes director Sogo Ishii as having recognized the film is “imperfect”, so some slack may be required in order to accept Burst City on its own frequently pretty chaotic merits.

At least some of that chaos might be indicated by the fact that aside from presenting some real life Japanese punk bands of the day in performance in an overall "cyberpunk" setting, the film also deals with a dystopian near future where activists are protesting against a planned nuclear power plant. The nuclear power plant is seen as an "investment opportunity" by the local yakuza, and a showdown seems inevitable. But this brief summary hardly hints at the kaleidoscopic stylistic flourishes Ishii employs, which include everything from dizzying POV shots taken from the perspective of a speeding motorcycle (did I mention there were biker gangs involved?) to odd, almost documentary style, black and white interstitials documenting backstage activities at some of the punk concerts.

Burst City Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Burst City is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Arrow's insert booklet contains only the following pretty basic information on the transfer:

Burst City / Bakuretsu toshi is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 with mono sound. The High Definition master was produced and supplied by Toie.

In his typically informative commentary, Tom Mes does mention that both Sogo Ishii and cinematographer Norimichi Kasamatsu were involved in Toie's mastering of the film, though it should probably be noted that Toie's own Blu-ray release came out in 2016, and I'm assuming that this was culled from the same source. Despite having a relatively fulsome budget (at least according to some of Mes' comments), Burst City is an exercise in lo-fi aesthetics, with a really gritty 16mm appearance a lot of the time. Grain can overshadow some of the imagery in the dark scenes especially (and a lot of the film takes place in dimly lit or downright blackened situations). Crush is also evident throughout the presentation, with things like dark hair regularly just melting into shadowy backgrounds. With an understanding of some of the film's stylistic proclivities, detail levels are okay, but hardly overwhelming. In that regard, some of the black and white imagery probably provides the best fine detail levels. In the color sequences in particular, grain can assume a pretty splotchy, yellowed appearance.

Burst City Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Burst City offers a boisterous LPCM Mono track in the original Japanese. While at least a stereo track would have probably been preferable, given the musical elements of the film, the track is often surprisingly full bodied, and the low end in some of the thumping punk tunes is memorably reverberant. Other effects like the roar of motors or the sounds of large crowds on the verge of violence can also offer considerable sonic activity. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout the film. Optional English subtitles are available.

Burst City Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by Tom Mes


• The Punk Spirit of '82 (1080p; 56:28) is an interesting new interview with director Sogo Ishii, which is both biographical in general but also focused on this particular film. In Japanese with English subtitles (questions are offered via interstitial text cards in English).


• Bursting Out (1080p; 27:08) is a new interview with author and jishu eiga filmmaker Yoshiharu Tezuka. (In English.)


• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 1:30)


• Image Gallery (1080p; 8:10)

Additionally, Arrow has provided its typically well appointed insert booklet, with writing, stills and technical data.

Burst City Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Any lover of punk and/or "cyberpunk" will probably find this film fascinating, if not always easily comprehensible. The whole "punk ethos" is captured perfectly here, but that in and of itself can lead to an unsettling, uneven viewing experience. Video has some pretty rough looking moments, as befits its smaller format source, but audio is often rambunctious, and the supplements interesting and well done, for those who are considering a purchase.