Cruel Gun Story Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Cruel Gun Story Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 23, 2024

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Radiance Films' World Noir Vol. 2 collection.

Radiance Films has been curating some really interesting titles since its inception, and is now offering what might be called "gritty global cinema" fans a second volume of noir features, after 2023's World Noir Vol. 1 (which I was not sent to review). This trio of films may frankly offer titles that are not that well known beyond a certain fan base, but each of the three films has interesting, sometimes compelling, elements, and as usual Radiance is providing generally secure technical merits and some outstanding supplements. Of the three films in this set, Kino Lorber has released a previous Region A version of Black Gravel, which as of the writing of this review hasn't been reviewed here yet. It looks like Symphony for a Massacre has had two prior releases on Blu-ray, including the Region A Symphony for a Massacre release from Cohen Media Group that I reviewed, and the Region B (albeit French) Symphony for a Massacre release from Pathe Distribution reviewed by Svet Atanasov. For those interested, of the three check discs sent to me for purposes of this review, Black Gravel played fine in my Region A player, while both Symphony for a Massacre and Cruel Gun Story are locked Region B.

Kind of interestingly, if perhaps just slightly troublingly for those of us who are citizens of the United States, while both Black Gravel and this film are rife with characters with at least questionable and somewhat variable moral compasses, both films at least hint at the nefarious influence of nearby American military installations in terms of the overall turpitude that seems to be on display. That aspect may be slightly less overt in Cruel Gun Story than it is in Black Gravel, which is arguably more overtly about the near occupation of a rural German community by a highly armed Army base, but there may be a subliminal subtext here that a post World War II occupation may not have resulted in "happily ever after" for the Japanese.

The main story here revolves around ex-con Joji Togawa (Joe Shoshido), who, in true anti-hero style, has a good reason for having been locked up in the first place. That doesn't make things any easier for him once he gets out and is soon more or less conscripted into a heist caper where just about everything that could go wrong does. As some of the supplements on this disc allude to, this can almost be an exercise in "there's no honor among thieves". One way or the other, there's a Classical Tragedy melancholy suffusing this film, which seems to suggest whatever the Japanese equivalent of the "economic miracle" other post World War II nations experienced may have itself contributed to the "moral fiber" of the Japanese citizenry.

If that "background" presence of a post World War II society being watched over by Big Brother may tether this film at least somewhat to Black Gravel, its tight plotting, nefarious gang members turning on each other, and various twists and turns makes it an appealing companion piece to Symphony for a Massacre.

Cruel Gun Story Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Cruel Gun Story is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Radiance Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.45:1. While Radiance sent only checks discs for purposes of this review, and I'm therefore not privy to any information contained in an insert booklet about the transfer, Radiance's website states this is a "high definition digital transfer, presented on Blu-ray for the first time in the world". While not overly problematic, this is probably the least pleasing looking transfer in the set. Things are just a tad soft at times, especially when compared so some of the 4K clarity of offerings like Symphony for a Massacre, but general detail levels can still be quite appealing, and fine detail on practical items like props and especially costumes is precise looking in close-ups and arguably extending to midrange framings. I found the overall look here to be just a bit too dark, something that makes some rather long nighttime or dimly lit sequences offer relatively little in the way of shadow detail. Grain resolves naturally throughout.

Cruel Gun Story Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Cruel Gun Story features an LPCM 2.0 Mono track in the original Japanese. Some of the bombastic scoring choices can be really bright (almost to the point of painfulness), and to my ears the high end on this track in general might have benefitted from a bit of equalization. Dialogue is nonetheless rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Cruel Gun Story Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by Jasper Sharp


• Tony Rayns (HD; 21:27) offers another one of his typically very informative and insightful analyses, offering a history lesson of Nikkatsu and some nice background about this film.


• Hayley Scanlon (HD; 12:10) presents a visual essay covering noir in 1960s Japan, specifically that produced by Nikkatsu.


• Joe Shishido (HD; 8:56) is featured in this archival interview from 2006, which Radiance describes as newly edited for this release.

Cruel Gun Story Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Cruel Gun Story may arguably go a little gonzo as it careens toward a climax, but it's both a fascinating character study and a generally exciting caper film. Technical merits are generally solid, if not at the optimal levels seen in some of the other films in this collection, though this disc has some of the most interesting supplements of the set. Recommended.