Danger Point: The Road to Hell Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Danger Point: The Road to Hell Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 18, 2025

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of the V-Cinema Essentials: Bullets & Betrayal collection from Arrow Video.

In 1976 folks in the United States were celebrating the bicentennial anniversary celebration of a famous revolution, but another revolution of a technological rather than a political variety was just beginning to unfold across the ocean in Japan at virtually the same time. That was the year that VHS began its scrappy upstart status against Betamax in a format war which in its day was probably at least as notorious as the one that decades later marked the rollout of high definition home video with competing HD-DVD and Blu-ray formats. Betamax of course ultimately lost that battle (rather incredibly both Betamax player and VCR production extended well into the 21st century, despite having been supplanted by disc formats), and by the time Toei had the bright idea to start producing direct to video releases in 1989, VHS was the dominant format. In a way it's kind of fascinating to compare and contrast Toei's decision to provide "product" to its chain of video stores with the way the major Hollywood studios used to provide feature films for the theater chains they owned until United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc. forced the studios to divest those properties in 1948. One way or the other, despite economic tribulations in Japan which had severely impacted (theatrically exhibited) movie attendance, the direct to video market exploded for Toei, so much so that other major (and minor) Japanese studios soon followed suit by offering their own straight to video productions, though Toei had actually trademarked the term V-Cinema to describe their product. This collection of V-Cinema outings from Arrow includes a nonet of titles that tend to feature hardscrabble criminal types, including the film that started the whole V-Cinema craze, Crime Hunter: Bullets of Rage.

While it's probably unwise to take the comparison too much to heart, there are enough moral shades of gray and competing schemes afoot in Danger Point: the Road to Hell that one could almost imagine it being a Coen Brothers outing, had those siblings toiled in the lo fi environment of straight to video productions. This film reunites Show Aikawa and Joe Shishido from Neo Chinpira: Zoom Goes the Bullet, here portraying too pretty pathetic contract killers named Ken (Aikawa) and Joji (Shoshido). A McGuffin of sorts turns up during a hit the two men are completing, which then leads to a somewhat labyrinthine mystery which ultimately revolves around a stolen cache of tens of millions of dollars. There's a somewhat elegiac tone in the dialectic between the aging Joji and younger, more hotheaded, Ken, that helps to give the film some emotional heft.

Danger Point: The Road to Hell Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Danger Point: The Road to Hell is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.33:1. Arrow lumps all of the films together in their page devoted to the presentations in this set's insert booklet, as follows:

The films in this collection represent a period of film production in Japan in the late 1980s and early 1990s where films were made by the Toei Company specifically for home video. Beginning with Crime Hunter: Bullets of Rage, these "V-Cinema" titles were produced quickly and inexpensively, but afforded filmmakers significant freedom when it came to censorship, resulting in riskier content than what had been produced for cinema distribution.

As such, the modest origins of these titles can be seen in these presentations. All films have been remastered by the Toei Company in high definition and are presented in the 1.33:1 home video format of the time.

In brighter lit moments, which are thankfully frequent, Danger Point: The Road to Hell pops very nicely and provides some equally commendable detail levels. Some outdoor material in particular is among the best looking sequences in the entire V-Cinema set from Arrow. That plus is at least partially countered by some of the low light material, which can offer next to no shadow detail and which is frequently laden with a kind of blue / purple undertone. Grain is rather heavy at times, but only rarely has the mottled look that afflicts some of the other presentations in the set, though there are some passingly rough looking moments (see screenshot 7). Once again, very minor age related wear and tear can be spotted.

Danger Point: The Road to Hell Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Danger Point: The Road to Hell features LPCM 2.0 audio in the original Japanese. This is another pretty talk heavy effort, and one without even the regular interstitial interruptions of massive gunfire, but a glut of outdoor material and some urban settings at least provide intermittent opportunities for realistic ambient environmental effects. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Danger Point: The Road to Hell Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Road to V-Cinema (HD; 14:42) is an appreciation of the film and V-Cinema in general by James Balmont.


• Introduction by Masaki Tanioka (HD; 4:03) is accessible under the Play Film menu and is authored to lead directly to the feature. Subtitled in English.

Arrow has packaged The Hitman: Blood Smells Like Roses and Danger Point: The Road to Hell together on one disc, and the keepcase features a reversible sleeve highlighting each title, as well as enclosing an art card for each film.

Danger Point: The Road to Hell Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Danger Point: The Road to Hell is a prime example of why audiences flocked to V-Cinema outings. The plot is admittedly basic, but there are enough character tidbits to keep the viewer engaged, and even without the nonstop violence of some of the other films in this set, Danger Point: the Road to Hell manages to provide visceral tension. Technical merits are generally solid and the main supplement very appealing. Recommended.