G.I. Samurai Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

G.I. Samurai Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 3, 2026

For all of its off kilter context, G.I. Samurai would seem to be a relatively simple time travel offering, though that very aforementioned context is what gives the film some unexpectedly provocative subtext. A squad of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, the "army that isn't really an army" which arose in the wake of the end of World War II and the strictures placed upon Japan's military ambitions, finds itself mysteriously transported back in time to the so-called Warring States period. Squad leader Lieutenant Iba (Sonny Chiba) is obviously disoriented, but since he and his men have significant fire power at their disposal, the low tech weapons and fighting methods of samurai types aren't especially concerning, at least initially. The whole "military time travel" conceit will of course remind American film fans of a stateside entry that appeared a year after G.I. Samurai, namely The Final Countdown, but this entry definitely has more on its mind than "simple" action.

As the commentary track by Samm Deighan and Tom Mes gets into, the whole ambivalent "army / not an army" subtext of Japan's late 20th century military in this enterprise almost inherently suggests a lack of a "clear mission", and Iba and the other fighters are not of one mind about how to proceed. A breakdown of "normal" military order is almost inevitable, and various characters make individual choices that then ripple out into the group. All of this plays out against the "historical" background of marauding samurai forces, forces Iba thinks he can make a deal with in order to "rejigger" Japanese history and maybe get his men back to their proper time period. What ensues is actually a fascinating study of supposed military types who aren't "officially" an army who have to deal with a very official "army" in the form of the samurai, with the modern "fighters" giving in more and more to feral tendencies. As such, G.I. Samurai is as much a character study as it is a science fiction tinged action flick.

G.I. Samurai Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

G.I. Samurai is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Arrow's insert booklet contains the following information on the presentation:

G.I. Samurai is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 with original japanese monoaural audio, a 4.0 stereo mix, and English dubbed mono audio.

The film was restored in 4K by kadokawa Pictures in 2022.

All materials were provided by Kadokawa.

Some of the "pre delivered" masters that labels like Arrow and Radiance in particular release can sometimes be a little lackluster, but this is by and large and eye popping experience, at least from a palette perspective. Solid consistent densities and some really impressive suffusion make a lot the presentation incredibly vivid, with primaries extremely evocative a lot of the times. Reds in costumes and the blues in the backgrounds of sunny sky scenes are often gorgeous. Detail levels on those same costumes is also precise looking, and the historical costumes in particular offer fabric textures that are almost palpable. There are some day for night scenes that are a bit on the murky side, with a kind of cobalt blue masking fine detail levels. There are still a few blemishes that have made it past the restoration gauntlet, some noticeable in the psychedelic time travel vignette, but other minor issues like white flecks can be spotted in darker moments. Grain is very much evident, but is slightly variable at times. Some of the composited material can look rough and yellow (see screenshot 9).

G.I. Samurai Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

G.I. Samurai features LPCM Mono, DTS-HD Master Audio 4.0 and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks. All three tracks offer solid listening experiences, but changing between them (you unfortunately can't really "toggle", and instead have to go into the Pop Up Menu to change codecs due to how the disc has been authored), there's a clear increase in spaciousness from mono to 4.0 and then on to 5.1. Surround activity is consistent, if subtle, especially since so much of the film takes place beachside, where ambient environmental sounds dot the side and rear channels. The big "time slip" vignette also provides some good surround activity. Kentaro Haneda's score is also presented with secure fidelity. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

G.I. Samurai Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• English Version (HD; 2:19:14) is listed as uncut and features the Time Slip title.


• Commentary by Samm Deighan and Tom Mes


• Critical Appreciations

The Good Fight (HD; 22:15) features Mark Schilling.




Acting in Self Defence (HD; 18:05) features Matt Alt.




Back in Time (HD; 25:47) features Masaki Nomura and Tatsuya Masuto. Subtitled in English.

• Archive Interviews with the Cast are from 2005. Subtitled in English. The aspect ratio looks slightly wonky (stretched) on these.

Sonny Chiba (HD; 20:12)




Isao Natsuyagi (HD; 23:51)




Hiromitsu Suzuki and Monsieur Kamayatsu (HD; 21:11)




Jun Eto and Isao Kuraishi (HD; 21:44)




Eiji Suzuki (HD; 3:48)

• Trailer Gallery

Teaser Trailer (HD; 00:42)




Theatrical Trailer (HD; 3:29)




English Export Trailer (HD; 3:25)

• Image Gallery (HD)

The keepcase has a reversible sleeve and encloses and insert booklet with an interesting essay by Josh Slater-Williams. Packaging also features a slipcover.

G.I. Samurai Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Chiba is great in a role that requires as much actual acting as action, so to speak, and he's surrounded by a coterie of compelling performers from both time periods. G.I. Samurai is surprisingly thoughtful given its kind of goofy premise. Technical merits are solid and as usual Arrow has aggregated some excellent supplements. Recommended.