Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Karate Warriors Blu-ray Movie Review

Karate Warriors is an exciting and energetic action-packed film. Karate Warriors will appeal directly to fans of the action genre who are looking for some great fight scenes to entertain. Distributed by Toei Company, Karate Warriors stars Sonny Chiba. Co-starring Isao Natsuyagi, Akiko Koyama, Akane Kawasaki, Hideo Murota, Eiji Gô, Bin Amatsu, Yayoi Watanabe, and Tatsuo Umemiya

Shuhei Sakata (Sonny Chiba) is a tough-as-hell street fighter working on his biggest mission to date – taking on gangs from powerful yakuza. The yakuza run organized crime and brothers are leading a dangerous underworld. Shuhei is determined to be a top street fighter while working to stop the criminal organization these gangs are running and on the path to action-packed mayhem, Shuhei ultimately enlists the help of a samurai to make things a bit easier. Can Shuhei and the samurai defeat the yakuza?

Sonny Chiba is impressive as the street fighter. The performance is well-done and a nice highlight for Chiba as a stat performer. The action- packed adrenaline of the performance brings out the best in Chiba. The role was made for Chiba and fans will not be disappointed.

The cinematography by Yoshio Nakajima (Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs, Sister Street Fighter) is beautiful and organic. The visuals add to the filmmaking style. The cinematographic approach certainly elevates the action scenes and makes the filmmaking more entertaining. A well-done effort by Nakajima.

The score composed by Taiichirô Kosugi (Adventures of Zatoichi, The Flower and the Sword) is a great highlight of the film. Karate Warriors is well-composed and the music fits the action sequences with ease. The score elevates the adrenaline-packed gusto of the filmmaking.

Written by Tatsuhiko Kamoi (Graveyard of Honor, Terrifying Girls' High School: Lynch Law Classroom) and Shinji Nakajima, Karate Warriors is a fun action-gem for genre fans. The script provides solid characterizations and a nice storyline for the characters to inhabit. Dialogue is fun, too. A nice screenplay for the production.

Directed by Kazuhiko Yamaguchi (Wandering Ginza Butterfly, The Tragedy in the Devil-Mask Village), Karate Warriors is well worthwhile. Yamaguchi has a lot of fun with the production and the action. Karate Warriors is a good showcase for Chiba and the director makes a suave-and-cool film with entertainment in spades. The aesthetic achieved by the filmmaker is top-notch, too.

Karate Warriors Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Shout Factory, Karate Warriors is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 widescreen. The high-definition presentation is well-done. The transfer showcases the cinematography well and highlights the visual strengths of the filmmaking. The transfer for the film has some occasional specks and isn't pristine but is in excellent shape overall. The encoding by Shout Factory is well-done.

Karate Warriors Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio Mono (with English subtitles). The lossless audio encoding capably reproduces the soundstage. Dialogue is crisp and well reproduced. The score sounds engaging and clear on the release. The English subtitles are well-done and are free from egregious spelling or grammatical errors.

Karate Warriors Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary by Chris Poggiali and Marc Walkow

Trailer (HD, 2:45)

Karate Warriors Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Karate Warriors is an exciting and energetic action film. Fans of Sonny Chiba will appreciate seeing the performer in this memorable production. The filmmaking is fun and creative – action-fans won't be disappointed.

The Blu-ray release features a worthwhile presentation and lossless audio encoding. The Blu-ray release also features an audio commentary track provided by Chris Poggiali and Marc Walkow. Recommended.