Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Massacre Gun Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 23, 2015

Yasuharu Hasebe's "Massacre Gun" (1967) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Video. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; new and exclusive interview with writer and film historian Tony Rayns; new and exclusive video interview with actor Jô Shishido; and gallery of rare promotional materials. The release also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring new writing on the film by Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp, newly illustrated by Ian MacEwan and featuring original archive stills. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Kuroda and his brothers

The cool hitman Kuroda (Jô Shishido, A Colt is My Passport) is ordered to eliminate his beautiful mistress. He kills her, but his feisty brothers, Eiji (Tatsuya Fuji, In The Realm of The Senses) and Saburo (Jiro Okazaki, Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter), question his loyalty to the powerful boss Akazawa (Takashi Kanda, The Devil's Ballad). Saburo, an aspiring boxer, even publicly confronts Akazawa and his men nearly kill him. When Kuroda discovers how Akazawa has treated his brother, he walks away from his gang.

Angered by Kuroda’s decision to leave him, Akazawa vows to make him realize that without him he cannot survive in the city. But Kuroda and his brothers team up and instead take over a number of businesses that have been paying Akazawa’s goons for protection. When Akazawa is informed that he has a new rival in the city, he orders his men to prepare for war.

There are some very obvious similarities between Yasuharu Hasebe’s Massacre Gun and Seijun Suzuki’s Branded to Kill. They are both stylish gangster films that were released in 1967 and feature excellent performances by the enigmatic Shishido. Also, both clearly imitate the specific look the big American noir films promoted at the time.

Massacre Gun is the more straightforward of the two films. It is essentially a macho affair that focuses on the clash between Kuroda and Akazawa’s men and takes great pleasure in observing how they hurt and kill each other. There are a couple of short romantic sequences -- all very beautifully lensed -- but even they have an attitude and feel uncharacteristically edgy.

The film’s biggest strength is the terrific noirish atmosphere. Indeed, the majority of the time light is either intentionally restricted or carefully controlled to get that specific moody visual style noir films are known for. Lush jazz tunes are also prominently featured when the action slows down.

Shishido is clearly the star of the film. He looks appropriately jaded at times, but when challenged he quickly becomes an angry animal. As it is the case with Branded to Kill, here there are also plenty of close-ups of his surgically improved face. Okazaki leaves a lasting impression as the hotheaded boxer who loves to hurt his opponents. There is a short but very intense sequence early into the film in which he goes berserk and nearly kills his sparring partner. Kanda is also very good as the cruel boss Akazawa. The more one sees of him, the more one wishes that Kuroda and his brothers teach him a very long and very painful lesson.

The film is based on a script by director Hasebe (credited under the alias Takashi Fujii) and Ryuzo Nakanishi. It was lensed by cinematographer Kazue Nagatsuka (Suziki’s Story of a Prostitute, Youth of the Beast, Branded to Kill).

Massacre Gun Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Yasuharu Hasebe's Massacre Gun arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video.

The film's visual style clearly imitates the specific look the big American noir pictures promoted. Unsurprisingly, large portions of the film are lit in specific ways to enhance the moody atmosphere (see screencapture #7). Typically, depth and clarity are pleasing, but there are minor but noticeable fluctuations in terms of sharpness. Some of them are part of the original cinematography, aging has also contributed to the unevenness. A layer of light grain is visible throughout the entire film, but occasionally it could be overexposed. Contrast levels remain stable. Black levels could have been better managed as there are a few sequences where light crushing could be spotted (see screencapture #13). There are no traces of compromising sharpening adjustments. Overall image stability is good, but there are transitions that could be better (you will notice that quite a few feel twitchy/jumpy and a light white line pops up in the upper end of the frame). There are no large debris, damage marks, or cuts, but a few tiny vertical lines and flecks can be spotted). All in all, though not immaculate, this is indeed a fine organic presentation of Massacre Gun. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3/Blu-ray player regardless of your geographical location).

Massacre Gun Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Japanese LPCM 1.0. Arrow Video. have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The film is complimented by a very diverse jazzy soundtrack courtesy of Naozumi Yamamoto (Branded to Kill, Gate of Flesh). The jazz solos from the bar as well as the lonely trumpet solos from the intimate sequences sound great (listen to the solo at the 00.51.37 mark). Depth and clarity are good, but minor fluctuations exist. The action sequences, in particular, have plenty of enhancements, but the overall balance is never affected. The dialog is stable and easy to follow. There are no audio dropouts, pops, or digital distortions to report in thus review.

Massacre Gun Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original Japanese trailer for Massacre Gun. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles. (3 min, 1080p).

• Interview with Tony Rayns - in this long and very informative interview, writer and film historian Tony Rayns discusses the socio-political climate in Japan before and after WWII and Nikkatsu's history, the legacies of some of the most prominent Japanese directors that worked for the legendary studio, the influence of American films in Japan, etc. In English, not subtitled. (37 min, 1080p).
  
  1. Introduction
  2. The 1920s/30s and the coming of sound
  3. World War II
  4. The 1950s
  5. The 'Sun Tribe' Films
  6. The 'New Action' Films
  7. Imamura
  8. Suzuki
  9. Roman Porno
  10. Afterword: Island of Dreams

• Interview with Jô Shishido - in this new video interview, Japanese actor Jô Shishido discusses his life and career, as well as his contribution to Yasuharu Hasebe's Massacre Gun. The interview was conducted exclusively for Arrow Video in Nikkatsu Corporation's Tokyo headquarters in 2015. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles. (18 min, 1080i).

• Promotional Gallery - a gallery of rare promotional materials. (1080p).

• Booklet - booklet featuring new writing on the film by Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp, newly illustrated by Ian MacEwan and featuring original archive stills.

• Cover - Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Ian MacEwan.

Massacre Gun Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Yasuharu Hasebe's Massacre Gun is guaranteed to appeal to fans of the classic Japanese crime films from the '60s and 70s. It makes its world Blu-ray premiere via Arrow Video in the U.S. and the UK, but the release is actually Region-Free. The U.S. and UK releases appear to be identical, so if you reside in a Region-C country, you can safely import one of the two releases. RECOMMENDED.