Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Pray for Death Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 17, 2016

Gordon Hessler's "Pray for Death" (1985) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment Group. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailers; new and archival video interviews with actor Sho Kosugi; and the film's shorter Rated-R version. The release also arrives with a 24-page illustrated booklet featuring James Oliver's essay "Back in Black: Cowboys and Ninjas in Pray for Death" and "Into the Storm: An Extract from 'Yin-Yang Code: The Drums of Tenkai-Bo'. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The ninja

Japanese businessman Akira Saito (Sho Kosugi) is convinced by his beautiful American wife (Donna Kei Benz, The Challenge) that they can have a much better life in Huston, Texas. With their savings, they purchase a rundown café and then enthusiastically pack up their bags.

It turns out, however, that the café is in a seedy part of town and that one of its storage rooms is secretly used by a couple of dirty cops who are working with the area’s biggest crime organization. When a very expensive stolen necklace disappears from the room, the leader of the organization orders his goons to rough up Akira and force him to return the necklace. But the goons underestimate Akira and all hell breaks loose.

Gordon Hessler’s Pray for Death is difficult to like, even if one has a soft spot for old-fashioned ninja films. Indeed, it rehashes just about everything that Kosugi did in the Ninja Trilogy (Enter the Ninja, Revenge of the Ninja, and Ninja III: The Domination) and ramps up the graphic violence, but it also adds a huge dose of melodrama. The end result is a film that is incredibly uneven and absolutely impossible to take seriously.

Kosugi plays two characters with drastically different views of life. The businessman is a quiet father and husband who dreams of growing old and enjoying the simple things life has to offer. He has a past that occasionally bothers him, but he feels that he is on the right path to happiness. The second character is a fearless assassin who never trusted the businessman. (This actually happens to be one of the few elements of the plot that makes some sense). So when he is called out he returns determined to prove that he was never locked in the past.

The material, however, is so banal that neither the businessman nor the assassin emerges as a believable character. The former looks completely out of sync until the transformation is initiated, while the latter acts as if he is participating in a competition of some sort and has a limited amount of time to impress with oddly choreographed fights featuring various amateurs. (As if this wasn’t bad enough, one of his young boys also joins the fun and confronts a few of the goons).

Arrow Video’s new release of Pray for Death features two versions of the film: the longer Unrated Version, which is approximately 98 minutes long (01.38.27), and the shorter R-Rated Version, which is approximately 95 minutes long (01.34.31). The Unrated Version adds up a few inserts with additional graphic footage. It is preferable, but it does not change the structure of the narrative, and certainly does not improve the quality of the action scenes.

Hessler shot Pray for Death with cinematographer Roy H. Wagner. His art director was Adrian Gorton, who a few years later worked with Clint Eastwood on the multiple Oscar-winning western Unforgiven.

Pray for Death Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.34:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Gordon Hessler's Pray for Death arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment Group.

Generally speaking, clarity and detail are quite pleasing, but it is very easy to tell that the release has been sourced from a pre-existing master. For example, there are areas where shadow definition could be a lot better. Also, ideally colors should be a lot more vibrant, better balanced and boasting a wider range of nuances. Currently, there are a number of scenes where the reds -- especially during facial close-ups -- appear elevated. There are no traces of recent degraining or sharpening adjustments. The Unrated Version contains inserts that come from a different master and look rougher. As a result, the density fluctuations are quite obvious. Overall image stability is very good. Finally, there are no large damage marks, debris, or cuts. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Pray for Death Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The audio has not been remastered, but depth and clarity are very good. In fact, the film has a surprisingly good retro soundtrack with a lovely synthesizer theme that sounds terrific. During the action scenes dynamic movement and separation are also great. The dialog is stable and clean.

Pray for Death Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• R-Rated Version - the shorter R-Rated Version of the film. (01.34.31/1080p/LPCM 2.0).

• Sho and Tell Part 1: Birth of a Ninja - in this brand new video interview, Sho Kosugi discusses his childhood years in Japan, his relocation to the U.S., his very early work in the film business, the production history of Pray for Death, etc. The interview was conducted in Japan in October 2015. In English, not subtitled. (20 min, 1080p).

• Sho Kosugi on Martial Art Forms - presented here is an archival interview with Sho Kosugi which was conducted prior to the U.S. premiere of Pray for Death. In the interview, Sho Kosugi discusses the different fighting styles in Japan, the evolution of the ninja tradition, and his acting career. The interview was broadcast in 1985. In English, not subtitled. (19 min, 480/60i).

• Sho Kosugi Trailer Gallery -
  
  1. Enter the Ninja
  2. Revenge of the Ninja.
  3. Pray for Death
  4. Rage of Honor

• Booklet - 24-page illustrated booklet featuring James Oliver's essay "Back in Black: Cowboys and Ninjas in Pray for Death", "Into the Storm: An Extract from 'Yin-Yang Code: The Drums of Tenkai-Bo', and technical credits.

Pray for Death Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Gordon Hessler's Pray for Death is impossible to take seriously. There are a few bits where the action is enjoyable, but the rest looks quite silly. Admittedly, many of these genre films can be quite attractive when they ignore precisely what the 'serious' films do in order to impress, but I don't think that this film is firmly in the opposite camp either. It feels like it is stuck somewhere in between. If you are a fan of Sho Kosugi's work, then you will have a good time with it, but if you are not, it is best to find a way to rent it first.