Siege Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Siege Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 19, 2025

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of the Shinobi Vol. 2 collection from Radiance Films.

It's been a little over a since Radiance Films released its first volume of Shinobi films, a collection which included the first three so-called Shinobi no Mono outings which centered on iconic ninja Goemon. It may not have quite the ring of "a rose by any other name would still smell as sweet", but this next trilogy of Shinobi productions might jokingly be at least partially described by saying "a Goemon by any other name would still be a ninja (especially if he's portrayed by Raizô Ichikawa). The fourth, fifth and sixth films in the series do indeed depart from Goemon, though you might not know it if you weren't paying close attention, as the general template had already been set quite firmly, and evidently no one was going to tinker around very much with what was a very successful franchise. That said, all three of these films are quite stylish in their own way, and they provide Ichikawa some interesting opportunities, in the first two films in this set as a ninja named Kirigakure Saizo, and in the third as Saizo's son Saisuke. For those interested in what is in essence kinda sorta a "continuing story", our Shinobi Blu-ray review provides an overview, and also offers links to the following individual reviews:

Band of Assassins Blu-ray review

Revenge Blu-ray review

Resurrection Blu-ray review

That aforementioned well established "template" may arguably make all three of the films in the second Shinobi volume play at least somewhat similarly, with heroic if mysterious ninjas attempting to keep their "clan" intact while also attempting to take out the Shogunate. It's of course the same basic underpinning as the first three Shinobi outings, and really only the historical milieu and the names of characters have been changed. As mentioned above, this is the first of two films where Ichikawa portrays a ninja officially named Kirigakure, but who has the evocative nickname of "Mist" Saizo, something that may hint at his ephemeral ability to appear and disappear at will.

Here the main villain is Ieyasu Tokugawa (Ganjirô Nakamura), a Shogun navigating his own internecine conflicts. The film has some extremely stylish flourishes, including some well staged action sequences, but with some really graceful and evocative cinematography even in the quieter moments.

Siege Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Shinobi: Siege is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Radiance Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Radiance's insert booklet lumps all three films together in its minimal transfer notes:

Shinobi: Siege, Shinobi: Return of Mist Saizo and Shinobi: The Last Iga Spy were transferred in 2K by the Kadokawa Corporation and supplied to Radiance Films as a high definition digital file.

All three of these films exhibit some of the same anomalies, so I'm also going to lump them together, at least in part. All three can show some passing damage (some more than others, mentioned specifically in individual reviews), as well as some noticeable image instability (typically lateral, for whatever that's worth), along with some somewhat variant contrast which at different times can either lead to whites just on the verge of blooming or blacks just on the verge of crushing. All of that said, all three transfers offer some really appealing detail levels in close-ups and in the best looking moments, solid contrast with good black levels and nicely modulated gray scale. Grain resolves without any issues.

Siege Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Shinobi: Seige features LPCM 2.0 Mono audio in the original Japanese. This has some of the same noticeable hiss and pretty thin (and therefore at times quite brash sounding) high end as the two other features in this set, but I'd actually say that this track has less actual distortion than some of the other tracks exhibit. Effects and scoring can both sound a little hollow and boxy, but encounter no real problems. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Siege Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Note: Radiance has packaged the three films as indicated below, with some probably "generalist" supplements on each disc.

Disc One: Siege and Return of Mist Saizo

• Scene Specific Commentary on Shinobi: Siege by Tom Mes (HD; 48:57)


• Taichi Kasuga (HD; 24:10) offers this Japanese period film specialist's thoughts on the Daiei Studio's historical films. Subtitled in English.


• The Faces of Raizo (HD; 4:21) is a visual essay by Tom Mes profiling Raizo Ichikawa.

Disc Two: The Last Iga Spy

• Mance Thompson (HD; 18:12) features the Ninja film scholar discussing the historical background of the Shinobi series.


• The Tragedy of Mist Saizo (HD; 11:34) is a visual essay by Hayley Scanlon looking at the character.

Additionally, this new set will make a handsome companion piece to Radiance's first set, with a similar slipbox enclosing two keepcases. The keepcases feature reversible sleeves, and one encloses art cards with the other enclosing a nicely appointed insert booklet. Radiance's trademark Obi strip is included.

Siege Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As with many series that start off with veritable bangs and then start to churn out sequel after sequel, you can definitely feel the lethargy start to creep in, at least a little, with this fourth entry. The time period and names may have been changed, but some may feel too much has stayed the same as this "new" era of ninja stories unfolds. Technical merits have occasional issues, but are generally solid, and as usual Radiance has assembled some appealing supplements across the two discs in this set. With caveats noted, Recommended.