The Boxer Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

The Boxer Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 12, 2026

Tom Mes contributes a typically interesting visual essay as a supplement on this disc wherein he discusses the perceived "failure" of Toei in the seventies, but one of the interesting things that Mes at least alludes to is how in "failure" Toei at least was (desperately?) seeking some ostensibly new ways to get ticket buyers into theater seats, even if those supposedly "new ways" often had direct antecedents from Hollywood. The Boxer was released in 1977, a year that according to Mes was the absolute nadir of Toei's seventies' popularity problems, but Mes points out the year had actually begun rather promisingly for the studio with The Japanese Godfather, which of course owed a huge debt to The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II, but which either in spite of or because of that linkage became a huge hit in its native country. It was such a huge hit in fact that, as Mes also gets into, the studio got The Japanese Godfather II: Ambition out into theaters later that very same year, evidently at least in part to counteract a pretty disastrous release slate in the months between their two crime sagas, an interim that in fact included The Boxer. If Japan's own Godfather Trilogy obviously aped Coppola's trifecta, as Mes mentions in passing The Boxer evidently struck Toei as a "sure thing" based on the then recent global phenomenon of Rocky. As with many a perceived "sure thing", reality had something else to say about things.

Had co-writer and director Shuji Terayama actually delivered "another" Rocky, perhaps fate would have been kinder to The Boxer, but this is hardly a typical "underdog triumphs in the end" sports tale, either from a narrative or (especially) from a stylistic standpoint. The story here basically wallows in a downtrodden ambience where failure seems inescapable, and that carries through to the provocative mentor - mentee relationship between washed up boxer Hayato (Bunta Sugawara) who after some interstitial drama agrees to coach handicapped newcomer Tenma (Kentaro Shimizu), this despite the fact that Tenma was responsible for the job site death of Hayato's brother. That gives the film an undeniably visceral emotional undercurrent, but what really sets The Boxer apart are stylistic flourishes that at times may remind some of Joshua Logan's much derided use of filters in South Pacific (as odd as that may sound), as well as other cinéma vérité touches like quasi-documentary vignettes. This is all to say that in this particular instance Toei probably got more of a "new way" of doing things than they may have bargained for.

The Boxer Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Boxer is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Radiance Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. Radiance's insert booklet contains the following generic information on the transfer:

The Boxer was transferred in high definition by Toei Company and supplied to Radiance Films as a high definition digital file. It is presented in the original aspect ratio with original mono audio.

Unless there's some exhibition regimen in Japan I'm unaware of, this isn't quite the original aspect ratio (the IMDb unsurprisingly lists 1.85:1, for what that's worth), but aside from that niggling comment, this presentation manages to segue quite effectively between the pretty wide stylistic flourishes on display which can vary from black and white (as in the opening), to almost lurid filtered moments, to relatively but still at times quite florid "normalcy" in the palette. Detail levels are quite appealing, but probably get their most naturalistic accounts in moments that haven't been tweaked per some of the foregoing comments. Fine detail on fabrics in particular is excellent. There are recurrent small but still observable signs of wear and tear, often almost like tiny white smudges which can be spotted in some of the screenshots, which either suggests no restoration or one that missed a few things.

The Boxer Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Boxer features an enjoyable LPCM Mono track in the original Japanese, though J.A. Seazer's score is one of the first noticeable elements with an evocative wordless female vocalist and piano starting the soundtrack off on a kind of (appropriately) melancholic note. There's quite a bit of ambient environmental effects ranging from outdoor scenes to the clamor of a training facility. Dialogue and occasional voiceover are delivered without any issues. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Boxer Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• J.A. Seazer (HD; 18:29) is a 2026 interview with the film's composer. Subtitled in English.


• The Year Toei Failed (HD; 12:21) is the Tom Mes piece mentioned above.

Radiance's insert booklet offers an interesting 2026 essay by Maria Roberta Novelli. The keepcase sleeve is reversible and an Obi strip is included.

The Boxer Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Divorcing The Boxer from Rocky or really any other "traditional" fighting film ranging from Body and Soul to Raging Bull, as stylistically diverse as those two (and any number of others that could be cited) may well be, is probably the key to appreciating The Boxer. This is an undeniably nihilistic tale that certainly does not provide the typical Hollywood come from behind victory. Technical merits are generally solid, maybe with a few niggles, and the two supplements on the disc very interesting. Recommended.