The Fort of Death Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

The Fort of Death Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman March 25, 2024

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Radiance Films' release of The Bounty Hunter Trilogy.

There's a trend in many contemporary restaurants where "fusions" of different cultures' menus are combined to offer something new and ostensibly improved. For anyone who may be under the impression that this same general "mixing" approach is something recent, The Bounty Hunter Trilogy should provide a cinematic example that "fusions" have been around for quite some time. As commentator Tom Mes kind of jokingly refers to in his track on the first film in this set, anyone looking for historical accuracy in these films had best keep searching elsewhere, especially since production design elements can often weirdly interpolate "wrong" decades (or even centuries) into the proceedings. But even that "combo platter" may not be as viscerally noticeable as the often quite interesting ping ponging in all three films between "traditional" Japanese (quasi?) samurai outings, what might be generally termed Spaghetti Western elements, and, perhaps most intriguingly (and another way these films tend to bend perceived eras or at least genres to their own uses), a kind of James Bond- esque spy film aspect. It wouldn't be until 1972, the year of this trilogy's final entry, that star Tomisaburô Wakayama would start appearing as one of two legendary titular characters in what is arguably his better remembered series, Lone Wolf and Cub. While that might kind of unavoidably seem to make The Bounty Hunter Trilogy a "test run" of sorts, it probably really isn't, as this earlier triptych has its own distinct flavor (speaking of fusion menus).

If Killer's Mission might arguably be seen as emphasizing its "retro James Bond" aspects, The Fort of Death probably tends to focus more overtly on Spaghetti Western elements, in this sophomore effort which perhaps saliently was not directed by Shigero Ozawa, who helmed both the first and third entries in the series. Instead Eiichi Kudo is on hand in what was evidently a very quickly produced follow up when Killer's Mission proved to be so successful. If the entire Bounty Hunter Trilogy kind of unapologetically alludes to any number of other films and/or franchises (as outlined in part above), The Fort of Death may subliminally offer a "hold my sake" to the audience as it unabashedly makes use of tropes featured prominently in Seven Samurai , as even the cover verbiage of this release overtly mentions.

Ichibei (Tomisaburô Wakayama) is once again on hand as the perhaps last refuge of a bunch of farmers beset by a nefarious warlord. The farmers with Ichibei basically turn their village into an armed fortress, waiting for the inevitable onslaught by government fighters. There's an unexpected emotional heft to this sophomore effort that Killer's Mission probably didn't even attempt to deliver. The pace is almost breakneck at times here, but there's still some effective character development, and the action set pieces are imaginatively choreographed and shot.

The Fort of Death Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Fort of Death is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Radiance Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.34:1. Radiance tends not to provide a ton of technical information on their releases, and that's once again the case with all three films in this set, which are lumped together in Radiance's insert booklet with the following very brief notes on the transfers:

Each film in The Bounty Hunter Trilogy was transferred in high definition by Toei Company Ltd and supplied to Radiance Films as high definition digital masters.

While all three films in Radiance's The Bounty Hunter Trilogy offer generally secure merits, I'd probably rate The Fort of Death as just slightly less consistent looking than the first film in the series. These are admittedly quite small differences, but The Fort of Death can at times offer a somewhat faded look that can be especially noticeable in some of the outdoor material. At times things can skew slightly toward browns, at others there's a subtle but noticeable green-yellow look, something that may be most noticeable in terms of how blue skies can be in outdoor scenes. It's a passing qualm and one that doesn't seriously undermine an otherwise quite positive viewing experience. Detail levels are very good in controlled, set bound material, but understandably a bit more variant in the many outdoor scenes. Fine detail on things like costume fabrics tends to be excellent, though again most noticeable in more controlled environments. Grain is once again quite heavy at times, but resolves without any issues. My score is 3.75.

The Fort of Death Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Fort of Death features an often pretty bombastic sounding DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track in the original Japanese. While this track shares the same kind of general boxiness that attends all three films' audio presentations, there's a rather decent midrange throughout and some bursts on the low end in some of the action scenes can have commendable energy as well. There is some very minor background noise in the few relatively quiet moments. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Fort of Death Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Radiance has packaged The Fort of Death and Eight Men to Kill together on one disc, with the following supplements:

• Robin Gatto (HD; 18:00) is an interesting visual essay by "Samurai film connoisseur" Robin Gatto, focusing mainly on The Fort of Death and director Eiichi Kudo.


• Gallery (HD)


• The Fort of Death Trailer (HD; 3:20)


• Eight Men to Kill Trailer (HD; 3:07)

The Fort of Death Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

While there's simply no denying how "reminiscent" The Fort of Death is of other films, I actually think I liked this second effort a bit more than Killer's Mission, perhaps contradicting that oft mentioned symptom of the so-called "sophomore slump". Video is arguably just a bit less consistent looking here than in the first film, but is still generally great looking, and the visual essay in particular is very interesting. Recommended.