The Rapacious Jailbreaker Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

The Rapacious Jailbreaker Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 18, 2025

Anyone remember Prison Break? As is perhaps indicated by that "rapacious" part in this film's title, director Sadao Nakajima provides a tale that, had it been named like the future tv series, would have had to have had some kind of plural in order to allude to a certain amount of recidivism. In fact there's almost a Groundhog Day quality to this narrative, in repetitive ambience if obviously not quite in tone, though rather remarkably (if perhaps at times a bit unwisely), this "gritty" drama does inject (a deliberate term evoking medical assistance, for reasons which will be evident to viewers) a bit of humor on occasion. It's the late forties in Japan, and World War II has of course completely devastated the nation, leading in an ironic way to "opportunities" for black marketteers like Ueda (Hiroki Matsukata). Among his booty is nearly pure heroin, which a companion of Ueda's "delivers" to a Yakuza type as the film opens, only to discover the Yakuza type may have had other plans than simply accepting this "messenger service". Suffice it to say Ueda soon gets involved and his almost feral impulsivity leads to two bloody deaths. Rack up Incarceration Number 1.

If prisoners' personal hygiene may provide passing comedy and horror at various moments, it might then be particularly appropriate to say that what happens next to Ueda is basically "lather, rinse, repeat", as he again in an almost darkly humorous way keeps managing to escape, only to do something that gets him back in stir yet again. The film has what might be almost referred to as a "caper" angle at times as Ueda's repeated escapes can feature intricate planning, but the "in and out" nature of his life is almost tangential in a way, since what the film makes abundantly clear is that due to the socioeconomic status of Ueda, he's a prisoner no matter where he is.

The Rapacious Jailbreaker Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Rapacious Jailbreaker is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Radiance Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Radiance's insert booklet offers the label's typically minimalist notes on the transfer:

The Rapacious Jailbreaker was transferred in high definition by Toei Company, Ltd. and supplied to Radiance Films as a high definition digital file.

A lot of The Rapacious Jailbreaker takes place in rather dimly lit scenes (including one of those aforementioned horrific "hygiene" moments when Ueda more or less gets stuck in a sewer), and this transfer tends to be on the dark side a lot of the time, so that shadow detail can be variable. That darkness may simultaneously help to increase at least the perception of suffusion, and there are some nice vivid hues on display from the get go, including a liberal dash of blood red in the opening vignette alone. The transfer did strike me as being slightly skewed toward blue, so that some blacks can have a slightly purplish look. Grain can be quite heavy but resolves without any major issues. The film does have a fair number of superimposed titles that were optically composited old school style, and there are clear upticks in grain and downturns in image quality during some of these moments. There are a few minor signs of age related wear and tear on display.

The Rapacious Jailbreaker Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Rapacious Jailbreaker features LPCM Mono audio in the original Japanese. The track has no real issues, but I have to say for me personally the most interesting thing about the sound design is the perhaps anachronistic score by Kenjirô Hirose, which almost sounds like it belongs in an anime or science fiction outing. That said, the score and all ambient environmental sounds are supported easily, and dialogue is delivered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Rapacious Jailbreaker Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by Nathan Stuart


• Rule Breaker: An Introduction to Sadao Nakajima (HD; ) is another great overview by Tom Mes.

Additionally Radiance's typically nicely appointed insert booklet contains both a new essay by Earl Jackson and an archival review of the film, along with cast and crew info and the transfer notes and credits. The sleeve is reversible and Radiance's trademark Obi strip is included.

The Rapacious Jailbreaker Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Rapacious Jailbreaker may actually may stretch credulity at times, even if it's evidently ostensibly based on a real life criminal who managed to get out of prison seven times, but Matsukata gives an absolutely feral performance that is riveting. Technical merits are generally solid and both the commentary and Mes piece are interesting and informative. Recommended.