Violent Cop Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Violent Cop Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 22, 2018

Takeshi Kitano's "Violet Cop" (1989) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Film Movement. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailers for the film and a documentary featurette. The release also arrives with a 14-page illustrated booklet featuring featuring an essay by critic Tom Vick. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The cop

Takeshi Kitano plays a tough police detective named Azuma who follows a completely different set of rules while keeping the streets of his home city safe. But no one knows what these rules are, not even his superiors, which is why when he gets in trouble they are routinely replaced.

When Azuma does not work he often becomes like the guys he despises. He visits shady clubs, drinks and gambles. When he runs out of money, he even ‘borrows’ from other cops and then conveniently forgets to pay them back. Excluding his latest superior, however, no one even questions his decisions, people simply accept that he is different and needs his space.

The brutal murder of another cop who worked closely with Azuma, however, changes everything. Azuma gradually loses his cool and when he discovers that corruption inside the Police Department might have been responsible for his partner’s murder, he goes berserk. During the course of his ‘investigation’ Azuma then confronts a powerful crime boss with important friends inside the Police Department and his incredibly vicious executioner.

Violent Cop feels a lot like a Japanese tribute to one of the early Dirty Harry films, but there is no denying that Kitano was a genuine star and did not need to be compared to Clint Eastwood in order to look legit. His image in this film, as well as in the many other films that he has made since then, is one that he created for himself without imitating anyone. The cold look, the raspy voice, the deceivingly relaxed body posture and the sudden violent outburst are the classic Kitano character that keeps reappearing in different films. The only thing that changes are the new names that he adopts and the opponents that he has to confront.

Kitano’s crime films typically welcome a good dose of black humor and Violent Cop isn’t an exception. While a lot of the fights here are quite graphic, there is usually a comic element that degrades the violence and frequently makes it look almost grotesque. This isn’t coincidental. While violence is impossible to remove from Kitano’s classic image, it is something that he has repeatedly condemned while discussing his work as an actor and director.

The overwhelming majority of Kitano’s films are also quite educational as they allow viewers to see plenty of the contemporary Japan that tourist brochures and documentaries perhaps rightfully ignore. In Violent Cop, for instance, Kitano’s trips to different night clubs and gambling saloons quickly reveal some quite dramatic social contrasts that would be a lot easier to associate with underground life in America or some western European countries.

*When Violent Cop was released theatrically in Japan, the initial reactions to the film and Kitano’s performance were quite negative. According to Kitano, these reactions had a lasting impact on the characters he chose to play for a number of years.

Violent Cop Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Takeshi Kitano's Violent Cop arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Film Movement.

The bulk of the film looks very healthy. Only during some of the darker/indoor footage density drops a bit and delineation becomes unconvincing. Also, there is black crush that sneaks in and further flattens the image. While some of these fluctuations are noticeable, I personally did not find them distracting. Elsewhere the visuals are quite good, often boasting very pleasing depth. There are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening adjustments, so this helps as well. The color scheme is convincing, but I am certain that a brand new master will introduce meaningful improvements. Image stability is outstanding. All in all, even though there are some native limitations on display, this is a satisfying organic presentation of the film.

Violent Cop Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Japanese LPCM 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

There are no technical issues to report in our review. The audio is very clean, stable, and properly balanced. Dynamic intensity is good, but keep in mind that the film's native sound design incorporates plenty of natural sounds and noises, which means that there isn't a lot of dynamic movement.

Violent Cop Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Man is Dangerous: The Birth of Takeshi Kitano - this featurette examines the emergence, establishment and popularity of Takeshi Kitano's cinematic image. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles. (21 min).

• Violent Cop 2016 Trailer - international trailer.

• Violent Cop Japanese Thetrical Trailer - Japanese trailer for the film.

• Booklet - 14-page illustrated booklet featuring featuring an essay by critic Tom Vick.

Violent Cop Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Takeshi Kitano's directorial debut is a violent but also quite funny crime thriller that I've always thought isn't too far away from the early Dirty Harry films. Obviously, Kitano shines in completely different ways, but in a number of ways he is actually the same rebel that Clint Eastwood's iconic character was. Film Movement's release is sourced from a decent remaster and represents a solid upgrade in quality over previous DVD releases of Violent Cop. RECOMMENDED.