6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The son of a murder crime boss exacts his revenge by pitting two rival clans against each other.
Starring: Shin'ichi Chiba, Kôji Nanbara, Makoto Satô (I), Tôru Yuri, Hideo MurotaForeign | 100% |
Crime | 6% |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Japanese: LPCM 2.0
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Ryuichi Takamori's Yakuza Wolf (1972) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by critics Mike Leeder and Arne Venema; new video essay by critic Howard Hughes; and vintage trailer. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
The man who performed murder
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 and granted a 1080p transfer, Yakuza Wolf arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.
The release introduces a recent remaster of Yakuza Wolf that was prepared on behalf of Toei in Japan. In case you are wondering, it is the same master that the folks at Shout Factory worked with to produce the American release of Yakuza Wolf, which is included in The Sonny Chiba Collection.
The film has a solid organic appearance that is quite attractive. However, I have to immediately point out that it has not been fully restored. Why? A few very small surface imperfections remain. They are never distracting, and I think that most viewers will not even notice their presence, but a proper restoration would have eliminated them. The overall quality of the visuals ranges from good to very good, in a few areas possibly even great. However, you should expect to encounter various fluctuations. Most are introduced by stylistic preferences, but a few, mostly in darker indoor areas, are from source limitations. I assume that the remaster was prepared from an interpositive because select darker nuances have the type of thickness that is typically an element that is at least a generation away from the OCN would produce, but I could be wrong. Regardless, the important point is that some darker nuances can be better exposed. Color balance is convincing. I think that a few of the supporting nuances could have been managed a little bit better, but I did not encounter any troubling anomalies. Image stability is very good. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
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. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
Toshiaki Tsushima's score is outstanding, so I sat down to view Yakuza Wolf with the volume of my system turned up quite a bit. I thought that the quality of the lossless track was excellent. In fact, in several of the big action sequences, it surpassed my expectations. The dialog is clear, stable, and easy to follow. I did not encounter any age-related anomalies to report. The English translation is excellent. Also, I would like to specifically point out that the size of the English subtitles is perfect.
Most of Sonny Chiba's big cult films are transitioning to Blu-ray, which is excellent, so hopefully the rest are coming as well. I would rank Yakuza Wolf, a distant relative of Sergio Corbucci's Django, among Chiba's coolest gangster films and think that it can easily inspire one to explore more from his body of work. However, I want to encourage producers to consider acquiring and releasing more of the gangster films that emerged in Japan between the late 1960s and early 1980s without Chiba, too. There are many gems -- like Umetsugu Inoue's Cobra films -- that younger cinephiles will be thrilled to discover. Yakuza Wolf is paired with its sequel, Yakuza Wolf 2, in this two-disc set from Eureka Entertainment, which is Region-B "locked". HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
(Still not reliable for this title)
狼やくざ 葬いは俺が出す / Ôkami yakuza: Tomurai ha ore ga dasu / Extend My Condolences | Eureka Classics
1972
ボディガード牙 必殺三角飛び / Bodigâdo kiba: Hissatsu sankaku tobi / Karate Killer | Eureka Classics
1973
ボディガード牙 / Bodigâdo kiba / The Bodyguard | Eureka Classics
1973
赤穂城断絶 / Akō-jō danzetsu / Swords of Vengeance | Masters of Cinema
1978
皇家女將 / Huáng jiā nǚ jiāng / Lethal Lady | Eureka Classics
1990
脅迫 | Odoshi | Limited Edition
1966
至尊無上 / Zhì zūn wú shàng | Eureka Classics
1989
暗戰2 / Am zin 2 / Masters of Cinema
2001
省港旗兵 / Sang gong kei bing
1984
網走番外地 望郷篇 / Abashiri bangaichi: Bōkyō-hen | Masters of Cinema
1965
網走番外地 / Abashiri bangaichi | Masters of Cinema
1965
Mottomo kiken na yuugi / 最も危険な遊戯 / Games of Maximum Risk
1978
続・網走番外地 / Zoku Abashiri bangaichi | Masters of Cinema
1965
ドーベルマン刑事 / Doberuman deka
1977
仁義の墓場 / Jingi no hakaba
1975
現代やくざ 人斬り与太 / Gendai yakuza: hito-kiri yota
1972
仁義なき戦い 広島死闘篇 / Jingi naki tatakai: Hiroshima shitō-hen / Battles Without Honour and Humanity: Hiroshima Death Match
1973
探偵事務所23 くたばれ悪党ども / Kutabare akutô-domo - Tantei jimusho 23
1963
デッド オア アライブ ツ とうぼうしゃ / Deddo oa araibu 2: Tôbôsha
2000
男の顔は履歴書 / Otokonokao wa rirekisho | Limited Edition
1966