Radiance Films Announces March Releases
HomeRadiance Films Announces March Releases
Posted December 3, 2025 09:21 AM by Webmaster
Radiance Films has announced its March batch of releases. They are: Underworld Chronicles: Three Yakuza Fables by Takashi Miike (1996-2002), Special Effects (1984), The Dancing Hawk (1977), and Cutter's Way (1981).
Underworld Chronicles: Three Yakuza Fables by Takashi Miike
The late nineties and early 00s saw director Takashi Miike make the transition from his origins in direct-to-video 'V-cinema' to one of the most critically and commercially successful Japanese directors on the international stage. A multi-talented director who would come to work in almost every established genre, it was his often outrageous takes on the gangster genre that first brought him attention outside of Japan. Three of his most notable Yakuza films from this period are collected here, in a landmark new box set.
Fudoh: The Next Generation
Riki Fudoh (Shosuke Tanihara) is a high school student juggling academic work with a secret life operating as an underworld boss. As the leader of a group of larger than life, school-age assassins, Fudoh is waging a campaign of violence against the entire criminal underworld, as part of a revenge plot against his own father (Toru Minegishi), a high-ranking Yakuza in his own right who was forced to murder Fudoh's brother. Originally planned for release as a direct-to-video V-cinema title, Fudoh was granted a theatrical release after producers viewed the film, leading to it becoming a festival favourite around the world, and establishing Miike on the world stage as one of film's great provocateurs and a key figure in 'extreme' cinema.
Agitator
A yakuza (played by Miike himself in a cameo) is murdered after violently assaulting a hostess on rival turf, providing the catalyst for a gang war between a number of factions seeking a redistribution of power. In this densely-layered gangland drama , the backroom manoeuvring of the senior figures in the yakuza, overseen by Mr. Kaito (Rapacious Jailbreaker), are juxtaposed against the actions of the street-level mobsters, as the two sides head towards an inevitable collision. Written by Graveyard of Honor scribe Shigenori Takechi, Miike directed Agitator in arguably the most productive year of his career in 2001, alongside Ichi the Killer, Visitor Q, and The Happiness of the Katakuris. Epic in scope, the film is presented here in its original theatrical version, and in a two-part 200 minute extended version, until now only available on Japanese VHS.
Deadly Outlaw: Rekka
Kunisada (played by V-cinema legend Riki Takeuchi) has his world turned upside down after learning of the death of his mentor Sanada (Yuya Uchida, lead singer of the Flower Travellin' Band, who also provide the film's hard-rocking psychedelic soundtrack). Pairing up with his best friend Shimatani (Kenichi Endo, Visitor Q), Kunisada embarks on a rampaging road trip to avenge his fallen father figure, leaving a trail of bullets, blood spatters, and bazooka fire in his wake. A typically bizarre and extreme take on the Yakuza genre, Deadly Outlaw: Rekka is Miike at his most deliriously entertaining.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
Agitator
Description: A yakuza (played by Miike himself in a cameo) is murdered after violently assaulting a hostess on rival turf, providing the catalyst for a gang war between a number of factions seeking a redistribution of power. In this densely-layered gangland drama , the backroom manoeuvring of the senior figures in the yakuza, overseen by Mr. Kaito (Rapacious Jailbreaker), are juxtaposed against the actions of the street-level mobsters, as the two sides head towards an inevitable collision. Written by Graveyard of Honor scribe Shigenori Takechi, Miike directed Agitator in arguably the most productive year of his career in 2001, alongside Ichi the Killer, Visitor Q, and The Happiness of the Katakuris. Epic in scope, the film is presented here in its original theatrical version, and in a two-part 200 minute extended version, until now only available on Japanese VHS.
U.S. AND CANADA STREET DATE: MARCH 24.
Special Effects
Aspiring actress Andrea (Zoe Tamerlis Lund, Ms .45) has run away from her domestic life in Dallas to New York City, with dreams of becoming a future movie star. Director Christopher Neville (Eric Bogosian, Uncut Gems) promises Andrea a role in his next film - but when she visits him at his apartment one night, a sexual encounter turns violent, and Andrea is murdered while Neville's camera captures the whole sordid affair. When Andrea's estranged husband Keefe (Brad Rijn) arrives to look for her, he is immediately suspected of her murder, until he finds an unlikely ally in Neville. In exchange for helping secure his freedom, Neville persuades Keefe to help him with his new film, and to find him a new leading lady, one who bears a remarkable resemblance to Andrea…
Special Effects is a pungent, grindhouse-friendly riff on psycho-sexual thriller classics such as Vertigo, Peeping Tom and Blow Out, presented with inimitable style from the king of low-budget NY genre cinema, Larry Cohen (Q: The Winged Serpent, The Stuff).
Special Features and Technical Specs:
The Dancing Hawk
A peasant's son rises through the ranks of post-war Polish society like none of his ancestors ever could. Moving to the city, he becomes part of a new socialist order. But in leaving his rural roots behind, does he also abandon his soul? Taking inspiration from Orson Welles' monumental saga Citizen Kane, Grzegorz Królikiewicz (Through and Through) crafts a viscerally affecting portrait of a changing country through the fate of a man ruined by ambition. Strikingly original compositions from cinematographer Zbigniew Rybczyński (Angst) and absorbing sound design capture the psychic toll of capitalism and urbanization.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
UK STREET DATE: MARCH 23.
Cutter's Way 4K Blu-ray
The laid-back Californian gigolo Richard Bone (Jeff Bridges) finds himself suspected of murder when he happens to see the wrong thing at the wrong time: the body of a young girl being dumped into a garbage can in a quiet Santa Monica neighbourhood. Bone's friend, the capricious and paranoid Vietnam veteran Cutter, (John Heard), begins to suspect a conspiracy behind the killing, with local oil tycoon J.J. Cord (Stephen Elliott) at its centre. He persuades a reluctant Bone to try and take Cord down, leading to a sinister escalation of events that will change their lives forever. Featuring career-best performances from its cast, a memorable score from Jack Nitzsche and pitch-perfect direction from Ivan Passer, the cynical and devastating Cutter's Way is one of the defining films of the post-Vietnam, post-Watergate era - a defiant howl of frustration at the corruption of the American dream, and one of the most essential California noirs ever made.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
UK STREET DATE: MARCH 23.
Underworld Chronicles: Three Yakuza Fables by Takashi Miike
The late nineties and early 00s saw director Takashi Miike make the transition from his origins in direct-to-video 'V-cinema' to one of the most critically and commercially successful Japanese directors on the international stage. A multi-talented director who would come to work in almost every established genre, it was his often outrageous takes on the gangster genre that first brought him attention outside of Japan. Three of his most notable Yakuza films from this period are collected here, in a landmark new box set.
Fudoh: The Next Generation
Riki Fudoh (Shosuke Tanihara) is a high school student juggling academic work with a secret life operating as an underworld boss. As the leader of a group of larger than life, school-age assassins, Fudoh is waging a campaign of violence against the entire criminal underworld, as part of a revenge plot against his own father (Toru Minegishi), a high-ranking Yakuza in his own right who was forced to murder Fudoh's brother. Originally planned for release as a direct-to-video V-cinema title, Fudoh was granted a theatrical release after producers viewed the film, leading to it becoming a festival favourite around the world, and establishing Miike on the world stage as one of film's great provocateurs and a key figure in 'extreme' cinema.
Agitator
A yakuza (played by Miike himself in a cameo) is murdered after violently assaulting a hostess on rival turf, providing the catalyst for a gang war between a number of factions seeking a redistribution of power. In this densely-layered gangland drama , the backroom manoeuvring of the senior figures in the yakuza, overseen by Mr. Kaito (Rapacious Jailbreaker), are juxtaposed against the actions of the street-level mobsters, as the two sides head towards an inevitable collision. Written by Graveyard of Honor scribe Shigenori Takechi, Miike directed Agitator in arguably the most productive year of his career in 2001, alongside Ichi the Killer, Visitor Q, and The Happiness of the Katakuris. Epic in scope, the film is presented here in its original theatrical version, and in a two-part 200 minute extended version, until now only available on Japanese VHS.
Deadly Outlaw: Rekka
Kunisada (played by V-cinema legend Riki Takeuchi) has his world turned upside down after learning of the death of his mentor Sanada (Yuya Uchida, lead singer of the Flower Travellin' Band, who also provide the film's hard-rocking psychedelic soundtrack). Pairing up with his best friend Shimatani (Kenichi Endo, Visitor Q), Kunisada embarks on a rampaging road trip to avenge his fallen father figure, leaving a trail of bullets, blood spatters, and bazooka fire in his wake. A typically bizarre and extreme take on the Yakuza genre, Deadly Outlaw: Rekka is Miike at his most deliriously entertaining.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- High-Definition digital transfers of each film on three discs, on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK
- Multiformat 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray presentation of Fudoh: The New Generation
- Standard definition transfer of 200 minute extended version of Agitator, presented in its original two-part form for the first time outside of Japan
- Uncompressed mono PCM audio
- Newly filmed interviews with Takashi Miike on Agitator and Deadly Outlaw: Rekka
- Audio commentaries on Agitator and Deadly Outlaw: Rekka by Tom Mes
- Audio commentary on Fudoh: The New Generation with Takashi Miike and Shoshuke Tanihara
- Electric Yakuza, Go to Hell!: documentary on Miike featuring interviews with Kinji Fukasaku, Takeshi Kitano, Shinya Tsukamoto and others (Yves Montmayeur, 2009, 59 mins)
- Archival interview with Shoshuke Tanihara
- Archival interview with Yoshinori Chiba
- Trailers
- Newly improved subtitle translations
- Reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow
- Limited edition 80 page bound book featuring new writing by Tom Mes and Colin Geddes, and archival writing from Tony Rayns
- Limited edition of 5000 copies, presented in rigid box with full-height Scanavo cases and removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings
Agitator
Description: A yakuza (played by Miike himself in a cameo) is murdered after violently assaulting a hostess on rival turf, providing the catalyst for a gang war between a number of factions seeking a redistribution of power. In this densely-layered gangland drama , the backroom manoeuvring of the senior figures in the yakuza, overseen by Mr. Kaito (Rapacious Jailbreaker), are juxtaposed against the actions of the street-level mobsters, as the two sides head towards an inevitable collision. Written by Graveyard of Honor scribe Shigenori Takechi, Miike directed Agitator in arguably the most productive year of his career in 2001, alongside Ichi the Killer, Visitor Q, and The Happiness of the Katakuris. Epic in scope, the film is presented here in its original theatrical version, and in a two-part 200 minute extended version, until now only available on Japanese VHS.
U.S. AND CANADA STREET DATE: MARCH 24.
Special Effects
Aspiring actress Andrea (Zoe Tamerlis Lund, Ms .45) has run away from her domestic life in Dallas to New York City, with dreams of becoming a future movie star. Director Christopher Neville (Eric Bogosian, Uncut Gems) promises Andrea a role in his next film - but when she visits him at his apartment one night, a sexual encounter turns violent, and Andrea is murdered while Neville's camera captures the whole sordid affair. When Andrea's estranged husband Keefe (Brad Rijn) arrives to look for her, he is immediately suspected of her murder, until he finds an unlikely ally in Neville. In exchange for helping secure his freedom, Neville persuades Keefe to help him with his new film, and to find him a new leading lady, one who bears a remarkable resemblance to Andrea…
Special Effects is a pungent, grindhouse-friendly riff on psycho-sexual thriller classics such as Vertigo, Peeping Tom and Blow Out, presented with inimitable style from the king of low-budget NY genre cinema, Larry Cohen (Q: The Winged Serpent, The Stuff).
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- High definition digital transfer
- Uncompressed mono audio
- Newly recorded interview with star Eric Bogosian
- New audio commentary with the director of King Cohen, Steve Mitchell
- Cohen on Cohen - feature length interview with Larry Cohen (2017, 71 mins)
- Archival director's commentary with Larry Cohen, moderated by Steve Mitchell
- New interview with critic Christina Newland on Zoe Tamerlis Lund
- Trailer
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Includes O-card featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Eric Adrian Lee
- Limited edition booklet featuring new writing from Juan Barquin
- Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented with o-card and full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings
The Dancing Hawk
A peasant's son rises through the ranks of post-war Polish society like none of his ancestors ever could. Moving to the city, he becomes part of a new socialist order. But in leaving his rural roots behind, does he also abandon his soul? Taking inspiration from Orson Welles' monumental saga Citizen Kane, Grzegorz Królikiewicz (Through and Through) crafts a viscerally affecting portrait of a changing country through the fate of a man ruined by ambition. Strikingly original compositions from cinematographer Zbigniew Rybczyński (Angst) and absorbing sound design capture the psychic toll of capitalism and urbanization.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- 4K restoration by Filmoteka Narodowa
- Uncompressed mono PCM audio
- New interview with critic Carmen Gray (2025)
- Two short films by cinematographer Zbigniew Rybczyński: Soup (1974, 9 mins) and Oh! I Can't Stop! (1975, 10 mins)
- Newly improved English subtitle translation
- Reversible sleeve featuring original artwork by Jerzy Czerniawski and Andrzej Klimowski
- Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by scholar Piotr Kletowski
- Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings
UK STREET DATE: MARCH 23.
Cutter's Way 4K Blu-ray
The laid-back Californian gigolo Richard Bone (Jeff Bridges) finds himself suspected of murder when he happens to see the wrong thing at the wrong time: the body of a young girl being dumped into a garbage can in a quiet Santa Monica neighbourhood. Bone's friend, the capricious and paranoid Vietnam veteran Cutter, (John Heard), begins to suspect a conspiracy behind the killing, with local oil tycoon J.J. Cord (Stephen Elliott) at its centre. He persuades a reluctant Bone to try and take Cord down, leading to a sinister escalation of events that will change their lives forever. Featuring career-best performances from its cast, a memorable score from Jack Nitzsche and pitch-perfect direction from Ivan Passer, the cynical and devastating Cutter's Way is one of the defining films of the post-Vietnam, post-Watergate era - a defiant howl of frustration at the corruption of the American dream, and one of the most essential California noirs ever made.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- TWO-DISC (4K BLU-RAY/BLU-RAY) COMBO PACK RELEASE
- NEW 4K RESTORATION
- Option to view with the original Cutter and Bone title sequence, newly scanned for the first time
- Uncompressed mono audio
- Piety, Patriotism and Violence: The Legacy of Cutter and Bone: new featurette on the legacy of Cutter's Way with contributions from writers Megan Abbott, Jordan Harper, and George Pelecanos
- Archival audio commentary by novelist Matthew Specktor
- Archival audio commentary by film historians Julie Kirgo and Nick Redman
- Archival audio commentary by assistant director Larry Franco and unit production manager Barrie Osborne
- Archival video interviews with actor Lisa Eichhorn, UA Classics exec Ira Deutchman, director Ivan Passer, Jeffrey Alan Fiskin, and producer Paul Gurian
- Archival video featurette on composer Jack Nitzsche
- Archival audio introduction by star Jeff Bridges
- Archival video introduction by director Bertrand Tavernier
- Theatrical trailers
- Optional English SDH subtitle track
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow
- Limited edition 80-page bound book featuring new writing from Christina Newland, Nick Pinkerton, and Travis Woods, plus an archival interview with Ivan Passer
- Limited edition of 5000 copies, presented in rigid box and full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings
UK STREET DATE: MARCH 23.
