"Actor: Tetsur Tanba"

• Jakoman and Tetsu | Blu Ray | (21/04/2025) from £14.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Jakoman and Tetsu is an early action masterpiece from Kinji Fukasaku (Battles Without Honor and Humanity, Battle Royale), adapted from a script written by the legendary Akira Kurosawa. Set in 1947 in a small coastal village among the majestic snowy landscapes of Japan's northernmost island of Hokkaido, Ken Takakura (the Abashiri Prison series, Ridley Scott's Black Rain) is Tetsu, the prodigal son who returns from the war to help out his father Kyubei with the family herring fishing business. His arrival coincides with that of a one-eyed miscreant named Jakoman, played by Tetsuro Tamba (Harakiri, You Only Live Twice), who bears a long-standing grudge against Kyubei and is intent on causing as much mayhem among the hordes of seasonal fishermen as possible.

• Blood of Revenge (Limited Edition) | Blu Ray | (26/01/2026) from £26.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Osaka, 1907. The upstart Hoshino gang tries to assassinate the boss of the Kiyatatsu syndicate, who are in charge of the construction business. The attempt fails but sets in motion a spiral of violence, as the Hoshino sabotage building sites and kill a junior Kiyatatsu member. When the old boss dies of his wounds, senior lieutenant Kikuchi (Koji Tsuruta, Big Time Gambling Boss) decides to take on the Hoshino gang alone. Director Tai Kato's first yakuza film is a feast for the eyes, with bold set design, vivid colours and daring shot compositions bringing to life a timeless tale of honour and vengeance. Co-written by Red Peony Gambler creator Norifumi Suzuki and featuring a stunning central performance from Tsuruta, this is one of the finest of Toei's classic chivalrous yakuza films.BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION SPECIAL FEATURESHigh-Definition digital transferUncompressed mono PCM audioLice Are Scary - short film by Tai Kato (1943, 14 mins)Junko Fuji: Flower and Storm - a visual essay by Mark Schilling (2025)New English subtitle translationReversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time TomorrowLimited edition booklet featuring new writing by Earl Jackson and an archival essay on the filmLimited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings

• THE FALL OF AKO CASTLE (AKA Swords of Vengeance) | Blu Ray | (11/12/2023) from £15.53   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• VIOLENT STREETS | Blu Ray | (20/02/2023) from £13.85   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  One of the finest directors of Japanese chambara (sword fighting) films, Hideo Gosha (Sword of the Beast, Three Outlaw Samurai) also directed a number of films in the yakuza genre. The most outstanding of these was Violent Streets; a baroque crime thriller about a retired yakuza who gets pulled into a violent gang war by his former associates. A former yakuza member, Egawa (Noboru Andô) is now a brooding world-weary nightclub owner. Some of his former associates are released from prison and want to regain a foothold in the criminal underworld by igniting a gang war between the local yakuza, and an out-of-town clan led by veteran actor Tetsurō Tanba (Harakiri). A bold and colourful entry in the yakuza genre, Hideo Gosha's Violent Streets makes its worldwide debut on Blu-ray from a new restoration completed by Toei Company, Ltd. Product Features Limited Edition slipcase featuring new artwork by Tony Stella 1080p presentation on Blu-ray from a 2K restoration of the original film elements Optional English subtitles An introduction to Violent Streets and the works of director Hideo Gosha by film critic Tony Rayns Jasper Sharp on Violent Streets PLUS: A collector's booklet featuring a new essay by Japanese cinema expert Tom Mes *All extras subject to change

• Silence (AKA Chinmoku) (Masters of Cinema) | DVD | (24/09/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Adapted from the renowned novel by Shusaku Endo Masahiro Shinoda's 1971 film Silence (Chinmoku co-written with Endo) explores the violent cultural conflict amid the arrival of Jesuit missionaries in seventeenth-century Japan. Shinoda's excellent direction - coupled with a pensive score by the legendary Toru Takemitsu - gives cinematic expression to inner spiritual paradox and imbues with religious mystery a landscape that seems already sentient with wind rain and light. Two Port

• The 7th Dawn | Blu Ray | (11/01/2022) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Fukasaku Trilogy | DVD | (23/06/2008) from £27.00   |  Saving you £-7.01 (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The breakout success of the fantastic Battle Royale resulted in long-overdue global recognition of the films of Kinji Fukasaku. This prolific Japanese filmmaker who died in 2003 had already made himself a name in his home country as an auteur who favoured outrageous style and biting social commentary. This collection brings together three exciting and colourful early films from Japanese cinema's most exhilarating director. Titles Comprise: Blackmail Is My Life: Tautly paced and fueled by a trendy soundtrack synthesis of whistled themes and electric rock Blackmail Is My Life centers on a quartet of young daredevil hipsters who discover blackmail as a means to enjoy the booming economy from which they've been excluded. These rebellious youths tread a deadly line by blackmailing both sides of society- namely the Yakuza kingpins and top government officials. Blackmail Is My Life is a bloody wake-up call to Japanese culture and budding criminals and a perfect example of the director working in his prime. Black Rose Mansion: A feverishly perverse 1969 film noir oddity starring female impersonator Akihiro Maruyama. When wealthy Kyohei hires singer Black Rose to perform in his exclusive men's club he gets more than he bargains for when she attracts scores of homicidal past lovers. The film takes a bizarre twist when Kyohei's son falls victim to the femme fatale's unique charm. If You Were Young: If You Were Young highlights the other side of post-war Japanese prosperity focusing on the throngs of young people who missed out on the boom. We follow a group of young men that can't seem to get ahead despite their willingness to try. Then one hits upon a plan - to work together to save for a dump truck and thus become independent contractors and be their own bosses at last. Ultimately life presents obstacles: jail for one violence at the hands of the police for another and a girlfriend and subsequent children for the third. An early Kinji Fukasaku gem that imports the freewheeling style of the French New Wave and the hip detachment of American noir.