"Actor: Hideo Ko"

• Three Films by Yasujir? Ozu (2 x Blu-ray) | Blu Ray | (23/10/2023) from £25.65   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  This year marks the 120th anniversary of Japanese filmmaker Yasujirō Ozu's birth. From his early silent films to his final features in the 1960s, Ozu perfected a style that stripped away unnecessary plot mechanics and camera movement. In doing so, he produced a cinema whose surface simplicity belies character studies of depth, warmth and on occasion, humour. This new set features three newly restored films, all presented on Blu-ray in the UK for the first time: Dragnet Girl (1933, 99 mins) Sweet-faced Tokiko is an ordinary typist, but come nightfall she's a fun-loving gangster's moll. When her boyfriend strays, Tokiko is forced to reassess her life. Hugely popular when it was released, Ozu's Dragnet Girl remains one of his most enduring silent films. Record of Tenement Gentleman (1947, 75 mins) Tashiro, a fortune-telling resident in a poor district of Tokyo, has been followed home by a young boy whose father took him to the city but became separated from him. Initially unwilling to look after Kohei, Tashiro gradually warms to the boy. A Hen in the Wind (1948, 84 mins) A soldier returns home at the end of World War II, and refuses to forgive his wife for prostituting herself one night to pay off medical bills for their son.

• Versus | Blu Ray | (14/02/2022) from £16.39   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  A relentless one-of-a-kind sensory assault chock-full of hyperkinetic fight scenes, gangster shootouts, sword-slashing violence, and gory zombie horror, Versus was a key title amongst the barrage of innovative horror and action movies that appeared as if from nowhere from Japan at the turn of the millennium, leading to a new wave of appreciation for Asian extreme cinema. A mysterious face-off in a wooded clearing between two escaped convicts and a carload of sharply dressed yakuza holding a beautiful woman captive ends in hails of bullets and showers of blood. The location for this violent encounter is the mythic Forest of Resurrection, the site of the 444th portal of the 666 hidden gates that link this earthly domain to the netherworldand it didn't get this name for nothing. As one of the surviving prisoners escapes with the girl into the darkness of the forest, disgruntled gangsters soon become the least of their worries as an earlier battle between a lone warrior against hordes of zombie samurai is carried over from a millennium ago into the present day... Versus caused a sensation both in Japan and internationally upon its release, launching the careers of director Ryûhei Kitamura (Godzilla Final Wars, Midnight Meat Train) and action star and fight choreographer Tak Sakaguchi (Battlefield Baseball, Yakuza Weapon). Arrow Video is proud to present this mythic cult title in a director-approved restoration. Special Edition Content 2K restoration from original film elements by Arrow Films, approved by director Ryûhei Kitamura High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation Original lossless Japanese 5.1 and 2.0 stereo audio and English 2.0 stereo audio Optional English subtitles for the Japanese soundtrack Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack Audio commentary by Kitamura and producer Keishiro Shin Audio commentary by Kitamura, cast, and crew Visual essay on the career of Kitamura by Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp Behind Versus, a two-part behind-the-scenes documentary exploring the film's production Tak Sakaguchi's One-Man Journey, an archival featurette on the actor's visit to the 2001 Japan Film Festival Film festival screening footage Team Versus, a brief look inside the Napalm Films office Deep in the Woods, an archival featurette featuring interviews with Kitamura, cast, and crew The Encounter, an archival interview with editor Shûichi Kakesu Deleted scenes with audio commentary by Kitamura, cast, and crew Nervous and Nervous 2, two side story mini-movies featuring characters from the main feature Featurette on the making of Nervous 2 Versus FF Version, a condensed, 20-minute recut of the film Multiple trailers Image gallery Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Chris Malbon

• Versus | Blu Ray | (07/12/2020) from £10.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  A relentless one-of-a-kind sensory assault chock-full of hyper-kinetic fight scenes, gangster shootouts, sword-slashing violence and gory zombie horror, Versus was a key title amongst the barrage of innovative horror and action movies that appeared as if from nowhere from Japan at the turn of the millennium, leading to a new wave of appreciation for Asian extreme cinema. A mysterious face-off in a wooded clearing between two escaped convicts and a carload of sharply dressed yakuza holding a beautiful woman captive ends in hails of bullets and showers of blood. The location for this violent encounter is the mythic Forest of Resurrection, the site of the 444th portal of the 666 hidden gates that link this earthly domain to the netherworld and it didn't get this name for nothing. As one of the surviving prisoners escapes with the girl into the darkness of the forest, disgruntled gangsters soon become the least of their worries as an earlier battle between a lone warrior against hordes of zombie samurai is carried over from a millennium ago into the present day Versus caused a sensation both in Japan and internationally upon its release, launching the careers of director Ryûhei Kitamura (Godzilla Final Wars, Midnight Meat Train) and action star and fight choreographer Tak Sakaguchi (Battlefield Baseball, Yakuza Weapon). Arrow Video is proud to present this mythic cult title in both its original 2000 and expanded 2004 Ultimate Versus iterations, in a brand new, director-approved restoration. SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS Brand new 2K restoration from original film elements by Arrow Films, approved by director Ryûhei Kitamura High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray™ presentations of both versions of the film: the original 2000 cut and 2004's Ultimate Versus, featuring over 10 minutes of new and revised footage Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Chris Malbon DISC 1: VERSUS Original lossless Japanese 5.1 and 2.0 stereo audio and English 2.0 stereo audio Optional English subtitles Audio commentary by Audio commentary by Kitamura, cast and crew Audio commentary by Kitamura and the cast and crew New visual essay on the career of Kitamura by Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp Behind Versus, a two-part behind-the-scenes documentary exploring the film's production First Contact: Versus Evolution, a featurette exploring the film's origins Tak Sakaguchi's One-Man Journey, an archival featurette on the actor's visit to the 2001 Japan Film Festival in Hamburg Film festival screening footage Team Versus, a brief look inside the Napalm Films office Deep in the Woods, an archival featurette featuring interviews with Kitamura, cast and crew The Encounter, an archival interview with editor Shûichi Kakesu Deleted scenes with audio commentary by Kitamura, cast and crew Nervous and Nervous 2, two side story mini-movies featuring characters from the main feature Featurette on the making of Nervous 2 Versus FF Version, a condensed, 20-minute recut of the film Multiple trailers Image gallery DISC 2: ULTIMATE VERSUS Original lossless Japanese 6.1 and 2.0 stereo audio and English 6.1 and 2.0 stereo audio Optional English subtitles Audio commentary by Kitamura, cast and crew Sakigake! Otoko versus Juku, a featurette on the newly shot material for Ultimate Versus FIRST PRESSING ONLY: illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film and a reprinted interview with Kitamura by Tom Mes, and notes on the making of the film by Kitamura

• Violence at High Noon | DVD | (28/07/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  One of Oshima's most powerful and controversial films. Telling the brutal story of real-life rapist and serial murderer Eisuke (Kei Sato) and his relationship with his protective schoolteacher wife Matsuko (Akiko Koyama) and his only surviving victim Shino (Saeda Kawagushi) Oshima takes the format of the 'real-life crime' drama and uses it as a canvas to lay bare the lost idealism and decay in postwar Japan. Although the action takes place in a seemingly idyllic rural setting Oshima's portrait of humanity is as dark violent and uncompromising as the urban wastes and hellish ghettos of Naked Youth and The Sun's Burial. Never presenting Eisuke as anything less than a monster Oshima goes further to suggest how such deviancy and (specifically male) violence reflects an amoral and corrupt modern society. Part thriller part reaction against the austere Japanese cinematic tradition with avant-garde experimentation and grim social commentary Violence At High Noon is fresh and as fearsome today as when it was first released.

• 2LDK | DVD | (23/07/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  This DVD features two films from Yukihiko Tsutsumi and Ryuhei Kitamura who were challenged by Shinya Kawai to each create a feature length movie with two principal actors battling in one setting and filmed entirely in one week. 2LDK (Dir. Yukihiko Tsutsumi) Aspiring actresses Nozomi (Koike) and Lana (Nonami) belong to the same talent agency share an apartment and have just auditioned for the same part in a film called Yakuza Wives. Nozomi is a country girl who has come to Tokyo with big dreams of becoming an actress while Lana's sharp tongue and flashy appearance is completely at odds with soft spoken demure Nozomi. Waiting for the phone call that will decide their future petty arguments escalate into hysterical violence bringing the girls' hatred of one another to the surface as they confront the reality of their empty unfulfilled lives. Aragami (Dir. Ryuhei Kitamura) (2003): Two seriously wounded samurai find refuge from a storm at an isolated temple the home of a swordsman and a mysterious young woman. One samurai awakes to find that not only has his comrade died but that his wounds have miraculously healed. He discovers that he has been given the power of immortality by the swordsman a man once known as the legendary Miyamoto Musashi who now lives an endless existence as Aragami a god of battle.

• The Black Angel | DVD | (25/02/2002) from £12.90   |  Saving you £-2.91 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Takashi Ishi's visually stylish The Black Angel is a fascinating cross between Japanese gangster film and Jacobean revenge tragedy. Sent away to the US after the slaughter of her parents by rivals led by her half-sister Chaiko, Ikko (Riona Hazuki) returns determined to reclaim her yakuza kingdom. Ikko is obsessed with childish memories of Mayo the hitwoman, the original Black Angel, entrusted with getting her out of the country. The intervening 14 years have been hard on Mayo--being the Black Angel is tough on the nerves--and she is hired to kill Ikko, not realising they have met before. This is a tragic film in which three strong women are destined to destroy each other through the trickery of male betrayal; from the beginning, as a child is smuggled away and a mother told the infant is dead, it is clear that we are in a land of myth, with no happy endings. A night time Tokyo of bright lights and dark shadows, of dead-end corridors and escalators that lead you only to your death, is provided as a moody backdrop. Takashi's inventive set pieces of mood and action include a shootout in a strip club set to Verdi's Requiem. On the DVD: The Black Angel is presented on disc in widescreen, while the moody, atmospheric score is done full justice by the Dolby Digital soundtrack. The only special features are filmographies and biographies, production stills and the theatrical trailer. --Roz Kaveney

• Hiruko The Goblin | DVD | (25/08/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Hordes of demons wait behind the Gates of Hell where a school has been built. Hiruko is sent to Earth to behead students and reassemble their heads on the demon's spider-like bodies.... The Hiruko goblin has escaped and no one is safe as the monster claws it's way into the depths of hell! Humanity's only hope is the archeologist Heida and his nephew Masao as they struggle to find a way to slam the door shut on the hideous beast before it can set free the countless other Hirukos bay

• Getting Any? | DVD | (11/05/2009) from £9.89   |  Saving you £11.36 (131.63%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Middle-aged Asao's sole goal in life is to have sex but in order to achieve his dream he is thrown from one wacky situation to the next. From robbing banks to becoming invisible to transforming into a super-sized fly monster Asao will do anything to get any! Internationally renowned actor/writer/director 'Beat' Takeshi Kitano presents a madcap rollercoaster ride of lunatic insanity that will leave you gasping for breath and ready for more!

• Alive | DVD | (01/09/2008) from £9.99   |  Saving you £6.00 (60.06%)   |  RRP £15.99

  There are some things worse than death. From Director Ryuhei Kitamura (Versus Godzilla Final Wars Aragami Deul Down To Hell The Messenger And Azumi). Based on the popular manga by Tsutomu Takahashi (Sky High). Alive combines the tension of Vincenzo Natali's Cube and Kitamura's own Versus. For the brutal vengeance murder of his girlfriend's rapists Tenshu is sentenced to die in the electric chair. Resigned to his fate and unmoved by his actions he survives the lethal high voltage punishment. He is then given the choice to burn again or take part in a vicious experiment pitting him against another prisoner and a mysterious alien life force. Here is where the true punishment begins. Featuring moving performances by Hideo Sakaki Ryo Koyuki Erika Oda Jun Kunimura Bengal Tetta Sugimoto and Tak Sakaguchi.

• Goke - Bodysnatcher From Hell | DVD | (29/12/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  When a plane crashes in the desert the survivors are targeted by blob-like aliens that turn their victims into vampires! Credited by Quentin Tarantino as an influence for his two-parter 'Kill Bill' Hajime Sato's seminal monster movie remains one of the most memorable of the 1960s!

• K-1 Dynamite 2005/Hero*S 2005 Final | DVD | (19/11/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  From the Osaka Dome in Osaka Japan comes Dynamite 2005; K1's annual New Years Eve spectacular! Featuring the Tournament Finals of Hero's between fan-favourites Norifumi Kid Yamamoto and Genki Sudo. Also included is the return of MMA pioneer and UFC Hall of Fame inductee; Royce Gracie as he faces off against popular Japanese fighter; Hideo Tokoro! The remainder of the fight card is absolutely packed to bursting point with true Super-Stars from the World of Mixed Martial Arts and K-1 including Bob Sapp Jerome Le Banner Heath Herring Semmy Schilt Ernesto Hoost Peter Aerts Remy Bonjasky and many many more! Royce Gracie vs Hideo Tokoro (MMA Rules) Norifumi Kid Yamamoto vs Genki Sudo (MMA Rules) Bob Sapp vs Musashi (K-1 Rules) Jerome Le Banner vs Alan Karaev (MMA Rules) Semmy Schilt vs Ernesto Hoost (K-1 Rules) Heath Herring vs Yoshihiro Nakao (MMA Rules) Remy Bonjasky vs The Predator (K-1 Rules) Peter Aerts vs Shungo Oyama (MMA Rules) Masato vs Akira Ohigashi (K-1 Rules) Bobby Ologun vs Akebono (MMA Rules) Katsuhiko Nagata vs Remigijus Morkevicius (MMA Rules)

• Versus | DVD | (30/06/2003) from £4.89   |  Saving you £10.10 (206.54%)   |  RRP £14.99

  There are 666 portals to the other side and somewhere in Japan lies the home of the 444th. It is here that Prisoner KSC2-303 escapes from his fellow inmates to rendezvous with a group of men who will lead him to safety. After he realises that the price of his freedom is the death of a female hostage he refuses to comply with his rescuers' plans and blood is spilled. But when in the aptly named Forest of Resurrection long dead Yakuza fighters come back to life to avenge their ow

• Blackmail is my Life | DVD | (27/08/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Blackmail Is My Life