"Actor: Hiroki Matsukata"

• Hokuriku Proxy War (Limited Edition) | Blu Ray | (24/02/2025) from £17.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Loose-cannon gangster Kawada rebels when his two-timing boss forms an alliance with a major crime syndicate. The syndicate's main rivals see Kawada as their perfect proxy, but his furious temper quickly rubs them the wrong way, leaving Kawada to face overwhelming forces. Fukasaku's final yakuza film features some of the strongest women's roles in his career, plus a raucous central performance from Hiroki Matsukata (Cops vs Thugs) and support from the legendary Sonny Chiba. LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURESHigh-Definition digital transferUncompressed mono PCM audioNew interview with actress Yoko Takahashi (2024, 15 mins)New interview with screenwriter Koji Takada (2024, 19 mins)Yakuza film historian Akihiko Ito on the real-life Hokuriku Proxy War murder case (2024, 15 mins)TrailerNewly improved English subtitle translationReversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time TomorrowLimited edition booklet featuring newly translated archival writings 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 Rapacious Jailbreaker | Blu Ray | (19/05/2025) from £17.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  In the free-for-all chaos after World War II, black marketeer Ueda (Hiroki Matsukata, Cops vs Thugs) is robbed of a stash of morphine. He takes his brutal revenge, but is arrested for murder and sentenced to 20 years. He escapes and is caught, but no matter where they send him, Ueda won't let prison walls stop him. Directed by a master of the genre and based on the real exploits of a seven-time prison escapee, this ranks as one of the rawest entries in the 1970s cycle of Japanese true-account crime films. LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES High-Definition digital transfer Uncompressed mono PCM audio Audio commentary by yakuza film expert Nathan Stuart (2025) Visual essay on Sadao Nakajima by Tom Mes (2025) New English subtitle translation Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Filippo Di Battista Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Earl Jackson and an archival review of the film Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings

• The Yakuza Papers: Final Episode | DVD | (08/08/2016) from £13.29   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The Final Episode of the Battles Without Honour and Humanity series brought a new, more contemporary mood to the film and its characters. The yakuza may be starting to resemble a legitimate business, but director Kinji Fukasaku, working with new screenwriter Koji Takada, never lets the audience forget their violent origins, and their tried-and-true methods of accomplishing their business. 1966. After a police crackdown, the gangs of Hiroshima and Kure have formed a massive, multi-family political and economic coalition called the Tensei Group, seeking a way forward into the 1970's as part of Japan's economic bubble. Shozo Hirono (Bunta Sugawara) finds himself increasingly alienated from this semi-legitimate form of corruption, particularly as acting Tensei Group chairman Matsumura (Kinya Kitaoji) tries to put the gangs on a new, more business-like path. But old habits die hard, and when rivalries surface once again, they bring with them the promise of more bloodshed. The long-awaited conclusion to the epic series is an elegy for the bad guy, with the harsh realization that Japan's economic growth came about only through the sacrifice of the blood of its young men, victims of twenty long years of Battles Without Honour and Humanity.

• Battles Without Honor and Humanity | Blu Ray | (06/09/2021) from £26.79   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Kinji Fukasaku (Battle Royale) gave the world Japan's answer to The Godfather with this violent yakuza saga, influencing filmmakers from Quentin Tarantino (Kill Bill, Reservoir Dogs) to Takashi Miike (Graveyard of Honor, Audition). Made within just two years, the five-film series brought a new kind of realism and ferocity to the crime genre in Japan, revitalising the industry and leading to unprecedented commercial and critical success.Literally exploding on screen with a mushroom cloud, and ending with Hiroshima's A-bomb Dome, the epic story of Battles Without Honour and Humanity follows over 100 characters through twenty years of gang wars, alliances, betrayals, and assassinations, in an exciting exploration of criminal power and politics in Japan. In the opening episode, ex-soldier Shôzô Hirono escapes from the post-war black markets to become a key member of the Yamamori gang, but soon finds himself disillusioned by the selfish duplicity of his bosses. Hiroshima Death Match focuses on a demobilised kamikaze pilot drifting through the early 1950s, whose suicidal impulses find good use as a mob assassin. Proxy War and Police Tactics form a labyrinthine, two-part story of ambition and betrayal set against Japan's rapid economic growth of the 1960s, with Shôzô caught between warring factions. Final Episode concludes the series in the 1970s as the former Yamamori gang transforms itself into an economic conglomerate called the Tensei Group, in a bid for mainstream respectability.Fukasaku and his team broke with the longstanding studio tradition of casting marquee idols as honourable, kimono-clad heroes, defending their gang bosses against unscrupulous villains, and instead adapted true accounts torn from the headlines, shot in a documentary-like style, and with few clear-cut heroes or villains. The vibrancy and dynamism of the filmmaking, plus its shocking violence, Shakespearean plotlines, and wide tapestry of characters, launched a revolutionary new genre, establishing the series as one of the great masterpieces of world crime cinema.Special Features:High Definition Blu-ray™ (1080p) presentation of all five original filmsOriginal Mono audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-rays)Optional English subtitles for all five filmsReversible sleeves featuring newly commissioned artwork by Reinhard KleistDisc 1: Battles Without Honor and HumanityAudio commentary by critic and author Stuart Galbraith IVYakuza Graveyard an interview with Takashi Miike about Kinji Fukasaku and the yakuza film genreOriginal trailers for all five filmsDisc 2: Hiroshima Death MatchMan of Action an interview with series fight choreographer Ryūzō UenoOriginal TrailerDisc 3: Proxy WarSecrets of the Piranha Army a documentary about the troupe of supporting actors who appeared throughout the series, featuring interviews with original Piranha members Masaru Shiga and Takashi Noguchi, plus second-generation Piranha, Takashi Nishina and Akira MurotaTales of a Bit Player an interview with supporting actor and stuntman Seizô FukumotoOriginal TrailerDisc 4: Police TacticsRemembering Kinji a featurette about director Kinji Fukasaku and his work, featuring interviews with Kenta Fukasaku and film critic and Fukasaku biographer Sadao YamaneFukasaku Family an interview with Proxy War and Police Tactics assistant director Tôru Dobashi Original TrailerDisc 5: Final EpisodeLast Days of the Boss an interview with Final Episode screenwriter Kôji Takada Original poster gallery for the seriesOriginal Trailer

• Cops vs Thugs | Blu Ray | (22/05/2017) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Considered by many to be director Kinji Fukasaku's greatest single-film achievement in the yakuza genre, Cops vs Thugs was made at the height of popularity of Toei Studios' jitsuroku boom: realistic, modern crime movies based on true stories taken from contemporary headlines. Returning to the screen after completing their Battles Without Honor and Humanity series together, Fukasaku joined forces once again with screenwriter Kazuo Kasahara, composer Toshiaki Tsushima and star Bunta Sugawara to create one of the crowning achievements of his career, and a hard-boiled classic which is still ranked as one of the best Japanese films of the 1970's. It's 1963 in the southern Japanese city of Kurashima, and tough-as-nails detective Kuno (Sugawara) oversees a detente between the warring Kawade and Ohara gangs. Best friends with Ohara lieutenant Hirotani (Hiroki Matsukata), he understands that there are no clear lines in the underworld, and that everything is colored a different shade of gray. But when random violence interrupts the peace and an ambitious, by-the-books lieutenant (Tatsuo Umemiya) comes to town, Kuno's fragile alliance begins to crumble. Greedy bosses and politicians alike seize the opportunity to wipe out their enemies, and Kuno faces the painful choice of pledging allegiance to his badge and keeping a promise to his brother. Echoing the great crime films of Sidney Lumet and Jean-Pierre Melville, in Fukasaku's world, there's no honor among thieves or lawmen alike, and the only thing that matters is personal honor and duty among friends. Kasahara's shattering screenplay and Fukasaku's dynamic direction support an all-star, ensemble cast to create one of the most exciting, and deeply moving films about cops and criminals ever made. SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS: High Definition digital transfer High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations Original uncompressed mono audio Optional English subtitles Audio commentary by film scholar Tom Mes New video interview with film scholar & Fukasaku biographer Sadao Yamane Sympathy for the Underdog, a new visual essay on Fukasaku's career by Marc Walkow Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Ian MacEwan FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film

• New Battles Without Honour & Humanity | Blu Ray | (21/08/2017) from £21.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  NEW BATTLES WITHOUT HOUNOUR AND HUMANITY: THE COMPLETE TRILOGY New Battles Without Honour and Humanity New Battles Without Honour and Humanity: The Boss's Head New Battles Without Honour and Humanity: Last Days of the Boss In the early 1970s Kinji Fukasaku's five-film Battles Without Honour and Humanity series was a massive hit in Japan and kicked off a boom in realistic modern yakuza films based on true stories. Although Fukasaku had intended to end the series Toei Studio convinced him to return to the director's chair for this unconnected follow-up trilogy of films each starring Battles leading man Bunta Sugawara and telling separate but fictional stories about the yakuza in different locations in Japan. In the first film Bunta Sugawara is Miyoshi a low-level assassin of the Yamamori gang who is sent to jail after a bungled hit. While in stir family member Aoki (Lone Wolf and Cub's Tomisaburo Wakayama) attempts to seize power from the boss and Miyoshi finds himself stuck between the two factions with no honourable way out. In the second entry The Boss's Head Sugawara is Kuroda an itinerant gambler who steps in when a hit by drug-addicted assassin Kusunoki (Tampopo's Tsutomu Yamazaki) goes wrong and takes the fall on behalf of the Owada family but when the gang fails to make good on financial promises to him Kuroda targets the family bosses with a ruthless vengeance. And in Last Days of the Boss Sugawara plays Nozaki a labourer who swears allegiance to a sympathetic crime boss only to find himself elected his successor after the boss is murdered. Restrained by a gang alliance that forbids retributions against high-level members Nozaki forms a plot to exact revenge on his rivals but a suspicious relationship with his own sister (Chieko Matsubara from Outlaw: Gangster VIP) taints his relationship with his fellow gang members. Making their English-language home video debut in this limited edition set the New Battles Without Honour and Humanity films are important links between the first half of Fukasaku's career and his later exploration of other genres. Each one is also a top-notch crime action thriller: hard-boiled entertaining and distinguished by Fukasaku's directorial genius funky musical scores by composer Toshiaki Tsushima and the onscreen power of Toei's greatest yakuza movie stars. LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS: High Definition digital transfers of all three films High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations Original uncompressed mono audio New optional English subtitle translation for all three films Beyond the Films: New Battles Without Honour and Humanity a new video appreciation by Fukasaku biographer Sadao Yamane New Stories New Battles and Closing Stories two new interviews with screenwriter Koji Takada about his work on the second and third films in the trilogy Original theatrical trailers for all three films Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Reinhard Kleist Illustrated collector's book featuring new writing on the films the yakuza genre and Fukasaku's career by Stephen Sarrazin Tom Mes Hayley Scanlon Chris D. and Marc Walkow

• Shogun's Samurai | DVD | (23/04/2007) from £8.08   |  Saving you £-0.09 (N/A%)   |  RRP £7.99

  Directed by veteran Japanese filmmaker Kinji Fukasaku (Tora! Tora! Tora! Battle Royale) and starring one of the greatest martial arts stars Sonny Chiba (Kill Bill: Volume I Street Fighter) Shogun's Samurai is an all out action epic tale of loyalty and betrayal political intrigue battles and spectacular sword fights in true Japanese style. It's Imperial Japan 1624 the current Shogun General Hidetada has died under mysterious circumstances leaving the succession in doubt - his eldest son Lemestsu (Hiroki Matsukata) should succeed but he is disfigured and stammers. His younger brother Tadanaga (Teruhiko Saigo) seems better suited to the role and had the backing of his father before his untimely death as well as most of the powerful lords. A war between the two brothers soon erupts both recruiting not only government officials but also anybody who is looking for one last fight. Meanwhile the Emperor and his courtiers plot behind the scenes to exploit the chaos and return to power and it soon becomes clear that in a winner takes all struggle for power there are no heroes and villains only winners and losers.

• Yakuza Papers | DVD | (23/09/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  This nihilistic chronicle of the gang-wars that ravaged Hiroshima in post-war Japan centres on the character Sugawara. Based on the prison diary of a yakuza involved in the wars (Kozo Mino) Sugawara is distinguished through extreme callous brutality. The villainous godfather Yamamoru initiates him into his ruthless gang which inevitably wins the power struggle through titanic gruesome battles. Once more with 'The Yakuza Papers' director Kinji Fukasaku elevates brutality and abrup

• Cops vs Thugs | DVD | (01/10/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  It is 1963 and the police of Kurashima City have spent the past seven years eradicating the Yakuza gangs which have caused so much strife in the city. The last two remaining gangs Ohara and Kawade are in tatters with the Ohara Boss in prison. But with the police force full of corrupt officers the gangs begin to flourish once again. The Kawade gang sensing the opportunity to strike their enemies while their leader is incarcerated decide to stage a raid on a club owned by their rivals but the attention of the police is drawn to both gangs again. Ken Hirotani is running the Ohara gang while the Boss is in jail and he soon discovers that a childhood friend Kuno is now a police detective assigned to clean up the underworld. But Kuno's loyalties lay more with his friend than his career and his honour is tested time and time again. When a major property deal goes bad the police are able to persuade the two gangs to come to a truce but there are elements of both sides who don't like what their superiors are negotiating. Soon it's not only Cops vs Cops as loyalties are strained and honour pushes the boundaries of the law with an epic showdown looming.

• Yakuza Papers / Yakuza Graveyard / Street Mobster | DVD | (07/07/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Yakuza Papers: This nihilistic chronicle of the gang-wars that ravaged Hiroshima in post-war Japan centres on the character Sugawara. Based on the prison diary of a yakuza involved in the wars (Kozo Mino) Sugawara is distinguihed through extreme callous brutality. The villainous godfather Yamamoru initiates him into his ruthless gang which inevitably wins the power struggle through titanic gruesome battles. Once more with 'The Yakuza Papers' director Kinji Fukasaku elevate

• Shogun's Samurai | DVD | (21/10/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  With Shogun Samurai, veteran Japanese director Fukasaku Kinji demonstrated that he could do more than the gritty social realist cop-and-gangster films for which he remains most famous. A deliberately stately historical drama, with a slightly ponderous narrator introducing some of its most powerful scenes, Shogun Samurai shows the succession crisis that followed the death of the second Tokugawa Shogun in the early 17th-century. The Imperial court fans the flames in an attempt to restore the Emperor's power; a young dancer tries to preserve the young prince she loves; a warrior clan take steps to return to their homeland; and the fencing master Yagyu will expend honour and lives, including those of his own children, to ensure that his school is patronised by the new Shogun. The film alternates powerful scenes of intrigue and stagy monomaniac rants by Yagyu with finely choreographed scenes of battle and duel; it has a powerful and tragic sense of the fragile sadness of things and the futility of all ambitions; Sonny Chiba is unusually impressive as Yagyu's most honourable son, the one-eyed Jubel. On the DVD: Shogun Samurai on disc has minimal additional features: a short prose profile of Fukasaku Kinji and some promotional clips. Picture is anamorphic 16:9. --Roz Kaveney

• Mafia Family Yanagawa - Part 1 | DVD | (18/04/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Renowned street thug Jiro Yanagawa is released from prison in Shimonoseki Japan's Kyushu region. Bailed out before his partner in crime Koichiro Tachikawa Yanagawa enters the notorious Yoshimizu Yakuza family only to bust out and return to Osaka to launch a bloody territory war with his own newly-formed clan against the Devils Dragons. ""If you want to rise to power you have to steal from the rich!"" became his mantra... No one in Japan is unfamiliar with this blood-soaked true s

• Yakuza Box Set | DVD | (17/04/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Three tough thrillers from the acclaimed director of 'Battle Royale'. Graveyard Of Honour: Rikio Ishikawa is a brutal street thug who is drawn into the powerful Kawada gang in 1946 Tokyo. His insubordination and rebelliousness encourage him to start his own Yakuza family but he decides the easiest way would be to challenge his own Godfather whom he brutally attacks. This disrespect to his boss brings the ultimate form of disgrace upon himself and his 'family'. For his own

• Never Give Up | DVD | (20/06/2005) from £8.08   |  Saving you £-2.09 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Following a mass murder in rural Japan ex-special forces soldier Ajisawa (Ken Takakura) adopts the sole survivor of the massacre an amnesiac young girl. Intending to put the past behind them the pair instead find themselves in conflict with the corrupt and powerful leaders of a small town. As the girl's memories begin to emerge Ajisawa must call upon all of his killer instincts to ensure their survival...

• 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.

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

  Blackmail Is My Life