"Actor: Kei Kobayashi"

• Yojimbo & Sanjuro (4K UHD) | Blu Ray | (17/03/2025) from £34.97   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Yojimbo Like Seven Samurai (1954), Yojimbo was Kurosawa's tribute to the widescreen action Westerns of John Ford and was itself remade as a Western by Sergio Leone as A Fistful of Dollars (1964). Played by the great Toshiro Mifune, the film's enigmatic samurai is a scruffy and itinerant warrior who wanders into a strange town and right into the middle of a war between two clans. Showing his skills with the sword within minutes of his arrival, he soon has the town's rival factions competing for his services. Kurosawa's genius for storytelling combines with thrilling swordplay, a healthy dose of black humour, a soundtrack every bit as atmospheric and amusing as Ennio Morricone's, and a towering performance from Mifune, to make Yojimbo an irresistible widescreen action adventure.Sanjuro In response to the huge critical and commercial success of Yojimbo, Kurosawa and Mifune re-teamed a year later to make Sanjuro, a hilarious comedy of manners altogether more light-hearted than its predecessor. The story has Sanjuro (Mifune) running lazy rings around nine naïve and clean-cut samurai and two genteel ladies, whilst also cleaning up a spot of corruption in local government. Whilst Kurosawa plays most of it for laughs, expertly parodying the conventions of Japanese period action films, he stages a startling switch of mood with an intense finale which may well be the briefest, and most breathtaking duel in all cinema.Extras¢ Limited edition 2-disc set, 2 x 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-rays presented in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)¢ Newly recorded interview with Jasper Sharp (2024)¢ Audio commentary on Yojimbo by film critic Philip Kemp¢ Introduction to Sanjuro by filmmaker Alex Cox (2003, 5 mins)¢ Interview with filmmaker Alex Cox (2003, 9 mins)¢ Original trailers for both films¢ **FIRST PRESSING ONLY** Illustrated booklet featuring new and archival essays on both films, original reviews and full film credits¢ Other extras TBC

• Kiki's Delivery Service (Blu-ray + DVD) | Blu Ray | (01/07/2013) from £14.99   |  Saving you £12.00 (92.38%)   |  RRP £24.99

  It's witch meets world as teenage Kiki chooses to live on her own in a new town using her magical powers to get by. But Kiki is poor with potions and second-rate at spells - instead she sets up a courier service using her broomstick to deliver everything from pies to pets. At first with only her sarcastic cat Jiji for company she soon discovers that she has more friends than she ever thought possible. Adapted by Hayao Miyazaki from the children's book by Eiko Kadono Kiki's Delivery Service is one of the best loved animated features in Japan and elsewhere. Featuring the voices of Kirsten Dunst Janeane Garofalo and Debbie Reynolds Kiki's Delivery Service is superb entertainment from start to finish.

• Akira Kurosawa - The Samurai Collection | DVD | (07/06/2010) from £34.43   |  Saving you £5.56 (16.15%)   |  RRP £39.99

  Akira Kurosawa: The Samurai Collection (5 Discs)

• Yojimbo & Sanjuro (2 Blu-ray Set) | Blu Ray | (17/03/2025) from £24.97   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  YojimboLike Seven Samurai (1954), Yojimbo was Kurosawa's tribute to the widescreen action Westerns of John Ford and was itself remade as a Western by Sergio Leone as A Fistful of Dollars (1964). Played by the great Toshiro Mifune, the film's enigmatic samurai is a scruffy and itinerant warrior who wanders into a strange town and right into the middle of a war between two clans. Showing his skills with the sword within minutes of his arrival, he soon has the town's rival factions competing for his services.Kurosawa's genius for storytelling combines with thrilling swordplay, a healthy dose of black humour, a soundtrack every bit as atmospheric and amusing as Ennio Morricone's, and a towering performance from Mifune, to make Yojimbo an irresistible widescreen action adventure.SanjuroIn response to the huge critical and commercial success of Yojimbo, Kurosawa and Mifune re-teamed a year later to make Sanjuro, a hilarious comedy of manners altogether more light-hearted than its predecessor.The story has Sanjuro (Mifune) running lazy rings around nine naïve and clean-cut samurai and two genteel ladies, whilst also cleaning up a spot of corruption in local government. Whilst Kurosawa plays most of it for laughs, expertly parodying the conventions of Japanese period action films, he stages a startling switch of mood with an intense finale which may well be the briefest, and most breathtaking duel in all cinema.Extras¢ Newly restored in 4K and presented in High Definition¢ Newly recorded interview with Jasper Sharp (2024)¢ Audio commentary on Yojimbo by film critic Philip Kemp¢ Introduction to Sanjuro by filmmaker Alex Cox (2003, 5 mins)¢ Interview with filmmaker Alex Cox (2003, 9 mins)¢ Original trailers for both films¢ **FIRST PRESSING ONLY** Illustrated booklet featuring new and archival essays on both films, original reviews and full film credits¢ Other extras TBC

• Metropolis | DVD | (22/07/2002) from £8.30   |  Saving you £11.69 (140.84%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A stunning piece of Japanese animation, Metropolis (2001) gets much of its visual look as well as its storyline less from the Fritz Lang classic than from Osamu Tezuka's comic book adaptation of it. In a style a reminiscent of Little Nemo and TinTin, Lang's dystopian fantasy is tweaked into the story of the doomed robot girl Tima and her love for Kenichi, nephew of a visiting Japanese detective. The city's ruler, Duke Red, needs her to complete his super-weapon, the Ziggurat, and has built her to resemble his dead daughter; the Duke's adopted son Rock is jealous and possessive of his father; and Tima's builder Laughton has agendas of his own. There are chases, riots, conflagrations and duels in the snow; unusually for Japanese animation the backgrounds are as inventively characterised as the characters who move through them. Screenwriter Katsuhiro Otomo and director Rintaro have deservedly moved from cult status to the mainstream on the strength of this film, which merits the epic tag so often attached to less interesting animations. --Roz Kaveney

• Sanjuro | DVD | (06/10/2003) from £10.78   |  Saving you £9.21 (85.44%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Sequel to Kurosawa's own 'Yojimbo' in which the crafty samurai helps a young man and his fellow clansmen save his uncle who has been framed and imprisoned by a corrupt superintendent...

• Criterion Collection: Yojimbo & Sanjuro | Blu Ray | (23/03/2010) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Samurai Assassin | DVD | (02/02/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Threatened from the East and West Japan and the Tokugawa Shogunate are dangerously unstable. Lord Li Naosuke the 'Red Devil' has raised up a puppet figure to become the Shogun lemoshil. The year is 1860. Among his opposition is the Mito Clan. Undefeated they are planning his assassination. Amongst their numbers is one Niiro Tsurichiyo (Toshiro Mifune). The illegitimate son of a powerful nobleman Niiro has been brought up in a merchants household harbouring ambitions to bec

• The End Of Summer | DVD | (26/01/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  This penultimate film by Japanese master director Yasujiro Ozu examines the difficulties faced by the Kohayagawa family as they struggle to adapt their traditional values to a rapidly changing post-war Japan. As the family's generations-old sake making business begins to fail in the face of increasingly fierce competition Manbei the incorrigible elderly patriarch rekindles an affair with an old flame much to the disapproval of his daughter Fumiko. He is further distracted by his a

• Riding Bean | DVD | (08/10/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  In Chicago ace courier Bean Bandit rules the road and operates on both sides of the law. If a cargo has to absolutely positively be there now Bean's your man - for a price. Want to make sure that the getaway from your next heist goes smoothly? No problem - but it will cost you. Bean's latest cargo is a ten year old girl worth 50 grand when delivered home. What he doesn't know is that she has already been kidnapped and he's about to be framed for the snatch. Meanwhile the real

• Osamu Tezuka's Metropolis - Steelbook Edition | Blu Ray | (30/10/2018) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A