"Director: Buichi SAITO"

• The Complete Lone Wolf & Cub Boxset | DVD | (21/11/2009) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £49.99

  At last... the riveting bloody and ultra-stylish Lone Wolf and Cub series together with the classic Shogun Assassin (all based on the perennially popular manga by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima) available together in one boxset officially licenced from Toho fully uncut and freshly remastered. Filled with memorable set pieces iconic characters and violent action this series more than lives up to its reputation as a pinnacle of Japanese exploitation cinema whose musings on the meaning of honour in a lawless world still resonate today. In White Heaven In Hell alone Ogami Itt' kills 150 people onscreen the highest body count for a single character in a single film in cinema history. In America the first two Lone Wolf instalments were re-edited into the legendary Shogun Assassin the film that single-handedly created legions of new fans of Japanese action cinema upon its release. Originally prosecuted as a video nasty in the 1980s this hugely influential thrill-ride is presented here along with the original Lone Wolf and Cub series gorgeously remastered in their original aspect ratio. Discs Comprise: Disc 1: Sword Of Vengeance (1972 Kenji Misumi) Disc 2: Baby Cart At The River Styx (1972 Kenji Misumi) Disc 3: Baby Cart To Hades (1972 Kenji Misumi) Disc 4: Baby Cart In Peril (1972 Buichi Saito) Disc 5: Baby Cart In The Land Of Demons (1973 Kenji Misumi) Disc 6: White Heaven In Hell (1974 Yoshiyuki Kuroda) Disc 7: Shogun Assassin (1980 Robert Houston)

• Nikkatsu Diamond Guys Vol 1 | Blu Ray | (25/01/2016) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  Nikkatsu, the oldest film studio in Japan, inaugurated a star system in the late 1950s, finding talent and contracting to their Diamond Line for a series of wild genre pictures. This collection celebrates these Diamond Guys with three classic films from directors Seijun Suzuki (Branded to Kill), Toshio Masuda (Rusty Knife) and Buichi Saito (Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril). An old hand at tough guy action roles, Hideaki Nitani (Tokyo Drifter, Massacre Gun) stars in Suzuki's Voice Without a Shadow. Asako, a former telephone operator once heard the voice of a murder suspect which has continued to haunt her. Years later her husband invites his boss, Hamazaki, over for dinner and she realises his voice is suspiciously like that of the killer. Before she can investigate further, Hamazaki is found dead and her husband becomes the prime suspect Next, 50s subculture icon Yujiro Ishihara (Crazed Fruit) stars in Masuda's Red Pier as Jiro the Lefty, a killer with a natural talent. Shortly after arriving in Kobe, he witnesses a man die in a crane accident which turns out to be a cover-up for a murder. Jiro soon finds himself on the run, tailed by a determined cop Finally, in Saito's The Rambling Guitarist, mega star Akira Koabyashi (Battles Without Honour and Humanity) stars as wandering street musician Shinji, who falls in with mob boss Akitsu after saving one of his henchmen in a bar fight. Tasked by Akitsu with evicting an offshore fishery, Shinji finds himself in the middle of a very unusual domestic dispute Presented on Blu-ray and DVD for the first time in the West, these thrilling genre films feature Nikkatsu's leading talent at their best. Includes Special Edition Content: Limited Edition Blu-ray collection (3000 copies) High Definition digital transfers of all three films, from original film elements by Nikkatsu Corporation High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation Original uncompressed mono audio Newly translated English subtitles Specially recorded video discussions with Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp on Diamond Guys Hideaki Nitani and Yujiro Ishihara Original trailers for all three films and trailer preview for Diamond Guys Vol. 2 Extensive promotional image galleries for all three films Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys Booklet featuring new essays on all three films and director profiles by Stuart Galbraith, Tom Mes and Mark Schilling

• Nikkatsu Diamond Guys Vol. 2 Blu-Ray + DVD | Blu Ray | (13/06/2016) from £21.19   |  Saving you £8.80 (41.53%)   |  RRP £29.99

  Nikkatsu, the oldest film studio in Japan, inaugurated a star system in the late 1950s, finding talent and contracting them to a series of wild genre pictures. This collection celebrates these Diamond Guys with three classic films from directors Buichi Saito (Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril), Ko Nakahira (Crazed Fruit), and Haruyasu Noguchi, who is a new discovery for the West. In Saito's Tokyo Mighty Guy, mega star Akira Kobayashi stars as Jiro in the rambunctious tale of a chef who opens a restaurant in the busy Ginza district. His culinary skills and dashing good looks bring in the women as well as unwanted trouble, while an explosive political scandal builds around his girlfriend's business Next, Jo Shishido (Massacre Gun, Retaliation), one of the most popular Diamond Guys in the West, stars in Danger Paws, a crime caper from Ko Nakahira about counterfeiting. When one billion yen goes AWOL, Joe the Ace (Shishido) spies an opportunity to get rich quick, but things soon go wrong as it turns out he isn't the only one who'll stop at nothing to get his hands on the missing cash Finally, Shishido stars once again in Noguchi's screwball classic Murder Unincorporated. When the mysterious Joe of Spades executes one of the bosses of a powerful syndicate, his colleagues, fearing for their own lives, call on the services of assassin agency Murder Unincorporated to take care of the problem. This unique entry showcases some of the most peculiar killing tactics to ever hit Japanese cinema! Presented on DVD and Blu-ray for the first time in the West, these thrilling genre films feature some of Nikkatsu's leading talent at the top of their game.