The Big Combo: Special Edition – Ignite Films (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Dates: USA, 1955 (The Big Combo), USA, 1949 (The Crooked Way)
Director: Joseph H. Lewis (The Big Combo), Robert Florey (The Crooked Way)
Cast: Cornel Wilde, Richard Conte, Brian Donlevy, Jean Wallace, Robert Middleton, Lee Van Cleef, Earl Holliman, Helen Walker, Jay Adler, John Hoyt, Ted de Corsia, Helene Stanton (The Big Combo), John Payne, Sonny Tufts, Ellen Drew, Rhys Williams, Percy Helton, John Doucette, Charles Evans, Greta Granstedt (The Crooked Way)

Release Date: December 15th, 2026
Approximate Running Times: 88 Minutes 25 Seconds (The Big Combo), 90 Minutes 32 Seconds (The Crooked Way)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 (The Big Combo), 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD 2.0 Mono English, DTS-HD 1.0 Mono English, DTS-HD Mono German, DTS-HD Mono Spanish (The Big Combo), DTS-HD Mono English (The Crooked Way)
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, Norwegian, Portuguese (Brazil), Swedish (The Big Combo)
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD, Blu-ray)
Retail Price: $34.95

"Cornel Wilde plays police lieutenant Leonard Diamond, whose relentless campaign against powerful crime boss Mr. Brown (Richard Conte) has become as personal as it is professional. Diamond's obsession is intensified by his feelings for Brown's troubled mistress Susan Lowell (Jean Wallace), whose desperation to escape the gangster's control may provide the opening he needs to finally bring Brown down.

The Big Combo builds its underworld story around shifting loyalties, buried secrets and an increasingly destructive contest between two determined men. Brian Donlevy plays former syndicate boss Joe McClure, while Robert Middleton appears as Brown's associate Dreyer and Lee Van Cleef and Earl Holliman portray the inseparable hitmen Fante and Mingo. Helen Walker also figures prominently in Diamond's investigation." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (The Big Combo), 3.75/5 (The Crooked Way)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "This digital restoration of The Big Combo was undertaken by Ignite Films, working from a 35mm Fine Grain Answer Print and a 35mm Optical Sound Negative. The picture was restored in 4K by The Grainery, while the audio was sourced from an UCLA restoration funded by The Film Foundation. The color grading was carried out by Gosia Grzyb under the supervision and approval of Scott MacQueen."

The Big Combo comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD

Disc Size: 60.7 GB

Feature: 54.2 GB

The source looks excellent; flesh tones look healthy, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image retains an organic appearance.

The Crooked Way comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 35.7 GB

Feature: 26.5 GB

Although the source of The Crooked Way is not as pristine as that of The Big Combo, it still looks great, aside from some minor blemishes. Flesh tones appear accurate, and both image clarity and black levels are strong. There are no compression issues, and the image maintains an organic quality.

Audio: 5/5 (DTS-HD 2.0 Mono English - The Big Combo, DTS-HD 1.0 Mono English - The Big Combo), 3.75/5 (DTS-HD Mono - The Crooked Way)

The Big Combo comes with four audio options, a DTS-HD 2.0 mono mix in English, a DTS-HD 1.0 mono mix in English, a DTS-HD mono mix in German, and a DTS-HD mono mix in Spanish. For this release I only listened to the English tracks. Both tracks are in excellent shape; dialogue comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and ambient sounds are well-represented. The removable subtitle options include English, English SDH, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, Norwegian, Portuguese (Brazil), and Swedish.

The Crooked Way comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English. There are no subtitles. The track sounds clear and balanced, and range-wise it is satisfactory.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include a theatrical trailer for The Big Combo (2 minutes 8 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a video essay by Scout Tafoya titled How a Guy Makes a Living—How a Little Combo Made The Big Combo (18 minutes 29 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with author and critic Philippe Garnier, who discusses The Big Combo (16 minutes 16 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), an archival audio commentary with Eddie Muller, the “Czar of Noir” and founder of the Film Noir Foundation, and an audio commentary with film historian and noir expert Imogen Sara Smith.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include an archival interview with film critic and curator Geoff Andrew, who discusses The Bog Combo (19 minutes 20 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), an archival appreciation titled Wagon Wheel Joe by David Cairns, who discusses director Joseph H. Lewis (19 minutes, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), and a bonus feature film, The Crooked Way (90 minutes 32 seconds, 1.37:1 aspect ratio, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles). 

Other extras include reversible cover art.

Summary:

The Big Combo: Joseph H. Lewis directed The Big Combo. He’s known for Invisible Ghost, The Mad Doctor on Market Street, My Name Is Julia Ross, So Dark the Night, Gun Crazy, Cry of the Hunted and Terror in a Texas Town.

When a determined police lieutenant is ordered to cease his investigation into the notorious crime boss, Mr. Brown, he decides to take matters into his hands. Each time he gets close to capturing his target, Mr. Brown always seems to be one step ahead, successfully thwarting the lieutenant's efforts. In his one last attempt to bring Mr. Brown to justice, the lieutenant finds an ally in Mr. Brown’s girlfriend who despises him.

Made at what is considered the end of film noir’s original cycle, The Big Combo is one of the few latter cycle film noirs that holds up extremely well. In its opening moments, the narrative grabs with a scene where a woman is frantically running away from two men. From there, the narrative does an excellent job creating tense moments that build upon each other, culminating in an intense finale. When it comes to pacing and creating momentum, The Big Combo delivers in spades.

The Big Combo is a film that strictly deals with good and bad; there are no grey areas—it is always clear where any character stands morally. Obsession is a recurring theme in numerous Film noir, and in The Big Combo, the narrative revolves around the police lieutenant’s fixation on bringing Mr. Brown to justice. Another prevalent theme explored is the way the criminal justice system often safeguards those criminals who know how to manipulate it to their advantage.

All around, the cast are excellent in their roles, especially Richard Conte's (Thieves' Highway) menacing portrayal of Mr. Brown. Another performance of note is Jean Wallace’s (Jigsaw) portrayal of Mr. Brown’s girlfriend. The rest of the cast is filled with recognizable faces, with Cornel Wilde (Leave Her to Heaven) in the role of police lieutenant Leonard Diamond, Brian Donlevy (Impact), and Lee Van Cleef (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly) portraying henchmen killers.

The Big Combo is a film where everything perfectly comes together. Besides a well-crafted narrative and excellent performances, the visuals are another area where the film excels. The Big Combo’s striking use of light and shadow greatly enhances the mood. Another area where the visuals excel is how well they work with the sound design. There is a torture scene with a hearing aid and a killing of a deaf gangster where the combination of sight and sound is outstanding. Ultimately, The Big Combo is an exemplary crime film that stands out as one of the high-water marks of film noir, making it a must-see for fans of the genre. 

The Crooked Way: Robert Florey directed The Crooked Way. He’s known for Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932), The Face Behind the Mask, and The Beast with Five Fingers.

A war hero with amnesia returns to a place that holds the key to unlocking his memories. Immediately upon his arrival, he’s met with hostility from the locals who offer him little to go on. From there, he slowly uncovers the truth and is forced to confront his criminal past.

The premise includes all the elements typically associated with a protagonist facing an extraordinary situation where their past resurfaces. Instead of trying to clear his name, the protagonist runs toward danger when an event puts him in the crosshairs of the police. That said, until the protagonist fully confronts his past, he has no future.

While the opening setup effectively establishes the groundwork for the unfolding events, the narrative truly gains momentum in the latter half. From there, the narrative is a tense ride that does an excellent job building momentum to a confrontational finale that ends in a hellfire of bullets. The narrative also excels in how it reveals information about the protagonist's past.

When it comes to the performances, they suit the story that unfolds well. John Payne (Kansas City Confidential) is cast in the role of the protagonist, Eddie Rice, also known as Eddie Riccardi. He delivers a convincing portrayal of a man with no memory of his past. Another performance of note is Ellen Drew’s (Isle of the Dead) portrayal of Nina Martin, Eddie’s ex-girlfriend. Although the bad guy characters are your typical stereotypes, the actors who portray them all deliver highly entertaining performances.

Robert Florey’s direction finds a satisfying balance between arresting visual set pieces and letting the performance be the focal point. The most memorable moment is saved for the shootout final, where Eddie faces off against his former partner who’s now a crime boss. Ultimately, The Crooked Way is a well-crafted crime drama that’s infused with Film noir style.

The Big Combo gets an exceptional release from Ignite Films that comes with a solid audio/video presentation, a bonus film, and informative extras. Highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

 

                                            The Crooked Way Blu-ray Screenshots.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Planet of the Vampires: Limited Edition – Radiance Films (UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy/Spain, 1965
Director: Mario Bava
Writers: Mario Bava, Alberto Bevilacqua, Callisto Cosulich, Antonio Román, Rafael J. Salvia
Writers English Language Version: Louis M. Heyward, Ib Melchior
Cast: Barry Sullivan, Norma Bengell, Ángel Aranda, Evi Marandi, Stelio Candelli

Release Date: October 19th, 2026 (UK), November 10th, 2026 (USA)
Approximate Running Times: 89 Minutes 30 Seconds (Italian Version), 87 Minutes 32 Seconds (English Version)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10 Dolby Vision (Both Versions)
Rating: 15 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono Italian (Italian Version), LPCM Mono English (English Version)
Subtitles: English (Italian Version), English SDH (English Version)
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region Free (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK), $49.95 (USA)

"In the outer reaches of deep space, the spaceship Galliott answers a distress signal from Aura, an unexplored planet. As the ship attempts to land, members of the crew inexplicably begin to attack one another. This is the start of a terrifying expedition into the unknown, one plagued by paranoia, possession and violent mayhem wrought upon the unsuspecting explorers by the planet’s mysterious inhabitants." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD, Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, “Planet of the Vampires was scanned in 4K resolution at Fotocinema in Rome in collaboration with CSC Cineteca Nazionale, Titanus, and RAICOM. A 4K digital file was supplied to Radiance Films for this UHD release.”

Planet of the Vampires comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 60.2 GB

Feature: 58.3 GB

This release uses seamless branching for the two versions. While Radiance Films' 2024 Blu-ray release looked excellent, this new release somehow improves upon it. Areas of notable improvement are colors and shadow details. That said, image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image retains an organic appearance.

Planet of the Vampires comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 39.1 GB

Feature: 25.5 GB

This release uses seamless branching for the two versions. This Blu-ray's disc size and feature size are exactly the same specs as Radiance Films' 2024 release.

Audio: 4.5/5 (LPCM Mono Italian), 4.25/5 (LPCM Mono English - Gino Marinuzzi Jr.’s Original Score), 4/5 (LPCM Mono English - Kendall Schmidt's Alternate Score)

The Italian version comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Italian with removable English subtitles. This audio track sounds excellent; dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

The English version comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in English with removable English SDH. For this version, there is an option to watch with Gino Marinuzzi Jr.’s original score or a Kendall Schmidt alternate score created for the English language version. Both of these audio options sound clear, balanced, and robust when they should. That said, there is a faint background hiss on the audio track with Kendall Schmidt’s alternate score.

Extras:

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include an image gallery (48 images - stills/home video art/posters/other promotional materials), a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), Trailers from Hell with filmmaker Josh Olsen (2 minutes 30 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Trailers from Hell with filmmaker Joe Dante (3 minutes 49 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a reconstruction of the German cut-down Super 8 version; Italian version (17 minutes 10 seconds, 1.85:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono Italian with removable English subtitles) and English version (17 minutes 10 seconds, 1.85:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), an archival interview with Lamberto Bava (13 minutes 9 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), a critical appraisal of Mario Bava and Planet of the Vampires titled Transmissions from a Haunted World (41 minutes, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an archival audio commentary by Tim Lucas, author of Mario Bava: All the Colors of the Dark. 

Other extras include reversible cover art, a collection of six exclusive postcards featuring promotional material, a removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings, a 20-page booklet featuring a new translation of Renato Pestriniero’s original short story, an 80-page booklet with cast & crew information, an essay titled Gazing Into the Abyss of Deep Space and the Realms of Horror written by Jerome Reuter, an essay titled A World of Endless Night: The Artistry of Planet of the Vampires written by Martyn Conterio, an essay titled The Birth of Alien: Visiting Planet of the Vampires written by Barry Forshaw, an essay titled Planet of the Vampires: Utopian Possibilities written by George Daniel Lea, an essay titled Terror from Space: Lovecraft and Cosmic Horror in Planet of the Vampires written by Kyle Anderson, and information about the transfer.

Summary:

When it comes to Italian cinema, science fiction is the one genre that far too often misses the mark, or when it does work, as in the case of films like Contamination, Beast in Space, or Alien 2: On Earth, it is for all the wrong reasons. This brings us to Mario Bava’s Planet of the Vampires, one of the few times that he would ever venture into the science fiction genre. With his only other foray into this genre being the film The Day the Sky Exploded, he was the cinematographer on that film. First and foremost, what distinguishes Planet of the Vampires from the majority of Italian science-fiction films is Mario Bava's incorporation of film elements typically associated with the horror genre.

The narrative is well constructed, allowing each new revelation an ample amount of time to fully resonate before moving to the moment of terror. And though the characters are not much more than mere props in the grander scheme of things, this ultimately proves not to be a problem since this film's greatest strength is its atmospheric visuals. Some of the most striking moments are the scenes where the first corpses rise from their tombs and the one where the Captain and crew members are trapped on what appears to be an alien spaceship.

As mentioned before, the performances are one of Planet of the Vampires' strongest assets, and they are best described as adequate. Notable cast members include Stelio Candelli (Nude for Satan), Norma Bengell (Hellbenders), Ivan Rassimov (The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh, Spirits of Death) and Barry Sullivan (Violent Naples) in the role of Captain Mark Markary. Overall, Planet of the Vampires is one of those rare examples where a film exceeds the sum of its parts, and there is no denying this film’s influence on the science fiction genre. Its influence can be traced to films like Alien.

Planet of the Vampires makes its way to 4K UHD via an exceptional release from Radiance Films. Highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Emergency Squad: Limited Edition – Cauldron Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1974
Director: Stelvio Massi
Writers: Dardano Sacchetti, Gianfranco Barberi, Adriano Bolzoni, Stelvio Massi
Cast: Tomas Milian, Gastone Moschin, Ray Lovelock, Mario Carotenuto, Stefania Casini, Guido Leontini, Ilaria Guerrini, Giuseppe Castellano

Release Date: October 22nd, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 94 Minutes 50 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $39.99

"Consumed with vengeance, Tomas Milian (The Big Gundown) sets out to take down the man who murdered his wife during a robbery. Meanwhile, the culprit, Il Marsigliese himself (Gastone Moschin – The Godfather Part II) has one last big heist up his sleeve if he can stay ahead of the law and keep his own gang from mutiny!" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, “Emergency Squad was restored in 2K from the original camera negative by Rewind Films.”

Emergency Squad comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 37.3 GB

Feature: 28.4 GB

This new transfer will be a revelation for those who have only seen this film via NoShame DVD release. The source looks excellent; flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic.

Eurocrime! The Italian Cop and Gangster Films That Ruled the ’70s comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 34.8 GB

Feature: 28.6 GB

Audio: 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono Italian), 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. The English audio track has some moments where English audio was never recorded. Those parts are presented with Italian audio and subtitled in English. Both tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced, and ambient sounds are well-represented. That said, the Italian-language track sounds slightly fuller. Included are English subtitles for the Italian language track and English SDH subtitles for the English language track. It should be noted that subtitles can only be chosen via the audio setup menu, and they cannot be turned off while watching the main feature.

Extras:

Extras for Emergency Squad include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Italian with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with actor Ray Lovelock (6 minutes 14 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with non-removable English subtitles), an archival interview with actor titled Tomas’ Squad (13 minutes 36 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with director Stelvio Massi titled The Last Round (8 minutes 50 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with non-removable English subtitles), an interview with cinematographer Sergio Rubini titled Cinematographers in Arms (22 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with Danilo Massi titled Stelvio Shoots First! (17 minutes 20 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), and an audio commentary with film historians Eugenio Ercolani, Nathaniel Thompson, and Troy Howarth.

Other extras include reversible cover art, a slip cover (limited to 1,500 units), and a 36-page booklet (limited to 1,500 units) with cast & crew information, an essay titled Contextualizing ‘Emergency Squad’ written by Eugenio Ercoliani, an essay titled From Hero to Villain: Tomas Millian and the Poliziesco written by Troy Howarth, My 2026 ‘State of the Eurocrime Union’ Address written by Mike Malloy, and information about the transfer.

Included on a second Blu-ray disc is the documentary Eurocrime! The Italian Cop and Gangster Films That Ruled the ’70s (126 minutes 54 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English and Italian with burnt-in English subtitles for Italian). Extras for Eurocrime! The Italian Cop and Gangster Films That Ruled the '70s includes an interview with Tomas Milian from 2012 (14 minutes 58 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), deleted scenes and trims (6 minutes 43 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English and Italian with burnt-in English subtitles for Italian), and Yankee Doodle Tanzi: Some Outtakes on Ethnicity and Nationality (4 minutes 32 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English and Italian with burnt-in English subtitles for Italian).

Eurocrime! The Italian Cop and Gangster Films That Ruled the ’70s: Italian cinema from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s was known for its cycles. These genre cycles often originated when there was a Hollywood file that was hugely successful at the box office and from there the Italians would make clones of these Hollywood files that they were liberally borrowing from.

After the decline of the spaghetti western genre, which is arguably the most successful genre when it comes to how well it performs here in the USA, the homegrown action scene looked like it had all but run its course in Italy. Outside, a few scattered action files involving crime and the police. The bulk of action cinema coming from this era was a more toned-down version of spaghetti western that exchanged humor for violence. Fortunately, there were better days just around the corner.

In the early part of the 1970s, a new kind of action file emerged in Italian cinema and these files are often referred to as Poliziotteschi files. And though the original inspiration for this genre can be linked back to such Hollywood films as Dirty Harry and The Godfather. These firms often drew from real-life events that were unfolding in Italy then. A few of the subjects that these firms explored include underworld crime, police corruption, terrorism, and kidnapping. And unlike their spaghetti western counterparts, there was an added level of realism when it came to the depiction of violence.

Content-wise, this documentary divides its content into several subsections, which cover the origins of Italian cinema being inspired by Hollywood films, the decline of the spaghetti western genre, how films were often shot on the cheap and quickly, car chases and how dedicated the stuntmen in Italian cinema were, dubbing, this genre’s unflinching depiction of violence, especially the brutality towards most women in these films, these genres' lasting legacy and so much more.

Ultimately, Euro crime! The Italian Cop and Gangster Files That Ruled the '70s is a first-rate documentary that tells the story of the Poliziotteschi file, and to guide us on this journey are a variety of contributors who helped shape this genre, which includes actors, directors, and stuntmen.

Summary: 

Stelvio Massi directed Emergency Squad. He’s most known for his work within the poliziotteschi genre. Notable films that he directed are Five Women for the Killer, Cross Shot, The Last Round, Highway Racer, and Convoy Busters.

A group of robbers led by a man named Marseilles pull off a daring heist in broad daylight. Assigned to the case is Interpol agent Ravelli, whose wife was murdered in cold blood by this man in Marseilles a few years before. Ravelli has a nasty habit of never bringing in suspects alive, and the tension builds between Marseilles and his gang as Ravelli closes in on them. Can Ravelli play it from the books this time, or will he become the judge, jury, and executioner as he serves up justice the only way he knows how?

Although Judas Kills on Fridays is technically Stelvio Massi’s directorial debut, his next film, Emergency Squad, is where he found his spot as a filmmaker. After Emergency Squad, all but one of Stelvio Massi’s films for the remainder of the 1970s would be in the Poliziotteschi genre. For Emergency Squad, Stelvio Massi would team up with Tomas Milan (Almost Human), one of Poliziotteschi's most recognizable faces, for the first of their two collaborations.

Poliziotteschi are known for their explosive opening sequences, and Emergency Squad features an elaborate heist in broad daylight. Four criminals masquerading as a film crew surround a car transporting a large sum of money. Things go sideways when one of them kills a cop, and they are forced to change their plans. Not only does this opening setup do an excellent job establishing the criminals and the lengths they will go to, it fully fleshes out Tomas Ravelli, an Interpol agent with a vendetta against one of them.

The cast is anchored by an exemplary performance from Tomas Milian (The Tough Ones), who portrays Tomas Ravelli. His character is solely focused on exacting justice against the man who murdered his wife. Another performance of note is Gastone Moschin (Milano Calibro 9) in the role of The Marseillaise, a ruthless criminal mastermind. Other cast members of note are Ray Lovelock (Let Sleeping Corpses Lie) in the role of the criminals' getaway driver and Stefania Casini (Suspiria) in the role of The Marseillaise’s ditzy girlfriend.

The narrative is very effective at creating tense moments and building upon them. There are no issues with pacing as the narrative builds momentum to a justice-served finale where Tomas Ravelli gets his man. Another strength of the narrative is its use of flashbacks to flesh out Tomas Ravelli’s backstory. Not to be overlooked when discussing Emergency Squad is Stelvio Cipriani's (What Have They Done to Your Daughters?) outstanding score, which perfectly accentuates the mood. Ultimately, what sets Emergency Squad apart from most Poliziotteschi is how Stelvio Massi and Tomas Milian approach the material.

Emergency Squad receives an outstanding release from Cauldron Films, featuring a robust audio and video presentation, along with a plethora of informative extras. Noteworthy among these is the documentary Eurocrime! The Italian Cop and Gangster Films That Ruled the ’70s. Highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Journey to Japan: The Kyoto Connection – Discotek Media (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 1973
Director: Sadao Nakajima
Writers: Takeo Kaneko, Sadao Nakajima
Cast: Christina Lindberg, Ichirô Araki, Gō Awazu, Yurie Hidaka, Takuzô Kawatani, Masataka Iwao, Masaharu Arikawa

Release Date: August 25th, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 72 Minutes 43 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $24.95

"Fed up with work, women, and the wider world around him, a young cabbie spends his nights scheming to go out in a blaze of glory! But those plans change when a bodacious Swedish babe mistakenly hops into his cab! After realizing she can’t speak a lick of Japanese, he traps her in his ramshackle apartment and indulges in his darkest desires… However, it’s not long before a few cops, criminals, and cretins all come knocking in search of the cabbie’s new companion…." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4/5

Journey to Japan: The Kyoto Connection comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 15.2 GB

Feature: 14.5 GB

No information is provided about the source used for this transfer. That said, the source is in good shape, and any source debris is minimal. Flesh tones and colors look correct, the image looks crisp, black levels are strong, and there are no issues with compression.

Audio: 4/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Japanese with removable English subtitles. There is some dialogue in Swedish. The audio sounds clean, clear, and balanced.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 19 seconds, LPCM mono Japanese with removable English subtitles) and a slipcover (limited to the first pressing).

Summary:

Sadao Nakajima directed Journey to Japan: The Kyoto Connection. He’s known for Aesthetics of a Bullet, Tokyo-Seoul-Bangkok, Jeans Blues: No Future, The Rapacious Jailbreaker, The Great Okinawa Yakuza War, and the Japanese Godfather Trilogy.

A socially awkward loner kidnaps a Swedish tourist, and over time, they develop an unusual bond.

Where Nikkatsu made its own brand of erotic films called romantic pornography films, Toei’s erotic films fall into two main categories: Ero Guro and Pinky Violence. Toei’s Journey to Japan: The Kyoto Connection is an odd film that never fully falls into any of these categories. That said, the result is a film that more than any Toei film resembles Nikkatsu’s brand of erotica.

While the opening setup does spend some time introducing the main characters—an unnamed loner who works as a cab driver and Ingrid, a Swedish tourist—there is not much exposition after this initial introduction. Once Ingrid is held captive at the loner’s home, she spends all of her time bound and gagged before making an escape. From there, she ends up at a nightclub where she meets a group of deviants who take advantage of her. Later on, distraught, Ingrid crosses paths with the loner cab driver, who takes her back to her home. Over time, Ingrid forms a Stockholm syndrome bond with her captor.

When compared to other Japanese erotic films of the 1970s, Journey to Japan: The Kyoto Connection lacks inventiveness when it comes to the sex scenes. The main draw of Journey to Japan: The Kyoto Connection is Christina Lindberg (Thriller: A Cruel Picture) in the role of Ingrid, a woman who’s unknowingly being used as a drug courier. Although her character does speak, she once again delivers a role that relies more on emotion and physical presence. Journey to Japan: The Kyoto Connection is one of the two films that Christina Lindberg made in Japan; the other is Sex & Fury. Ultimately, Journey to Japan: The Kyoto Connection is a by-the-numbers exploitation film that would have been forgotten without Christina Lindberg's involvement.

Journey to Japan: The Kyoto Connection gets a strong audio/video presentation from Discotek Media.

Written by Michael Den Boer