The Protector: Limited Edition – 88 Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong/USA, 1985
Director: James Glickenhaus
Writers: James Glickenhaus, King Sang Tang
Cast: Jackie Chan, Danny Aiello, Sandy Alexander, Victor Arnold, Kim Bass, Irene Britto, Jesse Cameron-Glickenhaus, Al Cerullo, Roy Chiao, Moon Lee

Release Date: November 18th, 2019
Approximate running times: 92 Minutes 9 Seconds (U.S. Cut), 95 Minutes 23 Seconds (Hong Kong Cut)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (U.S. Cut), 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC / Standard Definition Source (Hong Kong Cut)
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 English, LPCM Stereo English (U.S. Cut), Dolby Digital Mono Cantonese (Hong Kong Cut)
Subtitles: English SDH (U.S. Cut), English (Hong Kong Cut)
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: OOP

"After the kidnapping of a wealthy businessman's daughter, maverick New York City cops Billy Wong (Jackie Chan) and Danny Garoni (Danny Aiello) are sent to garner leads in Hong Kong, but the pair find themselves beset by the local police and crime boss, Harold Ko (Roy Chiao) who will stop at nothing in ensuring the continuity of his drug empire.” – Synopsis provided by the Distributor

Video: 3.75/5 (U.S. Cut), 3/5 (Hong Kong Cut)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "Brand New 2K Remaster of the Original USA Release Version."

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

Disc Size: 44.9 GB

Feature: 22.1 GB (U.S. Cut), 10 GB (Hong Kong Cut)

Though the source used for the U.S. cut is in great shape, it is a marked improvement over this film’s previous home video releases. There is room for improvement. Sometimes image clarity and black levels are not as strong as they could be. Also, though colors and flesh tones fare well, there are times when they look slightly off. That said, compression is very good, and the image always looks organic.

The Hong Kong cut comes from a standard-definition source, and it obviously does not look as good as the U.S. cut. That said, the image generally looks crisp, the black levels are adequate, and there are no issues with compression.

Audio: 4.5/5 (LPCM Stereo English), 4.25/5 9DTS-HD 5.1 English), 3.75/5 (Dolby Digital Mono Cantonese)

The U.S. cut comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English and a LPCM stereo mix in English. Both of these tracks are in great shape. Dialogue comes through clearly; everything sounds balanced, and fight sequences sound appropriately robust. That said, I would give a slight edge to the stereo track over the DTS-HD 5.1 remix track. Included are removable English SDH subtitles.

The Hong Kong cut comes with one audio option, a Dolby Digital mono mix in Cantonese with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds clean and balanced. Range-wise, things sound very good.

Extras:

Extras for this release include Hong Kong theatrical trailer (3 minutes 52 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with burnt-in English subtitles), international theatrical trailer (3 minutes 56 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with English text), Japanese theatrical trailer (1 minute 20 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese, no subtitles), Japanese theatrical trailer (1 minute 20 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese, no subtitles), Japanese theatrical teaser (25 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese, no subtitles), Japanese end credits (3 minutes 47 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), a side-by-side comparison of the HK cut and the US cut of the film titled A Tale of 2 movies with Steve Lawson (18 minutes 9 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with cinematographer Mark Irwin titled Follow the Puck (33 minutes 43 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with director James Glickenhaus titled Hard Edge (24 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with filmmaker Arne Venema and Hong Kong film expert Mike Leeder for the U.S. cut, an audio commentary with Irish filmmaking maverick George Clarke and Mike Leeder for the Hong Kong cut, reversible cover art, a gloss o-card slipcase (limited to 3,000 copies), and a forty-four page booklet (limited to 3,000 copies) with an essay titled Jackie Chan: Western Style The Protector and the U.S. Rebranding of Jackie Chan written by Scott Harrison, and rare stills and lobby cards from The Protector.

Summary:

Directed by James Glickenhaus, who is most known for directing The Exterminator and The Soldier. When he was brought in to direct The Protector in the hope that this would be the film that made Jackie Chan a star in the U.S., after three failed attempts

The narrative revolves around two New York cops who are given the task of rescuing a rich businessman’s daughter from a notorious crime boss who has her stashed somewhere in Hong Kong.

There are two versions of The Protector, though they share a lot of footage. They are distinctively different when it comes to pacing and tone. Director James Glickenhaus’ version has far too many moments that drag on longer than they should, which greatly affects pacing. Also, his vision of The Protector goes against everything that one would expect from a Jackie Chan film. Then there is Jackie Chan’s preferred version, known as the Hong Kong cut. This version features characters and full sequences that are not in James Glickenhaus’ version. Also, though these scenes are more in line with Jackie Chan’s strengths, unfortunately, most of these new scenes add little to the overall arc of the narrative. That said, both versions have their strengths and flaws.

The main attraction of The Protector is Jackie Chan (Wheels on Meals) in the role of a police officer named Billy Wong. This character is unlike any that Jackie Chan had portrayed up to that point in his career. Notably, when it comes to his character's use of a firearm and overuse of profanity, he delivers a good performance, but this is not one of Jackie Chan’s stronger performances.

The rest of the cast ranges from serviceable to good. With the only performance of note besides Jackie Chan being Danny Aiello (Do the Right Thing) in the role of Billy Wong’s partner, a police officer named Danny Garoni. Though Jackie Chan and Danny Aiello make an odd pairing, their characters more than fulfill the buddy cop stereotypes.

From its opening moments, The Protector does not feel like a Jackie Chan film. Also, outside of a few well-executed scenes, most of the action set pieces are fairly pedestrian by Jackie Chan’s standards. The most memorable action set piece is the scene where Billy Wong starts a chase on a motorcycle, then continues the chase on foot by jumping from one boat to another. Ultimately, The Protector is a tale of two versions, both of which have their flaws.

The Protector gets a first-rate release from 88 Films that comes with a strong audio/video presentation, two versions of the film, and informative extras, recommended.

Note: 88 Films has rereleased The Protector in a standard edition.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Five Women for the Killer – Vinegar Syndrome (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1974
Director: Stelvio Massi
Writers: Gianfranco Clerici, Roberto Gianviti, Vincenzo Mannino
Cast: Francis Matthews, Pascale Rivault, Giorgio Albertazzi, Howard Ross, Katia Christine, Catherine Diamant, Gabriella Lepori, Maria Cumani Quasimodo, Carla Mancini

Release Date: April 25th, 2023
Approximate running time: 100 Minute
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Aspect ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $42.98

"Giorgio Pisani, a journalist, has just returned from an international assignment only to discover that, in his absence, his wife has died during childbirth. However, a seemingly unavoidable tragedy takes an unexpectedly sinister turn when Lydia Franzi, his wife's doctor, reveals that Giorgio is sterile and therefore couldn't have fathered his wife's child. Soon after learning this terrible news, a mysterious, black-clad killer begins stalking the city, viciously murdering pregnant women who were in the same maternity clinic as Giorgio's deceased wife. Could Giorgio, in a fit of guilt-ridden madness, be responsible for these horrendous crimes, or is he an unwitting participant in the sinister plan of an even more wicked culprit?" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "Newly scanned & restored in 4K from a 35mm archival positive."

Five Women for the Killer comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 46.1 GB

Feature: 27.4 GB

Outside of the opening credits and a few minor moments with source-related damage, the bulk of the transfer looks great. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, the image looks crisp, and black levels generally look strong, outside of a few moments where they are not as convincing. Also, compression is solid, and the image always looks organic.

Audio: 4.25/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian with removable English subtitles. There are no issues with background hiss or distortion; dialog always comes through clearly; everything sounds balanced; and range-wise, things sound very good.

Extras:

Extras for this release include gore inserts from the re-edited version of Five Women for the Killer (1 minute 12 seconds, Dolby Digital Italian, no subtitles), a portrait piece on Stelvio Massi with friend and fellow director/cinematographer Roberto Girometti titled Cinematographers in Arms (13 minutes 29 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with director/film historian Luigi Cozzi on Five Women for the Killer and the evolution of the Giallo film titled Five Women for a Giallo (21 minutes 42 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), a portrait piece on Stelvio Massi with actor Luc Merenda titled Working with Stelvio (13 minutes 24 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with filmmaker Danilo Massi, son and frequent collaborator of director Stelvio Massi tilted The Massi Touch (24 minutes 57 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with actor Renato Rossini titled  My Name is Howard (20 minutes 11 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary track with film historians Eugenio Ercolani and Troy Howarth, reversible cover art, and a spot gloss slipcover (limited to 6,000 copies).

Summary:

Director Stelvio Massi is most known for his work within the Poliziotteschi genre. Five Women for the Killer is the first of two Gialli directed by Stelvio Massi, the other being Arabella Black Angel. That said, despite Five Women for the Killer having all of the elements that one expects from the Giallo genre, the result is something that at times straddles the Poliziotteschi genre in the same way that What Have They Done to Your Daughters? did.

The narrative revolves around a killer who targets pregnant women. And though there are an ample number of red herrings offered up, it becomes clear who the killer is long before their moment of revelation. That said, there is a well-played twist that follows the killer's reveal.

Gialli is known for having casts with recognizable faces, often from other countries, for the international market. A film like Five Women for the Killer is an example of a giallo that goes with a cast that is predominantly made up of second- and third-tier actors. The most notable cast members are Francis Matthews (Dracula: Prince of Darkness) in the role of Giorgio Pisani, a journalist whose wife died during childbirth, and Howard Ross (The New York Ripper) in the role of a police commissioner. In the case of the latter, he has been cast in a role that is the polar opposite of the type of role he’s known for. The performances are best described as adequate.

Though Five Women for the Killer is a film that takes full advantage of its resources, it suffers from a slow-moving narrative that is further hampered by brief kill scenes that lack the style one has come to expect from the Giallo genre. Though there is an ample amount of blood in the kills, the carnage is mostly shown after the fact once the police arrive on scene. That said, Five Women for the Killer features a solid score from Giorgio Gaslini, whose notable credits include Night of the Devils, The Five Days, and Deep Red. Ultimately, Five Women for the Killer is a mid-tier Giallo that has an ample amount of sleaze.

Five Women for the Killer gets a solid release from Vinegar Syndrome that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and a wealth of informative extras about director Stelvio Massi, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Sick of Myself – Vinegar Syndrome Pictures (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Norway/Sweden/Denmark/France, 2022
Director: Kristoffer Borgli
Writer: Kristoffer Borgli
Cast: Kristine Kujath Thorp, Eirik Sæther, Fanny Vaager, Sarah Francesca Brænne, Fredrik Stenberg Ditlev-Simonsen, Steinar Klouman Hallert

Release Date: May 26th, 2023
Approximate running time: 97 Minutes 16 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Aspect ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 Norwegian, DTS-HD Stereo Norwegian
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $42.98

"Signe and Thomas are young lovers in an increasingly competitive, and dangerous, relationship. As Thomas's success as a contemporary artist grows, building sculptures from stolen goods, Signe concocts a plan to get all eyes in Oslo on her instead, only it involves grotesquely altering her appearance and body chemistry in the process." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "Originally shot on 35mm."

Sick of Myself comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.6 GB

Feature: 29.2 GB

The source used for this transfer looks excellent. Flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity, black levels and compression are solid.

Audio: 4.5/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 Norwegian, DTS-HD Stereo Norwegian)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in Norwegian and a DTS-HD stereo mix in Norwegian. Both tracks sound clear and balanced. Though this is a dialog-driven film, ambient sounds are well represented. Included are removable English subtitles.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (1 minute 55 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Norwegian with non-removable English subtitles), a video essay by Samm Deighan titled Abject Bodies in Transgressive Arthouse Cinema (15 minutes 41 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English SDH subtitles), a short film directed by Kristoffer Borgli titled Eer (8 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English SDH subtitles), an interview with prosthetic makeup artist Izzi Galindo titled Living Sculptures (18 minutes 9 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English SDH subtitles), an interview with actor Eirik Sæther titled A Skewed View (15 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English SDH subtitles), an interview with actress Kristine Kujath Thorp titled So, So, So Toxic (19 minutes 1 second, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English SDH subtitles), an interview with director Kristoffer Borgli titled Negative Impulses (22 minutes 18 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English SDH subtitles), an audio commentary with Kristoffer Borgli, reversible cover art, a deluxe package features a hardbox that holds a slipcover, and a sixteen page booklet with an essay written by Sabina Stent.

Summary:

Sick of Myself is a biting satire that delves into the modern obsession with adoration and how social media has been a driving force behind this phenomenon. It explores the narcissism that drives this phenomenon and the depths one would go to be adored.

The narrative revolves around a couple: an artist named Thomas and his girlfriend Signe. Neither of these characters tolerates not being the focal point of attention, even more so when it comes to Signe, who is tired of being overshadowed by the attention Thomas is getting because of his art. She deliberately takes pills that she knows are harmful; they cause a skin disease.

Sick of Myself is all about its characters, and from its opening moments, it does a superb job letting them shine. And when it comes to the performances, the cast is all very good in their roles. With the two leads, Kristine Kujath Thorp in the role of Signe and Eirik Sther in the role of Thomas, delivering phenomenal performances in which they fully immerse themselves into character.

That said, despite being filled with unlikable characters, this never works against Sick of Myself. And though the premise on its surface sounds crazy, when viewed through the lens of the world we now live in, it's easy to believe that such a premise is utterly tangible. When it comes to Signe’s self-loathing and her self-mutilation, these are two areas where Sick of Myself excels the most. She becomes part of victim culture despite being the perpetrator. Ultimately, Sick of Myself is a brilliant dissection of individuals who crave being the center of attention.

Sick of Myself gets an exceptional release from Vinegar Syndrome Pictures that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and a wealth of insightful extras, highly recommended.

Note: This release is limited to 3,000 units.

 Written by Michael Den Boer

The Hourglass Sanatorium – Yellow Veil Pictures (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Poland, 1973
Director: Wojciech Has
Writers: Wojciech Has, Bruno Schulz
Cast: Jan Nowicki, Tadeusz Kondrat, Irena Orska, Halina Kowalska, Gustaw Holoubek

Release Date: April 25th, 2023
Approximate running time: 124 Minutes 24 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Aspect ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Polish, Dolby Digital Mono Polish
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $39.98

"Józef visits his dying father at a remote mental institutions, where time itself doesn’t seem to exist, and the line between dreams and memories become indistinguishable." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

The Hourglass Sanatorium comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 33.8 GB

Feature: 23 GB

Though no information is provided about the source used for this transfer, at the end of the film, there is a 2011 copyright, which suggests that this is the same master used for the UK and Polish Blu-ray releases. That said, the source used is in great shape; colors and flesh tones look correct; image clarity and black levels are solid; and compression is very good.

Audio: 5/5 (DTS-HD Mono Polish), 3.5/5 (Dolby Digital Mono Polish)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Polish and a Dolby Digital mono mix in Polish. The DTS-HD track is a vastly superior audio track. Range- and clarity-wise, the DTS-HD audio track sounds amazing. Sound plays a large role in The Hourglass Sanatorium, and the DTS-HD audio track does an amazing job with the nuances of this film's soundscape. Included are removable English subtitles.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an Introduction Notes on The Hourglass Sanatorium by Annette Insdorf, Film Professor at Columbia University, and author of books including Intimations: The Cinema of Wojciech Has (6 minutes 52 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Post Screening Notes on The Hourglass Sanatorium by Annette Insdorf (9 minutes 57 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with film critic Sebastian Smoliński who discusses The Hourglass Sanatorium (20 minutes 3 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), reversible cover art, a spot gloss slipcover (limited to 2,000 copies), and a twenty-four page booklet with an essay titled Sanatorium: From Bruno Schultz to Wojciech Has written by Annette Insdorf, and an essay titled The Dreamer is Still Asleep: Living Memory in Wojciech Has’s The Hourglass Sanatorium written by Samm Deighan.

Summary:

Though the screenplay for The Hourglass Sanatorium was primarily adapted from Bruno Schulz’s story collection Sanatorium under the Sign of the Hourglass, it is not a literal adaptation, and the film also adapts stories also written by Bruno Schultz into its narrative. Also, there is a clear foreshadowing of the Holocaust throughout Shultz’s literature, and it is in this regard that this film remains the most faithful to its source.

The narrative revolves around a young man visiting his dying father at a sanatorium where time unfolds in unpredictable ways and just around every corner lie memories that have languished far too long in the past.

To say that The Hourglass Sanatorium’s narrative is challenging would be a gross overstatement. In fact, there are so many layers to The Hourglass Sanatorium that trying to understand them all with one viewer would be a futile affair. Needless to say, this is the type of film that takes several viewings to fully appreciate all it has to offer. As mentioned before, the narrative is far from conventional, and it feels as though a series of random moments have been strung together. When examined by themselves, these individual moments lack the same potency they possess when viewed within the parameters of the story at hand.

Through his journey, the protagonist meets a nurse and doctor who run the dilapidated sanatorium where his father is being taken care of. Other characters he meets include a childhood friend whose stamp book ignites long-forgotten memories and a wax museum filled with realistic mannequins located on land in the wilderness. More characters he meets include voluptuous women with great appetites, rabbis who do a song and dance, and several visits from his recently departed father.

When it comes to the look of The Hourglass Sanatorium's visuals and production design, one would be hard pressed to find any flaws in them. The combination of these two elements ensures that there is never a shortage of atmosphere, and not to be overlooked is Jerzy Maksymiuk’s evocative score. And when it comes to the performances, the entire cast is great in their respective roles, especially Jan Nowicki in the role of Józef, the protagonist. His utterly convincing performance does a remarkable job of conveying a wide range of emotions. Ultimately, The Hourglass Sanatorium is an extraordinary piece of filmmaking that connects with you on an emotional level and lingers in your mind long after its final haunting image.

Yellow Veil Pictures gives The Hourglass Sanatorium its best home video release to date, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Ricco the Mean Machine – Dark Sky Films (DVD)

Theatrical Release Date: Spain/Italy, 1973
Director: Tulio Demicheli
Writers: José Gutiérrez Maesso, Santiago Moncada, Mario di Nardo
Cast: Christopher Mitchum, Barbara Bouchet, Malisa Longo, Eduardo Fajardo, Manuel Zarzo, José María Caffarel, Ángel Álvarez, Arthur Kennedy, Paola Senatore, Luis Induni

Release Date: January 29th, 2008
Approximate Running Time: 93 Minutes 33 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region 1 NTSC
Retail Price: OOP

"When Ricco Aversi (Christopher Mitchum, Rio Lobo, American Commandos) returns home after a two-year prison stint, he finds his father murdered and the family business taken over by Don Vito (Arthur Kennedy, Elmer Gantry), a sadistic mob boss with a propensity for turning his enemies into soap. When Ricco tries to save his super-sexy paramour Rosa (Malisa Longo, Black Emanuelle, White Emanuelle) from Don Vito's control, his wheelchair-bound mother and sister are brutally murdered by Don’s minions. Ricco joins forces with Rosa's dangerously-gorgeous cousin, Scilla, (Barbara Bouchet, Don’t Torture a Duckling, Casino Royale) to mete out his bloody vengeance upon Don Vito and his gang." – Synopsis provided by the Distributor

Video: 1.5/5

Ricco the Mean Machine comes of a single layer DVD.

Disc Size: 4.2 GB

Though the source used for this transfer is in very good shape, colors and flesh tones look correct, and details generally look crisp. That said, black levels are mediocre, and there are compression and macroblocking issues that are especially noticeable in dark scenes.

Audio: 3.25/5

This release comes with one option, Dolby Digital mono English, and included with this release are removable English SDH subtitles. There are no issues with background hiss; dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced.

Extras:

Extras for this release include, a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 25 seconds, letterboxed widescreen, Dolby Digital mono Italian with non-removable English subtitles) and an interview with actor Christopher Mitchum titled Mitchum The Mean Machine (18 minutes 14 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles).

Summary:

Ricco the Mean Machine was directed by Tulio Demicheli, whose other notable films include Espionage in Lisbon, Assignment Terror, Sabata the Killer, and The Two Faces of Fear.

Ricco the Mean Machine is a violent crime film that opens with a shootout that ends with a headshot. The narrative revolves around a reluctant avenger named Ricco who’s looking for a normal life, and everyone around him nudges him towards avenging his murdered father. That said, Ricco the Mean Machine has many elements that have become synonymous with Italian crime cinema. There’s also some spaghetti western influence, most notably when it comes to the Ricco character and his journey.

Ricco the Mean Machine has a solid cast, and the performances are very good. Christopher Mitchum (Murder in a Blue World) more than holds his own in the role of Ricco. Other notable cast members include Arthur Kennedy (The Tough Ones) in the role of Don Vito, Malisa Longo (Salon Kitty) in the role of Rosa, Ricco's ex-girlfriend who’s now Don Vito’s woman, and Barbara Bouchet (Cry of a Prostitute) in the role of Scilla, Rosa’s cousin and Ricco’s new love interest.

From a production standpoint, Ricco the Mean Machine is a down-and-dirty exploitation film that has an ample amount of carnage and T&A. Standout moments include a scene where Scilla performs a striptease in the fog where she straddles a car with two of Don Vito’s men inside and a scene where one of Don Vito’s bodyguards who betrayed him gets his dick and balls cut off, shoved in his mouth, and then thrown into a vat of acid. Ultimately, Ricco the Mean Machine is a perfect mix of action and exploitation.

This release transfer is one of the worst that I have seen from a boutique label. It is the quality that one would expect from a budget DVD label that crams multiple films on one DVD. Ricco the Mean Machine is a solid film that’s begging for a better release.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Branded to Kill – The Criterion Collection (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 1967
Director: Seijun Suzuki
Writers: Hachiro Guryu, Takeo Kimura, Chusei Sone, Atsushi Yamatoya
Cast: Jo Shishido, Koji Nambara, Annu Mari, Mariko Ogawa, Isao Tamagawa

Release Date: May 9th, 2023
Approximate Running Time: 91 Minutes 54 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265
Rating: NR
Sound: LPCM Mono Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region A (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: $49.95

"Branded to Kill (Koroshi no rakuin) tells the ecstatically bent story of a yakuza assassin with a fetish for sniffing steamed rice (the chipmunk-cheeked superstar Joe Shishido) who botches a job and ends up a target himself." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD), 4.5/5 (Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "This new 4K restoration was undertaken by Nikkatsu Corporation and the Japan Foundation from the 35mm original camera negative at Imagica Entertainment Media Services, Inc."

Branded to Kill comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 55.9 GB

Feature: 54.9 GB

The source used for this transfer looks amazing. Though there is no HDR10 or Dolby Vision, image clarity, contrast, and shadow detail look exceptional. Also, compression is solid, and the image always looks organic.

Branded to Kill comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 34.9 GB

Feature: 24.8 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 5/5 (LPCM Mono Japanese)

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Japanese with removable English subtitles. This is in great shape; there are no issues with distortion or background hiss. Dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. Range-wise, this audio track often exceeds expectations; ambient sounds are well  represented, and the score sounds robust.

Extras:

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 10 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with director Seijun Suzuki from 1997 (14 minutes 6 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with non-removable English subtitles), an archival interview with actor Joe Shishido from 2011 (10 minutes 57 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), and an archival interview with Seijun Suzuki and assistant director Masami Kuzuu from 2011 (12 minutes 10 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles).

Other extras include a twelve page booklet with an essay titled Reductio Ad Absurdum: Seijun Suzuki’s Branded to Kill written by Tony Rayns, cast & crew information, and information about the transfer.

Summary:

In 1967, prolific director Seijun Suzuki directed Branded to Kill, a modern-day samurai tale set in a world where everyone is crazy. Just like Jean-Pierre Meville’s masterful Le Samourai, released the same year as Branded to Kill, both films explore surreal landscapes within the crime thriller genre. Though Branded to Kill is the simple story of a Yakuza hitman, in the hands of an auteur like Seijun Suzuki, whose style is so fragmented and whose strange compositions, mixed with his odd editing of scenes, only confused the Nikkatsu studio bosses, After they saw Branded to Kill, they fired director Suzuki for making ‘incomprehensible’ films. In turn, Seijun Suzuki successfully sued Nikkatsu for financial compensation, though his actions resulted in him being blacklisted by the entire film industry.

For many viewers, the first thing about Branded to Kill that immediately grabs them is its nontraditional narrative, which often verges into the surreal. With this being said, it is not as hard to digest the story at hand, especially once you embrace its colorful cast of characters. Also, it is the journey of Branded to Kill’s lead character, Hanada, that resonates the most. Though he is a hitman, his ambitions to be at the top of his field have a universal feel to them that most viewers should identify with. After all, how many people are truly satisfied with their lives? It is human nature to strive for something better than what we have.

And while the outer shell of Branded to Kill’s narrative has many elements that one would associate with the Yakuza film genre, these are nothing more than window dressing that is used to further Seijun Suzuki’s agenda to create something that audiences would find entertaining. In fact, one could easily argue that Branded to Kill is a ‘tongue and cheek’ satire of the Yakuza film genre. There are also moments in which Branded to Kill pokes fun at spy films like the James Bond films, which were also at the height of their popularity at the time Branded to Kill was unleashed on unsuspecting audiences.

From a visual standpoint, Branded to Kill is Seijun Suzuki's tour de force. Some of the choice moments include the scene in which Hanada meets his mistress for the first time on a rainy night (this scene is intercut with a sexual encounter that Hanada has with his wife, which includes sex on a spiral staircase), the scene in which a now wounded Hanada shows up at his mistress place that is covered with wall-to-wall butterflies, and a shootout on a peer, in which Hanada immerges from the water to surprise his assassins.

Performance-wise, none of the cast members disappoint. Branded to Kill is anchored by Jo Shishido (Youth of the Beast) as a hit man who gets aroused when he sniffs rice. Other notable performances include Mariko Ogawa in her one and only film role as Hanada’s wife and Annu Mari (Mini Skirt Lynchers) in the role of Hanada’s mistress.

Ultimately, Branded to Kill is an extraordinary film that was made by a filmmaker who was light years ahead of his contemporaries. And while many have tried to imitate it, none have been able to match its boldness and inventiveness. If ever there was a desert island film, that film would be Branded to Kill.

Branded to Kill gets a definitive release from The Criterion Collection, highly recommended.

                                                            4K UHD screenshots.

Written by Michael Den Boer