Doberman Cop – Arrow Video (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 1977
Director: Kinji Fukasaku
Writer: Kôji Takada
Adapted From: manga series Doberman Deka written by Buronson
Cast: Sonny Chiba, Hiroki Matsukata, Janet Yata, Eiko Matsuda, Seizo Fukumoto

Release Date: June 26th, 2017 (UK), June 7th, 2017 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 90 Minutes 2 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 15 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A,B (Blu-ray), Region 1,2 NTSC (DVD)
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK), $39.95 (USA)

"Doberman Cop follows the fish-out-of-water adventures of Joji Kano (Chiba), a tough-as-nails police officer from Okinawa who arrives in Tokyo’s Kabuki-cho nightlife district to investigate the savage murder and mutilation of an island girl who had been working as a prostitute. Initially dismissed as a country bumpkin (complete with straw hat and live pig in tow!), Kano soon proves himself a more savvy detective than the local cops, and a tougher customer than anyone expected. As he probes deeper into the sleazy world of flesh-peddling, talent agency corruption and mob influence, Kano uncovers the shocking truth about the girl, her connection to a yakuza-turned-music manager (Hiroki Matsukata), and a savage serial killer who is burning women alive." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.75

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "The film was remastered in high definition and supplied for this release by Toei Company, Ltd."

Doberman Cop comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 32 GB

Feature: 20.9 GB

The HD transfer used for this release was created from original preservation elements that were supplied by Toei. Though the source is clean, it looks dated. Colors fare well, the image generally looks crisp, black levels are adequate, and any compression issues are minor.

Audio: 4/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Japanese and removable English subtitles have been included with this release. The audio sounds are clean, clear, and balanced throughout. Range-wise, the more ambient aspects of the soundtrack are well represented, and when it comes to the film’s score, it sounds appropriately robust.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 15 seconds, LPCM mono Japanese with English removable subtitles), an interview with Fukasaku biographer Sadao Yamane titled Beyond the Film: Doberman Cop (8 minutes 54 seconds, LPCM stereo Japanese with English removable subtitles), an interview with screenwriter Koji Takada titled Koji Takada: Cops, Pigs and Karate (17 minutes 55 seconds, LPCM stereo Japanese with English removable subtitles) and an interview with actor Shinichi “Sonny” Chiba titled Sonny Chiba: A Life in Action, Part 2 (17 minutes 53 seconds, LPCM stereo Japanese with English removable subtitles), reversible cover art and a thirty-two-page booklet (limited to the first pressing) with cast & crew information, an essay titled Doberman Days: Kinji Fukasaku, Sonny Chiba, and the Twilight of Toei Exploitation written by Patrick Macias , an essay titled Video Killed the Manga Star: Resurrecting the Doberman Cop written by Tom Mes and information about the transfer.

Included with this release is a DVD that has the same content as the Blu-Ray included as part of this combo.

Summary:

Doberman Cop is yet another classic collaboration between Sonny Chiba and director Kinji Fukasaku. Sonny Chiba’s character, Jiro, is like a fish out of water as his rural upbringing clashes with the way big city folks do things. When Jiro transports a pig in a sack, it is clear that this is not your typical Yakuza film. The pig seems to pop up throughout Doberman at the most opportune times, like when Jiro goes to a strip and when the pig won’t stop squealing, the stripper dancing on the stage asks Jiro to let the pig loose on the stage. What follows is even more bizarre as the crowd helps rip off his clothes as the stripper mounts Jiro as she performs a live sex act for her audience.

The action is more in the style of a bar brawler than that of an expert martial artist. It is the rawness of the fighting choreography that helps sell the ruff and simple character of Jiro, who is given in one scene a 44 Magnum, which is a gun that is a trademark of another renegade cop who doesn’t play by the rules named Dirty Harry. Like many of Kenji Fukasaku's films from this period, Doberman Cop deals with abuse of power, this time in the form of police brutality.

To make the action feel more authentic during action sequences, Doberman often employs the use of a hand-held camera, giving Doberman a documentary look and feel. Another major theme that runs through it is the loss of innocence. As Miki has gone so far, she can never return to the past she left behind and how the big city has forever changed Jiro’s view of the world. Ultimately, Doberman Cop is one of Sonny Chiba and Kinji Fukasaku’s most unusual collaborations.

Doberman Cop gets a first-rate release from Arrow Video that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and a trio of informative interviews, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer