Violent Streets – Eureka Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 1974
Director: Hideo Gosha
Writers: Hideo Gosha, Masahiro Kakefuda, Nobuaki Nakajima
Cast: Noboru Andô, Akira Kobayashi, Isao Natsuyagi, Bunta Sugawara, Tetsurô Tanba, Asao Koike

Release Date: February 20th, 2023
Approximate Running Time: 95 Minutes 46 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 15 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £16.99 (UK)

"A former yakuza member, Egawa (Noboru Andô) is now a brooding world-weary nightclub owner. Some of his former associates are released from prison and want to regain a foothold in the criminal underworld by igniting a gang war between the local yakuza, and an out-of-town clan led by veteran actor Tetsurō Tanba (Harakiri)." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "a 2K restoration of the original film elements."

Violent Streets comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 39 GB

Feature: 26.6 GB

Though the source used for this transfer has been cleaned up. The result is a transfer that is not without shortcomings. Notably, there appears to be some digital noise reduction, and sometimes black levels are not as convincing as they should be. That said, there are moments when the transfer looks great, but unfortunately most viewers are not going to be blown away by this transfer as a whole. Colors look correct, the image generally looks crisp, and compression is very good.

Audio: 4/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Japanese, and included are removable English subtitles. The audio sounds clean, clear, and balanced, and range-wise things are satisfactory.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 58 seconds, LPCM mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), an introduction to Violent Streets and the works of director Hideo Gosha by film critic Tony Rayns (37 minutes 10 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), a video essay by Jasper Sharp titled Fighting in the Streets (13 minutes 7 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), a slipcover (limited to 2000 copies), and a twenty-four page booklet (limited to 2,000 copies) with cast & crew information, an essay titled Rule Breaker: Hideo Gosha and Violent Streets written by Tom Mes, and information about the transfer titled Notes on Viewing.

Summary:

Violent Streets was directed by Hideo Gosha, a filmmaker best known for directing samurai films. His notable films include Goyokin, The Wolves, and Hunter in the Dark. Though Hideo Gosha had directed a trio of samurai films for Toei, Violent Streets was his first foray into the yakuza film genre, which Toei dominated in the 1970s.

The narrative revolves around a former yakuza named Egawa, whose past is colliding with his present. Though he has moved on from being a yakuza, he finds himself in the middle of a conflict between two rival yakuza clans.

Despite having all of the elements that are synonymous with 1970s yakuza cinema, the opening credits do not give you an idea of what is about to unfold. Fortunately, once all the main players are established, it is an intense ride that is overflowing with moments of brutality and an ample amount of sleaze.

The thing that grabs you while watching Violent Streets is just how many familiar faces populate its cast. The entire cast is superb in their roles, especially Noboru Andô (Graveyard of Honor) in the role of the protogast, a former yakuza named Egawa. He delivers a solid performance that propels the narrative forward.

The premise is well-executed, the narrative does a great job building tension, and a spectacular finale provides the perfect coda to the events that preceded. Also, though there are a few stylized violent set pieces, none standout more than the two sequences that take place in a chicken coop. That said, anyone expecting a film with the level of gravitas that Kinji Fukasaku's Battles Without Honor and Humanity films have might be disappointed by Violent Streets. Ultimately, Violent Streets is a straight-up exploitation film that is in line with most of Toei’s 1970s output.

Violent Streets gets a strong release from Eureka Video that comes with a good audio/video presentation and a trio of insightful extras, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer