Shanghai Joe – Cauldron Films (Blu-ray) 

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1973
Director: Mario Caiano
Writers: Mario Caiano, Fabrizio Trifone Trecca, Carlo Alberto Alfieri
Cast: Chen Lee (Myoshin Hayakawa), Klaus Kinski, Carla Romanelli, Gordon Mitchell, Katsutoshi Mikuriya, Robert Hundar, Giacomo Rossi Stuart, Carla Mancini

Release Date: May 16th, 2023
Approximate running time: 98 Minutes 4 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 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: $29.95

"Chin Hao (Chen Lee/Myoshin Hayakawa), arrives in America looking for a better life, only to be faced with locals that don't take kindly to outsiders. Much to their surprise, Chin is not your average drifter as he rips his way through racist bad guys with his unstoppable fighting techniques. After word of his skills spreads, he gets a job at a ranch only to find that the owner, Stanley Spencer, is a cattle smuggling slave trader who brutalizes Mexican farmers and anyone else who dares get in his way. Chin ramps up the violence as he stops at nothing to free the slaves and enact revenge on the sadistic Spencer." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "2K restoration from the negative."

Shanghai Joe comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 33.4 GB

Feature: 27.7 GB

The source used for this transfer is in great shape; any source imperfections have been cleaned up. Colors and flesh tones look correct, image clarity and black levels are strong, and compression is solid.

Audio: 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono Italian, 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. Both audio tracks are in great shape; there are no issues with distortion or background hiss. Dialog comes through clearly; everything sounds balanced and robust when it should. Included are English subtitles for the Italian language track and removable 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. Also, you cannot toggle between the two audio options while watching the main feature.

Extras:

Extras for this release include reversible cover art, an image gallery, a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 29 seconds, DTS-HD mono with Italian text, no subtitles), a video essay by film historian Eric Zaldivar titled East Meets West: Italian Style (19 minutes 45 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actor Katsutoshi Mikuriya titled Samurai Spirit (9 minutes 11 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), and an audio commentary with film historian Mike Hauss.

Extras not carried over from the limited edition release for this standard edition release include a poster, a slipcase, and a CD with Bruno Nicolai's score.

Summary:

Shanghai Joe was directed by Mario Caiano, a versatile director who worked in just about every genre that was popular in 1960s and 1970s Italian cinema. Notable films he directed include Bullets Don’t Argue, Nightmare Castle, Eye in the Labyrinth, Violent Milan, and Weapons of Death. Shanghai Joe’s score was composed by Bruno Nicolai (The Case of the Bloody Iris), who is best remembered for his collaborations with Ennio Morricone and Jess Franco.

The spaghetti western genre is one of Italian cinema’s weirdest genres. Its evolution from A Fistful of Dollars to comedy/action hybrids culminated in films that came full circle to where this genre started. There were also some other unusual sub-genres along the way, none crazier than the East Meets West spaghetti westerns. Case in point: a film like Shanghai Joe.

The narrative revolves around a Chinese immigrant who leaves San Francisco for the wide-open state of Texas. From there, what evolves is a fish out of water tale in which the protagonist is faced with a constant barrage of overt racism.

Spaghetti westerns are known for their cast, especially when it comes to casting a recognizable name in the role of the protagonist. Surprisingly, Shanghai Joe goes against the grain by casting Myoshin Hayakawa, aka Chen Lee, in the role of Shanghai Joe. Though his character is a man of few words, when it comes to fight scenes, he more than holds his own.

That said, when it comes to the rest of the cast, there are several recognizable faces like Klaus Kinski (For a Few Dollars More) in the role of a hitman named Scalper Jack, Gordon Mitchell (Beyond the Law) in the role of a hitman named Burying Sam, and Giacomo Rossi Stuart (Ben and Charlie) in the role of a hitman named Tricky the Gambler.

Though made during a time when spaghetti westerns popularity was in decline, Shanghai Joe goes against the comedy and action westerns that were in vogue at that time. The narrative does a good job moving things forward. And what it lacks in character development, it more than makes up for with its solid action set pieces. Also, Shanghai Joe is one of the gorier/graphic spaghetti westerns. Ultimately, Shanghai Joe is an unusual mix of spaghetti western and martial arts genres that fans of these genres should enjoy.

Shanghai Joe gets a first-rate release from Cauldron Films that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and a trio of informative extras, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer