Game Trilogy: Limited Edition – Arrow Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Japan, 1978 (The Most Dangerous Game, The Killing Game), Japan, 1979 (The Execution Game)
Director: Kôsaku Yamashita (All Films),
Cast: Yûsaku Matsuda (All Films), Keiko Tasaka, Ichirô Araki, Asao Uchida, Daigo Kusano , Bontarô Miake, Yôko Ichiji, Hiroshi Nawa, Rei Okamoto (The Most Dangerous Game), Kei Satô, Yutaka Nakajima, Kenji Imai, Kaori Takeda, Kôjirô Kusanagi, Kai Atô, Gajirô Satô (The Killing Game), Aiko Morishita, Yoshirô Aoki, Lily, Ryûji Katagiri, Kei Satô, Michihiro Yamanishi, Kôjirô Kusanagi (The Execution Game)

Release Date: June 19th, 2023 (UK), June 20th, 2023 (USA)
Approximate Running Times: 89 Minutes 16 Seconds (The Most Dangerous Game), 91 Minutes 49 Seconds (The Killing Game), 100 Minutes 10 Seconds (The Execution Game)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (All Films)
Rating: 15 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono Japanese (All Films)
Subtitles: English (All Films)
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK), $39.95 (USA)

"In this career-defining triptych, Matsuda is Shohei Narumi, an ice cool hitman of few words, a steely trigger finger, and a heart of stone, hired in The Most Dangerous Game by a company bidding for a lucrative government air defense contract to take out the competition. In The Killing Game, Narumi finds himself caught in the midst of violent yakuza gang warfare, while his own brutal past catches up with him in the form of two beautiful women still bearing the emotional scars of his past assignments. In The Execution Game, Narumi falls for a mysterious saloon bar chanteuse who may or may not be part of the same, shadowy underworld organization as the rival hitmen he is employed to rub out." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4/5 (The Most Dangerous Game), 4.25/5 (The Killing Game, The Execution Game)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "The High-Definition masters were supplied by Toei and sourced from the best available archival materials, with additional color grading and picture restoration by Arrow Films at R3Store Studios."

The Most Dangerous Game comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 30.1 GB

Feature: 24.4 GB

Though the source used for The Most Dangerous Game looks great, there are moments where the detail is not as strong in the darker scenes. That said, colors and flesh tones look correct, the image looks crisp, and there are no issues with compression.

The Killing Game and The Execution Game come on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 33.9 GB

Feature: 25.7 GB

The sources for The Killing Game and The Execution Game look similar. The sources used for these two film transfers are in great shape. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity and black levels are strong, and compression is solid.

Audio: 4/5

Each film comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Japanese, and all three films come with removable English subtitles. These three audio tracks sound similar quality-wise. There are no issues with background hiss or distortion; dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. Range-wise, these tracks are satisfactory.

Extras:

Extras on the Blu-ray with The Most Dangerous Game include an image gallery (16 stills), a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 23 seconds, LPCM mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with director Toru Murakawa titled The Action Man (20 minutes 5 seconds, LPCM stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), and an audio commentary with Chris Poggiali and Marc Walkow.

Extras on the Blu-ray with The Killing Game and The Execution Game include an image gallery for The Killing Game (31 stills), an image gallery for The Execution Game (16 images), a theatrical trailer for The Killing Game (2 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), a theatrical trailer for The Execution Game (1 minute 28 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with Yutaka Oki, film critic and personal friend of Yusaku Matsuda titled Remembering Yusaku Matsuda (17 minutes 41 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with screenwriter Shoichi Maruyama titled Game Changer (22 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with Earl Jackson and Jasper Sharp for The Killing Game, and an audio commentary with Tom Mes for The Execution Game.

Other extras include reversible cover art, a double-sided fold-out poster (limited to first pressing), a slipcover (limited to first pressing), and forty page booklet (limited to first pressing) with cast & crew information for each film, an essay titled Dangerous Games: Murakawa, Matsuda, and an Age of Anxiety written by Hayley Scanlon, an essay titled Mitsuru Kurosawa and Toei Central: Reshaping Japanese Action Cinema written by Dimitri Ianni, Yusaku Matsuda filmography, Toru Murakawa filmography, and information about the restorations.

Summary:

The Game trilogy was directed by Kôsaku Yamashita and starred Yusaku Matsuda in the role of a hitman named Shouhei Narumi. Another common thread in the Game trilogy is composer Yuji Ohno (Proof of the Man).

The Most Dangerous Game: The narrative revolves around a hitman named Shouhei Narumi who is hired to rescue the chairman, whose company is tied to the financial sector. Also, there have been a series of kidnappings and the killings of other chairmen. Things go awry when the man Shhei Narumi was hired to rescue is killed by a stray bullet.

In the 1970s, Toei was one of the few companies to stay afloat and not shift their focus towards Pinku Eiga like their competitor Nikkatsu, and others like Daiei and Shochiku had limited output post-1960. This created a void in Japanese cinema, and when it came to exploitation cinema in the 1970s, Toei was unrivaled. Notably, their contributions to the Yakuza and Pinky Violence film genres.

Though The Most Dangerous Game has many elements that one associates with Toei’s Yakuza films, it is not on the same level as the Yakuza films directed by Kinji Fukasaku. That said, The Most Dangerous Game is not your typical crime or action film from Toei. The Most Dangerous Game is better described as a straight-up exploitation film with some action thrown in for good measure.

Everything about The Most Dangerous Game and the two Game films that followed it begins and ends with its leading man, Yûsaku Matsuda (The Beast to Die) in the role of Shouhei Narumi. He delivers an intense performance, which would become his hallmark. And though his career would be cut short due to an untimely death at the age of forty, he would leave an impressive legacy as an actor, with one of his best performances, Ridley Scott’s Black Rain, also being his last performance. That said, the rest of the performances are best described as serviceable. Which is not a surprise since Yûsaku Matsuda dominates the frame.

Though the premise is ripe with possibilities, the opening setup takes its time introducing Shouhei Narumi. Because of this, these early moments tend to drag. Fortunately, once Shouhei Narumi is on the job, things pick up considerably. Also, Shouhei Narumi often finds himself in near-death situations, which is not a surprise since he is a no-nonsense character who tends to be on the abrasive side. Ultimately, The Most Dangerous Game is at times too much by the numbers, and if it were not for its leading man Yûsaku Matsuda, it would have been forgotten.

The Killing Game: The narrative revolves around a hitman named Shouhei Narumi, who goes into hiding after completing a job that puts a target on his back. Flash forward five years, and he returns to the scene and finds himself in the middle of a war between two rival yakuza bosses who both hired him to kill each other.

The Killing Game opens with an assassination sequence that at times borders on the surreal. From there, the narrative does a great job establishing who everyone is and their motivations. Also, the narrative does a fantastic job building momentum towards a sensational finale.

Once again, the heart and soul are Yûsaku Matsuda (The Resurrection of the Golden Wolf) in the role of Shouhei Narumi. He delivers a brooding performance that picks up where he left off in The Most Dangerous Game. Though his presence often obscures other actors, the rest of the cast is very good in their roles.

From a production standpoint, there is not an area where The Killing Game does not excel. The premise is well executed, and there is a good mix of action and exploitation elements. Notably, the finale, where the protagonist is in a shootout in a narrow hallway in which he shoots through doors, hitting would-be assassins on the other side, That said, when it comes to violence, particularly towards women, The Killing Game takes things to the extreme. Ultimately, The Killing Game is a solid sequel that is superior in every way to its predecessor.

The Execution Game: The narrative revolves around a hitman named Shouhei Narumi, who tries to retrace his steps after being abducted and tortured.

The Execution Game, like its predecessor, The Killing Game, opens with an impressive opening sequence. There is a long tracking shot that slowly moves the protagonist, who is lying still on the floor. Also, another strength of this opening setup is how no dialog is spoken until around eleven and a half minutes in.

The main attraction is Yûsaku Matsuda (Detective Story) in the role of Shouhei Narumi. After two films establishing Shouhei Narumi, he effortlessly steps into the role once again. That said, the rest of the cast ranges from adequate to good.

The Execution Game features a puzzle-box narrative in which Shouhei Narumi retraces the events that led to the moment that opens the film and sets the story that follows in motion. Though The Execution Game has many elements that are similar to the other two Game films, the result is a film that is more of a detective film than an action or crime film. Also, The Execution Game’s narrative is the strongest of the three Game films. Ultimately, The Execution Game is on par with The Killing Game, and its phenomenal finale provides a perfect coda to the Game trilogy.

The Game Trilogy is another first-rate release from Arrow Video that gives each film a strong audio/video presentation, and this release comes with informative extras, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer