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Yakuza Law – Arrow Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 1969
Director: Teruo Ishii
Writers: Teruo Ishii
Cast: Ryûtarô Ôtomo, Bunta Sugawara, Minoru Ôki, Hiroshi Miyauchi, Teruo Yoshida, Renji Ishibashi, Keiko Fujita, Yukie Kagawa, Hisaya Itô, Ichirô Sugai

Release Date: May 13th, 2019 (UK), May 14th, 2019 (USA)
Approximate running time: 96 Minutes 23 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 18 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK), $39.95 (USA)

"In this deep dive into the world of the Yakuza, meet the violent men who rule the Japanese underworld and the cruel punishments inflicted on those who transgress them. The carnage begins in the Edo Period with a violent tale of samurai vengeance starring Bunta Sugawara (Battles Without Honor and Humanity), before shifting to the Meiji Period as the exiled Ogata (Minoru Oki, Shogun Assassin) returns to face punishment for his past transgressions... and, ultimately, to take his revenge." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.75/5

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

Yakuza Law comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 39.4 GB

Feature: 27.4 GB

The source used for this transfer is in great shape. Colors and flesh tones look correct, the image generally looks crisp, black levels are not as convincing as they should be, compression is solid, and there does not appear to be any digital noise reduction.

Audio: 3.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Japanese with removable English subtitles. Though the audio is in good shape, there are some crackle and distortion-related issues. Dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and range-wise things sound good.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery (12 images - stills/poster), an archival interview with director Teruo Ishii titled Erotic-Grotesque and Genre Hopping (47 minutes 40 seconds, LPCM mono Japanese with removable English subtitles) an audio commentary with author and film critic Jasper Sharp. reversible cover art and a 24-page booklet (limited to first pressing) with cast & crew information, an essay titled The Long Harm of the Law written by Tom Mes and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Yakuza Law was written and directed by Teruo Ishii, whose other notable films include Shogun’s Joys of Torture, Inferno of Torture, Orgies of Edo, Horrors of Malformed Men, The Blind Woman’s Curse, and The Executioner.

Yakuza Law features three stories. And each of these three stories takes place in a different era: Edo, Taisho, and Showa.

The first of these stories revolves around a clan that’s just won a battle with a rival clan. And in this story, there is a cowardly yakuza whose lies led to other members of his clan being targeted as traitors. This story is the most violent of the three tales. In this story, body parts like an eye and an ear are cut off, and the cowardly yakuza has his lying tongue cut off.

The second of these stories revolves around a yakuza who’s betrayed by his clan. And when he gets out of prison, he’s abandoned by his clan. Now, on his own, he has to define himself from old enemies and his former clan. This is the shortest of the three stories, and outside of a scene where a hand is severed, the violence is tame compared to the other two stories.

The third of these tales revolves around a crime syndicate that has hired hitmen to retrieve a large sum of stolen gold. And though there are many alliances formed along the way, There are just as many double crosses. Violent set pieces in this tale include a man dangling from a rope tied to a helicopter, and to get him to talk, they drop him and drag his body across the ground. Other violent deaths include a face that’s burned beyond recognition, a man who’s trapped inside a car that gets crushed, and a couple that are buried in cement.

From a production standpoint, despite Yakuza Law having all the elements that have become synonymous with Teruo Ishii’s Torture film series, the result is easily the tamest entry in the Torture film series. Besides more restrained carnage, a lack of sadism and eroticism is another area where Yakuza Law falls short when compared to Teruo Ishii’s films from his Torture series.

Yakuza Law gets a first-rate release from Arrow Video that comes with a good audio/video presentation and a pair of informative extras, recommended.