The Bounty Hunter Trilogy: Limited Edition – Radiance Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Japan, 1969 (Killer's Mission, The Fort of Death), Japan, 1973 (Eight Men to Kill)
Directors: Shigehiro Ozawa (Killer's Mission, Eight Men to Kill), Eiichi Kudô (The Fort of Death)
Cast: Tomisaburo Wakayama (All Films), Yumiko Nogawa, Tomoko Mayama, Satoshi Tianjin, Gorô Mutsumi, Kenji Ushio, Eijirô Yanagi (Killer's Mission), Kanjûrô Arashi, Seizô Fukumoto, Gorô Ibuki, Asao Koike, Tomoko Mayama, Minoru Ôki (The Fort of Death), Shigeru Amachi, Takashi Ebata, Tatsuo Endô, Jûkei Fujioka, Ryûtarô Gomi, Noriko Maki, Manabu Morita, Taketoshi Naitô, Yutaka Nakamura, Minoru Ôki (Eight Men to Kill)

Release Date: March 25th, 2024 (UK), March 26th, 2024 (USA)
Approximate running times: 89 Minutes 28 Seconds (Killer's Mission), 97 Minutes 39 Seconds (The Fort of Death), 88 Minutes 2 Seconds (Eight Men to Kill)
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: £34.99 (UK), $64.95 (USA)

"Before he made his name in 'Lone Wolf' and 'Cub' Tomisaburô Wakayama starred in this triptych of violent samurai spectacles that draw on James Bond and Spaghetti Westerns for inspiration yet feature the familiar style and blood-spattering action of the period.

In director Shigehiro Ozawa's (The Streetfighter) "Killer's Mission", Wakayama stars as Doctor (and spy-for-hire) Shikoro Ichibei, who is hired to prevent the sale of firearms to a hostile Shogun.

In Eiichi Kudo's (13 Assassins) follow-up, "The Fort of Death", Ichibei is hired on a Seven Samurai-style mission to protect a village of farmers from a ruthless Lord.

The final film sees Ozawa return for "Eight Men to Kill", in which Ichibei is hired to recover a cache of stolen gold from the government's mine. Featuring an array of weapons and gadgets that would make Q proud (with Ichibei supported by a band of helpers including fellow spies, Ronin and female ninjas), the Bounty Hunter films deliver action thrills galore and deserve to sit alongside the celebrated action epics that followed." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (Killer's Mission, The Fort of Death, Eight Men to Kill)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "Each film in The Bounty Hunter Trilogy was transferred in High-Definition by Toei Company Ltd and supplied to Radiance Films as High-Definition digital masters."

Killer's Mission comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 30.7 GB

Feature: 26.3 GB

The Fort of Death and Eight Men to Kill comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.9 GB

Feature: 22.2 GB (The Fort of Death), 20 GB (Eight Men to Kill)

The sources used for these three films are all in excellent shape. Also, quality-wise, the three films look comparable. Flesh tones look healthy, colors look great, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and all three films retain an organic look.

Audio: 4.5/5 (Killer's Mission - LPCM Mono Japanese, The Fort of Death - LPCM Mono Japanese, Eight Men to Kill - LPCM Mono Japanese)

Each film comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Japanese, and each film comes with removable English subtitles. All of the audio tracks are in great shape; there are no issues with background hiss or distortion. Dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras on disc one include a theatrical trailer for Killer’s Mission (3 minutes 13 seconds, LPCM mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with film historian and Shigehiro Ozawa expert Akihito Ito about the filmmaker (15 minutes 43 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles) and an audio commentary with Tom Mes for Killer’s Mission.

Extras on disc two include an image gallery (17 images - posters/stills), a theatrical trailer for The Fort of Death (3 minutes 20 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), a theatrical trailer for Eight Men to Kill (3 minutes 7 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable English subtitles) and a video essay on Eiichi Kudo by Japanese cinema expert Robin Gatto (18 minutes, Dolby Digital stereo English with non-removable English subtitles for Japanese film clips). 

Other extras include reversible cover art, six postcards of artwork from the films, removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings and a 240-page booklet (limited to 3000 copies) cast & crew information for each film, an essay titled So Many People Are Dead! Written by Alan Silver, an obituary of Eiichi Kudo written by Kinji Fukasaku titled Remembering Eiichi Kudo, an interview piece on Shigehiro Ozawa after his retirement from filmmaking titled “The Decline of Niinkyo Movies Changed My Life”, and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Killer's Mission: Directed by Shigehiro Ozawa, who would also direct Eight Men to Kill. Notable films he directed are The Street Fighter Trilogy, The Defensive Power of Aikido, and Sister Street Fighter: Fifth Level Fist.

The narrative revolves around Shikoro Ichibei, a doctor who moonlights as a samurai for hire. He is hired to prevent an arms purchase by a rogue clan that plans on using the weapons against the shogun.

Killer's Mission was the first of three films that make up the Bounty Hunter Trilogy. The first two films, Killer's Mission and The Fort of Death, were made in quick succession, while the third film, Eight Men to Kill, was made four years later.

The thing that immediately grabs you while watching Killer's Mission and the two films that precede it is how different they are from other samurai films from that era. Though there are instances where guns play a role in samurai films, in The Bounty Hunter trilogy, guns and other modern artillery play as large of a role as swords do in a more traditional samurai film. Another thing that sets The Bounty Hunter trilogy apart from more traditional samurai films is the lack of a code of honor by most of its samurai characters.

Tomisaburo Wakayama (Lone Wolf and Cub), in the role of Shikoro Ichibei, is the heart and soul of the Bounty Hunter Trilogy. In this first installment, he delivers a phenomenal performance that perfectly introduces his character. Also, though his character proves time and again that he is more than capable when it comes to defending himself, the most surprising aspect of his performance is how effectively he uses humor. In one moment, his character pretends that he is blind, which serves as an inside joke since his brother Shintaro Katsu is most famous for portraying Zatoichi, a blind swordsman.

The influence of the Spaghetti western genre is something that makes the Bounty Hunter trilogy stand out from more traditional samurai films. When one considers that it was samurai films like Yojimbo that were used as templates for key Spaghetti western films like A Fistful of Dollars, the influence of the Spaghetti western on the Bounty Hunter trilogy is even more interesting.

From a production standpoint, there is no area where Killer’s Mission does not excel. The narrative does a fantastic job of balancing expositional moments and action sequences. Also, there are no issues with pacing as things move along briskly. And though Tomisaburo Wakayama dominates every moment he is in, the rest of the cast are all very good in their roles. Ultimately, Killer's Mission is a solid action film that fans of samurai films should thoroughly enjoy.

The Fort of Death: Directed by Eiichi Kudô, whose other notable films are 13 Assassins, The Great Killing, and Eleven Samurai.

The narrative revolves around oppressed villagers who hire Shikoro Ichibei in their fight against a ruthless lord who is overtaxing them.

Despite switching directors, this second installment in the Bounty Hunter trilogy still retains the same vibe and look as its predecessor. Also, influences play a role in The Fort of Death, as its premise bears a strong resemblance to that of the that of the Seven Samurai. This time around, Shikoro Ichibei is joined by other samurai who assist him in defending the villagers.

Also, more than any other film in the Bounty Hunter trilogy, modern weapons are front and center in The Fort of Death. Besides pistols and rifles, this time around Shikoro Ichibei unveils a secret weapon: the gatling gun. In response to Shikoro Ichibei’s weapon, his opponents use cannons. And when the gatling gun gets too hot, Shikoro Ichibei has another man piss on it to cool it down, making it a memorable moment.

Tomisaburo Wakayama (Sympathy for the Underdog), in the role of Shikoro Ichibei, delivers another exceptional scene-stealing performance. Also, The Fort of Death spends more time on Shikoro Ichibei’s life as a doctor than Killer's Mission. When it comes to the rest of the cast, they are all very good.

From a production standpoint, there is no area where The Fort of Death is lacking. The well-constructed narrative does a great job of balancing exposition and action sequences. Also, pacing is never an issue, as the narrative does a phenomenal job building momentum towards a bloody finale. When it comes to onscreen carnage, The Fort of Death, like its predecessor, has an ample amount of bloodshed and gruesome kills. Ultimately, The Fort of Death is an exemplary sequel that somehow betters its predecessor.

Eight Men to Kill: Directed by Shigehiro Ozawa, who would also direct Killer's Mission. Notable films he directed are The Street Fighter Trilogy, The Defensive Power of Aikido, and Sister Street Fighter: Fifth Level Fist.

The narrative revolves around a samurai named Shikoro Ichibei who is hired by the shogun to retrieve stolen gold.

Shigehiro Ozawa, who directed Killer’s Mission, returns for this third and final installment. Once again, the look and vibe of Eight Men to Kill are in line with their two predecessors. Also, the spaghetti western influence continues, and nowhere is this clearer than when it comes to the premise of stolen gold. Another connection is how Eight Men to Kill, like its predecessor, The Fort of Death, explores government corruption.

For the third time around, Tomisaburo Wakayama (Black Rain) returns in the role of Shikoro Ichibei. And once again, he delivers a performance that does not disappoint. Another performance of note is Shigeru Amachi (Jigoku) in the role of a samurai. When it comes to the rest of the cast, they are all very good in their roles.

Though there were bloody moments, carnage played a role in the first two films in the Bounty Hunter trilogy. Things are taken up a few notches with Eight Men to Kill, with severed limbs and decapitations. Also, when it comes to weaponry, just like its predecessors, Eight Men to Kill is not your traditional samurai film.

From a production standpoint, Eight Men to Kill is a film that fully exploits its resources. The well-executed narrative is filled with broken alliances and double and triple crosses. Also, pacing is never an issue, as things move along quickly. Ultimately, Eight Men to Kill serves as a perfect swan song for Shikoro Ichibei.

The Bounty Hunter Trilogy is an exceptional release from Radiance Films; all three films are given solid audio/video presentations and insightful extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer