Prison Walls: Abashiri Prison I-III: Limited Edition – Eureka Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Japan, 1965 (Abashiri Prison, Another Abashiri Prison Story, Abashiri Prison: Saga of Homesickness)
Director: Teruo Ishii (All Films)
Cast: Ken Takakura, Kôji Nanbara, Kanjûrô Arashi, Kyôsuke Machida, Tôru Abe, Nami Munakata, Kunie Tanaka, Tetsurô Tanba (Abashiri Prison), Ken Takakura, Michiko Saga, Shirô Ôsaka, Ichirô Nakatani, Tôru Abe, Kanjûrô Arashi, Tôru Yuri, Yôko Mihara, Kunie Tanaka, Hideo Murota (Another Abashiri Prison Story), Ken Takakura, Hiroko Sakuramachi, Naoki Sugiura, Kunie Tanaka, Kanjûrô Arashi, Tôru Abe, Tôru Yuri, Kyôsuke Machida, Eijirô Tôno, Renji Ishibashi (Abashiri Prison: Saga of Homesickness)

Release Date: May 27th, 2024 (UK), May 28th, 2024 (USA)
Approximate running times: 91 Minutes (Abashiri Prison), 86 Minutes 44 Seconds (Another Abashiri Prison Story), 88 Minutes 56 Seconds (Another Abashiri Prison Story)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (All Films)
Rating: 18 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono Japanese (All Films)
Subtitles: English (All Films)
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £28.99 (UK), $59.95 (USA)

"In Abashiri Prison, Takakura stars as Shin'ichi Tachibana, a yakuza sent to Abashiri as punishment for an attack on a rival gangster. He intends to serve his time as a model prisoner until he is shackled to the bullish Gonzo Gonda (Kōji Nanbara), unwittingly roped into an escape attempt orchestrated by Heizo Yoda (Tōru Abe) and forced to face the frozen wilderness of Hokkaidō. In Another Abashiri Prison Story, Tachibana has just been released when he stumbles across a stash of diamonds recently stolen in a bank heist – and attracts unwanted attention from criminals and cops alike. Finally, in Abashiri Prison: Saga of Homesickness, Tachibana reunites with his former yakuza associates, who are trying to go straight. That is, at least, until old rivals come looking for trouble…" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5 (Abashiri Prison), 3.75/5 (Another Abashiri Prison Story, Abashiri Prison: Saga of Homesickness)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "HD presentation of all three films from restorations of the original film elements supplied by Toei."

Abashiri Prison and Another Abashiri Prison Story come on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.3 GB

Feature: 22.1 GB (Abashiri Prison), 21.1 GB (Another Abashiri Prison Story)

Abashiri Prison: Saga of Homesickness comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 40.4 GB

Feature: 25.9 GB

Abashiri Prison is the only one of these films shot in black and white. The source looks excellent; flesh tones look correct; image clarity, contrast, and black levels are solid. Another Abashiri Prison Story and Abashiri Prison: Saga of Homesickness are in color. The sources look great; there are some minor instances of debris. Colors look good, and image clarity and contrast are strong. That said, the black levels for these two films are not always as convincing as they should be. The compression is very good for all three films.

Audio: 4.25/5 (LPCM Mono Japanese - Abashiri Prison, LPCM Mono Japanese - Another Abashiri Prison Story, LPCM Mono Japanese - Abashiri Prison: Saga of Homesickness)

Each film comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Japanese with removable English subtitles. Dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. Also, range-wise, all tracks sound very good.

Extras:

Extras on disc one include a theatrical trailer for Abashiri Prison (2 minutes 45 seconds, LPCM mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), a theatrical trailer for Another Abashiri Prison Story (2 minutes 50 seconds, LPCM mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with Tom Mes for Abashiri Prison, and an audio commentary with Chris Poggiali for Another Abashiri Prison Story.

Extras on disc two include a theatrical trailer for Abashiri Prison: Saga of Homesickness (2 minutes 21 seconds, LPCM mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with Mike Leeder and Arne Venema for Abashiri Prison: Saga of Homesickness, an interview with film critic and Asian cinema expert Tony Rayns titled Tony Rayns on Abashiri Prison (30 minutes 41 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), and a video appreciation by Jasper Sharp and Mark Schilling titled Break Out (29 minutes 26 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles).

Other extras include reversible cover art, a O-card slipcase (limited to 2,000 copies), and a 24-page booklet (limited to 2,000 copies) with cast & information for each film, an essay titled The Abashiri Prison Series and Teruo Ishii written by Mark Schilling and information about the transfer titled Notes on Viewing.

Summary:

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.

Abashiri Prison: A yakuza named Shin'ichi Tachibana, who is nearing the end of his prison term, becomes an unwilling accomplice in a prison break.

Based on the novel Abashiri Bangaichi, written by Hajime Itō, Abashiri Prison is also a loose remake of The Defiant Ones. There are 18 films in the series. Abashiri Prison is the first of 10 Abashiri Prison films directed by Teruo Ishii.

Despite having an ensemble cast, Abashiri Prison is ultimately about Shin'ichi Tachibana's journey. Abashiri Prison is a story about a man trying to survive in a world surrounded by criminals and killers. And though he tries to stay out of trouble, his yakuza code puts him in the crosshairs of other prisoners.

In the early moments, there is a scene where the prisoners introduce themselves by revealing the crimes they have committed. This scene does a superb job of setting the foundation for the events that follow. That said, besides the protagonist, there is a colorful group of criminals and killers that populate this film.

The performances are all around great, especially Ken Takakura (Bullet Train) in the role of Shin'ichi Tachibana. He delivers an outstanding performance that puts you in his character frame of mind. Another thing that enhances his performance are flashbacks, which provide insight into his past and how it shaped who he is now. Kanjûrô Arashi’s portrayal of Torakichi Akuda, an elderly inmate who is a coldblooded killer with a sizable body count, is another performance of note. Though his character tries to stay in the background, when provoked, he’s deadly.

Teruo Ishii's direction is solid; there are a few moments where stylish visuals flourish, while most of the time he lets the characters take center stage. A few standout moments include a scene where a group of prisoners try to kill Torakichi Akuda for getting in the way of an escape plan. Thinking that he is just a feeble old man, he quickly turns the table when he disarms them and reveals who he really is. Another standout moment is a scene where two escaped prisoners chained together lay down on a train track and put the chain that connects them on the rail.

From a production standpoint, there is no area where Abashiri Prison does not excel. The perfectly paced narrative does a phenomenal job of building momentum towards an exceptional finale. That said, this is a dialog-driven film that has a surprisingly low amount of on-screen violence. Ultimately, Abashiri Prison is an exceptional drama that sets the bar so high that the films in this series that follow it all pale in comparison.

Another Abashiri Prison Story: Now a free man, Shin'ichi Tachibana, and his ex-cellmate become entangled with jewel thieves.

Whereas its predecessor was a story about a man trying to survive, this time around it is a story about a man in transition. After spending three years in prison, Shinichi Tsukibana and a former cellmate from Abashiri Prison try to stay out of a life of crime. A chance encounter with jewel thieves leads to a race to retrieve an algae ball that contains the stolen diamonds.

Another Abashiri Prison Story is a continuation of Shinichi Tsukibana’s story, and yet tone-wise, it is the polar opposite of its predecessor. Where Abashiri Prison had an element of danger that had you on the edge of your seat, at no time in Another Abashiri Prison Story is there a moment where Shin'ichi Tachibana is in danger. That said, the most intense moment is a gambling scene where one player exposes a cheating dealer.

All around the performances are very good. The main draw is Ken Takakura’s (Golgo 13) portrayal of Shin'ichi Tachibana.Though there is no real growth in his character, he once again delivers a solid performance. Besides Ken Takakura, there are a few other actors from Abashiri Prison who return in different roles.

Though the premise is full of possibilities, characters engage in a cat-and-mouse game to get their hands on an algae ball filled with diamonds. Unfortunately, a predictable narrative that has too many lulls kills any momentum. Ultimately, Another Abashiri Prison Story feels like a rushed sequel that fails to live up to the high bar set by its predecessor.

Abashiri Prison: Saga of Homesickness: Shin'ichi Tachibana's return home reveals how things have changed since he went away to prison.

Whereas its predecessor was a story about a man in transition, this time around it is a homecoming story. By the time Abashiri Prison reaches the third film in its series, its protagonist is even farther away from prison life. Though these films have Abashiri Prison, after the first film, only moments in prison are revealed via a few flashbacks in Abashiri Prison: Saga of Homesickness.

In Abashiri Prison: The Saga of Homesickness, Shin'ichi Tachibana's past is revealed in greater detail, including his troubled upbringing with an abusive father. His mother took significant steps to shield him from his father in the flashbacks, strengthening his bond with her. Another dynamic added this time around is a connection Shin'ichi Tachibana makes with an orphan girl who came from a similar broken home.

Though all of the performances are very good, they all pale in comparison to Ken Takakura (The Yakuza) in the role of Shin'ichi Tachibana. He delivers an emotionally charged performance that fleshes out his character. That said, the heart and soul of Abashiri Prison: Saga of Homesickness are scenes where Shin'ichi interacts with the orphan girl.

Where its predecessor felt like a step backwards, Abashiri Prison: The Saga of Homesickness is a move in the right direction. Once again, Teruo Ishii’s direction is rock-solid. Also, a well-constructed narrative does a superb job of building momentum towards an excellent finale. Ultimately, Abashiri Prison: The Saga of Homesickness is a vastly more satisfying sequel than its predecessor.

Eureka Video's Prison Walls: Abashiri Prison I-III is a solid release with strong audio/video presentations and informative extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer