Wolves, Pigs & Men – Eureka Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 1964
Director: Kinji Fukasaku
Writers: Kinji Fukasaku, Jun'ya Satô
Cast: Ken Takakura, Kin'ya Kitaôji, Jirô Okazaki, Renji Ishibashi, Rentarô Mikuni, Shôken Sawa, Hideo Murota

Release Date: August 19th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 95 Minutes 12 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 15 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £17.99 (UK)

"Kuroki (Mikuni), Jirō (Takakura) and Sabu (Kitaoji) are three brothers born into poverty. Kuroki, the eldest, finds an escape from his squalid beginnings by turning to organised crime – and soon both Jirō and Sabu have followed him into the yakuza lifestyle. But none of the brothers see eye to eye, each of them showing more loyalty to their criminal comrades than to their siblings. Following a stint in prison, Jirō convinces Sabu to help him pull off a potentially lucrative heist, leading to a series of betrayals and horrifically violent acts that will test the bonds of blood to their breaking point." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information given about the transfers, "1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray from a restoration of the original film elements supplied by Toei."

Wolves, Pigs & Men comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 40.7 GB

Feature: 27.6 GB

There is minor source debris in the opening credits, and source imperfections flare up in the last 20 minutes; the rest of the time the source looks great. Also, though there are some instances where the image quality fluctuates, most of the time image clarity, contrast, and black levels are strong. That said, compression is solid, and grain looks very good.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Japanese with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds clean, clear, balanced, and surprisingly robust.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 53 seconds, LPCM mono Japanese with non-removable English subtitles), an archival interview with Kinji Fukasaku’s biographer, Sadao Yamane (12 minutes 28 seconds, LPCM stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with producer Tatsu Yoshida titled Slums, Stars & Studios (20 minutes 36 seconds, LPCM stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with screenwriter Junya Sato titled Socially Aware Violence (20 minutes 14 seconds, LPCM stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with Jasper Sharp, an O-card slipcase (limited to the first pressing), and a 20-page booklet with cast & crew information, an essay titled A Beast with Bite Kinji Fukasaku’s Early Yakuza Cinema and Wolves, Pigs and Men written by Joe Hickinbottom, and information about the transfer titled Notes on Viewing.

Summary:

Organized crime is something that Kinji Fukasaku would return to throughout his career. And though he began his career with four crime films that starred Shin’ichi ‘Sonny’ Chiba, there is little in these initial offerings that resemble his crime films from his peak period in the 1970s. In his early forays into crime cinema, Kinji Fukasaku created films similar to Nikkatsu's productions. By the time he made Wolves, Pigs & Men, he was ready to venture outside of the already established formula, resulting in a film that foreshadows where he would go with crime cinema in the 1970s.

Wolves, Pigs & Men is a story about three brothers; the oldest brother, Kuroki, is a yakuza yes man; the middle brother, Jirō, is a troublemaker who recently spent 5 years in prison; and the youngest brother, Sabu, was forced to take care of their ailing mother, who passed away. After years of not seeing each other, Jirō comes up with a plan to rob the clan that Kuroki works for, and he enlists Sabu and his friends to help him pull off the job. What should have gone off without a hitch quickly spirals out of control when Sabu, who does not trust his brother, hides the money and drugs.

Though honor and loyalty are the backbone of yakuza cinema, in Wolves, Pigs & Men, it's honor and loyalty not to the yakuza but to your family and where you come from. The dysfunctional family, where no one trusts each other, puts the loyalty of the three brothers to the test. And despite Kuroki’s best efforts to look out for his two brothers, they see him as an outsider who betrayed them. Jirō is a loner, always looking out for himself, while Sabu’s friends are his new family.

Throughout Wolves, Pigs & Men Kinji Fukasaku explores classism and the desire to escape where one came from. Though all three brothers desire to leave their lives growing up and living in the slums, only Kuroki is ashamed of where he came from. Unlike Kuroki, his brothers, when faced with giving up their ideals, decide it's better to die than give in.

The performances are excellent, especially Ken Takakura (Abashiri Prison) in the role of Jirō and Kin'ya Kitaôji (Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Deadly Fight in Hiroshima) in the role of Sabu. Ken Takakura portrays a self-assured character who rarely allows someone to get the drop on him. Kin'ya Kitaôji portrays a jaded character whose anger at the world clouds his judgment. Both of these actors deliver masterclass performances in which they fully immerse themselves into character. Despite portraying a character that is difficult to sympathize with, Rentarô Mikuni (Vengeance Is Mine) in the role of Kuroki is this Wolves, Pigs & Men's most underrated performance.

From a production standpoint, there is no area where Wolves, Pigs & Men do not excel. Its narrative quickly draws you in with a stylized opening sequence that does a superb job laying out all the three brothers' backstories. Also, despite being a film about organized crime, the yakuza’s presence is minimal. Wolves, Pigs & Men’s grimy locations are the opposite of the visually appealing locations that one expects from a yakuza film. Not to be overlooked when discussing Wolves, Pigs & Men is its unflinching in your face, moments of torture. Ultimately, Wolves, Pigs & Men is an early masterpiece from Kinji Fukasaku that's a must see if you're a fan of yakuza cinema.

Wolves, Pigs & Men gets a first-rate release from Eureka Video that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and insightful extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer