Japan Organized Crime Boss: Limited Edition – Radiance Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 1969
Director: Kinji Fukasaku
Writers: Kinji Fukasaku, Fumio Kônami, Norio Osada
Cast: Kôji Tsuruta, Tomisaburô Wakayama, Bunta Sugawara, Noboru Andô, Michitarô Mizushima, Ryôhei Uchida, Sanae Nakahara, Seizaburô Kawazu, Yoshi Katô 

Release Date: November 18th, 2024 (UK), November 19th, 2024 (USA)
Approximate running time: 96 Minutes 17 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 15 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £14.99 (UK), $39.95 (USA)

"Two major yakuza factions from Tokyo and Osaka battle over control of Yokohama, using local gangs as their proxies. Amid this violent struggle, Tsukamoto (Koji Tsuruta, Big Time Gambling Boss), the head of one of the local gangs, is released from an eight-year prison sentence. The feud forces him into action, but he learns that those pulling the strings have political connections and that he is up against overwhelming forces." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "New 4K restoration by Toei Company. Japan Organized Crime Boss was transferred in High-Definition by Toei Company, Ltd. and supplied to Radiance Films as a High-Definition digital file."

Japan Organized Crime Boss comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 39.7 GB

Feature: 26.2 GB

The source looks excellent; flesh tones look correct, colors are nicely saturated, mage clarity and compression are solid, contrast and black levels are strong throughout, and there does not appear to be any digital noise reduction. Transfer-wise, my only other source of reference is Eureka Video’s abysmal 2003 DVD, and this new release is a vastly superior presentation in every way.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Japanese with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds excellent; dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and range-wise ambient sounds are well-represented.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 19 seconds, LPCM mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), a video essay on Koji Tsuruta’s collaborations with Kinji Fukasaku by yakuza cinema expert Nathan Stuart titled Ceremonies of Male Bonding (23 minutes 32 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with yakuza film historian Akihiko Ito (15 minutes 6 seconds, LPCM stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with Kinji Fukasaku (34 minutes 1 second, LPCM stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), reversible cover art, removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings and a 22-page booklet (limited to 3000 copies) cast & crew information, an essay titled A Transitional Triumph written by Stuart Galbraith IV, an archival review of Japan Organized Crime Boss written by Jun Ishiko, and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Though Kinji Fukasaku is most remembered for his contributions to Yakuza cinema, his forays into this genre can be broken down into films before and after Japan Organized Crime Boss. Where Yakuza films up to that point were indiscernible, Japan Organized Crime Boss is a revolutionary film that forever changed this genre. These changes were not so much about the way he portrayed characters as it was about the way he told their stories.

The yakuza world must choose a side when its most ruthless clan, Osaka’s Danno organization, decides they want to assume complete control over all of Japan’s underworld. After they successfully took over several territories, the Danno clan set their sights on Yokohama, a busy port district. Around the same time, Tsukamoto was released from prison after serving eight years of incarceration, and he decided to leave the world of the yakuza behind. Before Tsukamoto can make an exit, the Danno clan murders his boss, forcing him to assume control of his clan. Will Tsukamoto be able to convince the Danno clan of a truce, or are they determined to have an all-out war?

As mentioned before, Japan Organized Crime Boss ushered in a new kind of Yakuza cinema. With it, Kinji Fukasaku would create a template that he and other filmmakers would return to throughout the 1970s. A few of these changes happen immediately; in the opening moments, Kinji Fukasaku uses still images and voiceover to quickly fill in the backstory. Other new elements are the use of on-screen text to introduce characters and documentary-style handheld visuals.

Though most filmmakers surround themselves with a core of actors, when it comes to Toei Yakuza films, this is even more so. That said, it is not only the leads; even secondary roles are filled with recognizable faces, like Noboru Andô (By a Man's Face Shall You Know Him), who has a small but pivotal role as a hitman. The most memorable performance is Tomisaburô Wakayama’s (Lone Wolf and Cub) portrayal of Miyahara, a drug-addicted crime boss, while Kôji Tsuruta’s (Sympathy for the Underdog) portrayal of Tsukamoto is the heart and soul of the Japan Organized Crime Boss.

Kinji Fukasaku’s films are known for their kenotic feel and brutal depiction of violence, and in this regard, Japan Organized Crime Boss delivers in spades. In a film filled with brutality and carnage, there is never a shortage of memorable moments. A few that standout are a scene where Tsukamoto takes a beating from Miyahara, who slashes his face, and a gut-punch finale that serves as a perfect coda.

Content wise, Japan Organized Crime Boss examines the social ills that plagued postwar Japan and the yakuza’s stronghold on the country after the war. This is also a central theme that runs throughout most of Kinji Fukasaku’s filmography, adding more weight to the genre pictures he was working on. That said, Japan Organized Crime Boss never stray far away from the elements that define the life of a yakuza, like being bound by their honor. Ultimately, Japan Organized Crime Boss is an exceptional film that's overshadowed by Kinji Fukasaku’s later forays into Yakuza cinema.

Japan Organized Crime Boss gets an exceptional release from Radiance Films that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and informative extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer