The Rapacious Jailbreaker: Limited Edition – Radiance Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 1974
Director: Sadao Nakajima
Writer: Tatsuo Nogami
Cast: Hiroki Matsukata, Tomisaburô Wakayama, Naoko Ôtani, Tsunehiko Watase, Tatsuo Umemiya, Gorô Ibuki, Kô Nishimura, Hôsei Komatsu, Tatsuo Endô, Nobuo Kaneko

Release Date: May 19th, 2025 (UK), May 20th, 2025 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 97 Minutes 5 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC
Rating: 15 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £16.99 (UK), $34.95 (USA)

"In the free-for-all chaos after World War II, black marketeer Ueda (Hiroki Matsukata, Cops vs Thugs) is robbed of a pound of morphine. He takes his brutal revenge, but is arrested for murder and sentenced to 20 years. He escapes and is caught, but no matter where they send him, Ueda won’t let prison walls stop him." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "The Rapacious Jailbreaker was transferred in High-Definition by Toei Company, Ltd. and supplied to Radiance Films as a High-Definition digital file."

The Rapacious Jailbreaker comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 29.6 GB

Feature: 26.6 GB

The source looks excellent, flesh tones look healthy, colors look correct, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image retains an organic look.

Audio: 4.25/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Japanese with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds clean, clear, and balanced, and range-wise ambient sounds are well represented.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a video essay by Tom Mes titled Rule Breaker an Introduction to Sadao Nakajima (16 minutes 58 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with yakuza film expert Nathan Stuart, reversible cover art, removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings and a 28-page booklet (limited to 3000 copies) cast & crew information, an essay titled Escape as Vocation written by Earl Jackson, an archival review of The Rapacious Jailbreaker written by Masaharu Saito, and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Sadao Nakajima directed The Rapacious Jailbreaker. His notable films include Female Ninja Magic, Tokyo-Seoul-Bangkok, Jeans Blues: No Future, and Great Okinawa Yakuza War.

A man imprisoned for murder successfully escapes from prison multiple times, only to be returned each time.

The Rapacious Jailbreaker can be summed up in one word: determination. Its protagonist, Ueda, is fearless; he never bends, no matter the consequences. Instead of taking it easy and playing by the rules, he’s constantly at odds with the prison guards. That said, he has only one goal: escaping from prison.

The narrative quickly draws you in with a scene that reveals what kind of man Ueda is. When a drug deal goes awry, he kills the man who betrayed him, along with a woman who was accompanying that man. There is something primal about Ueda, and this opening setup does a phenomenal job setting the tone.

The reason why The Rapacious Jailbreaker works as well as it does is because of the performances, especially Hiroki Matsukata (Cops vs.Thugs) in the role of Ueda. Though he always delivers memorable performances, this time around he gets one of his most substantial roles. Another performance of note is Tomisaburô Wakayama (Lone Wolf and Cub), who portrays an older prisoner who tries to avoid trouble. When it comes to the rest of the cast, they are great in their respective roles.

Though the premise and setting—a prison—are familiar, the outcome is anything but remotely familiar. The narrative's backbone is a series of prison escapes, each more ambitious than the previous one. The well-constructed narrative does an excellent job holding your attention with tense moments that build upon each other, culminating with an exemplary finale. Ultimately, The Rapacious Jailbreaker is an exceptional film that is reminiscent of Kinji Fukasaku’s 1970s crime films.

The Rapacious Jailbreaker gets an exceptional release from Radiance Films that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and insightful extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer