Survive Style 5+: Limited Edition – Third Window Films (4k UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 2004
Director: Gen Sekiguchi
Writer: Taku Tada
Cast: Tadanobu Asano, Reika Hashimoto, Pierre Taki, Kyōko Koizumi, Asumi Miwa, Hiroshi Abe, Ittoku Kishibe, Yumi Asō, Shihori Kanjiya, Ryūnosuke Kamiki, Kanji Tsuda, Yoshiyuki Morishita, Jai West, Vinnie Jones as Jimmy Funky Knife, Yoshiyoshi Arakawa, Tae Kimura, Shin’ichi ‘Sonny’ Chiba, Tomokazu Miura

Release Date: October 19th, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 119 Minutes 58 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 HDR10
Rating: 15 (UK)
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 Japanese/English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK)

"Five bizarre stories with no apparent connection to one another eventually become intertwined, resulting in surreal circumstances." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Brand new director approved 4K transfer."

Survive Style 5+ comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 88 GB

Feature: 71.4 GB

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

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in Japanese/English with removable English subtitles. The track sounds excellent; dialogue comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an archival Making of featurette (28 minutes 24 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with screenwriter Taku Tada (30 minutes 22 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with director Gen Sekiguchi (13 minutes 22 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), a 0-Ring slipcover (limited to 2000 units), and a 12-page booklet (limited to 2000 units) with archival material and an essay titled Viva Friends! Ways of Seeing and Coping in Survive Style 5+ written by Simon Abrams.

Summary:

The narrative follows five paths: a man who keeps killing his wife only for her to return from the dead, a hypnotist who transforms a father into a chicken, a trio of friends who break into homes, an advertising executive who makes outlandish commercials that only she understands, and a British hitman and his Japanese translator. The narrative initially weaves between these characters' stories, which eventually become intertwined by the finale.

Right from the start, it’s evident that Survive Style 5+ is unlike anything that has come before or since. The opening scene—a man burying his wife—immediately captures attention. The first indication that Survive Style 5+ is a unique cinema experience occurs when the wife returns from the dead for the first time. From that point, the narrative shifts seamlessly from one character's story to the next, effectively building tension as it approaches the finale.

All around, the cast are excellent in their roles, as their performances fully embrace the madness that unfolds. Notable cast members are Tadanobu Asano (Ichi the Killer), who portrays the husband who continually kills his wife; Vinnie Jones (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels), who portrays a hitman; and Shin’ichi ‘Sonny’ Chiba (The Street Fighter), who portrays a CEO. While it is always cool to see Shin’ichi ‘Sonny’ Chiba in a film, his role is very minor and only encompasses one scene.

Although Survive Style 5+ delves into darker subjects such as killing, it is primarily a comedy film, with humor that often leans toward the outlandish. The most humorous moments are scenes where Yoko's absurd commercial ideas come to life. Another strength of Survive Style 5+ is its use of pop culture references. Ultimately, Survive Style 5+ is a highly entertaining black comedy that's infused with style that greatly heightens the mood.

Survive Style 5+ gets an exceptional release from Third Window Films that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and informative extras. Highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

 

Written by Michael Den Boer