Out now on Blu-ray from Arrow Video is Cops vs Thugs, director Kinju Fukasaku’s 1975 yakuza entry. I’ve yet to see this film but last year I spent two days blazing through Fukasaku’s entire Battles Without Honor and Humanity franchise and I’ve been a big fan of Battle Royale for years so at this point Fukasaku can do no wrong in my eyes.
One cool thing Arrow does with new releases is they put together these quick, little videos called The Arrow Video Story. They do one for almost every release, if not every release, and I’m not sure they get as much love as they should. If you’re ever on the fence about one of their releases and want to know more before pulling the trigger to buy one these videos are a great way to go in order to help you make that decision. In about 90 seconds they show you a few clips of the film and let know you know what special features are included.
Going forward I’m going to try and share these videos, or at least the ones I find most interesting, on release day. This week we begin with Cops vs Thugs: The Arrow Video Story.
Synopsis:
Acting boss Hirotani of the Ohara gang uses his friendship with corrupt cop Kuno to usurp a staged land deal that rival yakuza gang Kawade had arranged through local politicians. Open warfare erupts between the two gangs.
Bonus Material:
- High Definition digital transfer
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
- Original uncompressed mono audio
- Optional English subtitles
- Beyond the Film: Cops vs Thugs, a new video appreciation by Fukasaku biographer Sadao Yamane
- A new visual essay on cops & criminals in Fukasaku’s works by film scholar Tom Mes
- Theatrical trailer
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Ian MacEwan
- FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Patrick Macias
