TATTOOED LIFE (1965) (Radiance Films Blu-ray Review + Screenshots)

TATTOOED LIFE (1965)

Label: Radiance Films

Region Code: A,B

Duration: 86 Minutes 34 Seconds 

Audio: Japanese PCM 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.35:1) 

Director: Seijun Suzuki

Cast: Hideki Takahashi, Masako Izumi, Hiroko Ito, Kayo Matsuo, Hôsei Komatsu, Seizaburô Kawazu

In the Seijun Suzuki (Branded To Kill) directed Tattooed Life (1965) Tetsuo (Hideki Takahashi, The Last Samurai) is a low-ranking yakuza assassin who is double-crossed by his own boss, who after a hit has arranged for Tetsuo to be killed, He is saved by his younger brother Kenji (Kotobuki Hananomoto, Black Snow), an aspiring artist with no connections to the Yakuza crime, who swoops in and kills Tetsuo's assailant. Knowing they are now marked for either death or incarceration the brothers attempt flee to Manchuria, but are waylaid in a port town after being scammed by crooked entrepreneur, the delightfully slippery Yamano Senkichi (Hôsei Komatsu, Lady Snowblood), who says he can book them passage to Manchuria but instead absconds with their cash. With no money the pair end up working for a company who are contracted to tunnel through a nearby mountain, looking to save up enough money to book their passage. While there they try to lay low but unwisely get involved with the bosses wife and her sister, and find themselves targets of a Yakuza rival gang looking to muscle-in on the upstart tunneling operation run by the non-Yakuza connected businessman.

The film starts of with a cool rickshaw assassination and double-cross that gets things off to a nice start, eventually falling into a bit of a melodrama as the brothers flee and find themselves stranded in the port village after being fleeced of their cash. There's some love interesting that blossom in the middle-third that slows things just a bit, but the final act is ripe with tension and plenty of action. There's an explosion at the mine with blame being paced on the brothers, there's a mysterious presence of a man with red shoes, a slimy jealous rival, and a pretty terrific fight scene that shoots some of the action through a glass floor to achieve an impossible series of shots, which I've seen in later films, and it had me wondering if this was a first. It's not as wild and inventive or visually aggressive as other later Suzuki flicks I have seen but it is quite well-shot with some very nice camerawork and striking use of color in the final leg of the film. 

Audio/Video: Tattooed Life (1965) makes it's worldwide Blu-ray debut on Region A,B Blu-ray from Radiance Films, presented in 1080p HD widescreen (2.35:1), sourced from an HD transfer by Nikkatsu Corporation which was supplied to Radiance. The source is in great shape, very clean, grain is well-managed. It's a generally great looking and well defined presentation with nice textures, good color and solid black levels. It does a great job highlighting the moody and inventive camerawork of cinematographer Osama Furuya (The Ghost Story of Oiwa's Spirit). 

The sole audio option is a Japanese PCM 2.0 dual-mono track with optional newly improved English subtitles. The track is clean and well-balanced, dialogue sounds natural, the score from Masayoshi Ikeda (Cruel Gun Story) sounds fantastic, and moments of heightened intensity and action have some nice heft in the mix.  

Disc extras include an Audio commentary by William Carroll, author of Seijun Suzuki and Postwar Cinema (2024); an 11-min Newly edited archival interview with director Seijun Suzuki, an 11-min Newly edited archival interview with art director Takeo Kimura, plus the 3-min Trailer.

The single-disc release arrives in a clear full-height Scanavo keepcase with a Reversible Sleeve of Artwork featuring both original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow. We also get Radiance's signature Removable OBI Strip which leaves packaging free of certificates and markings if you so wish. With this initial Limited Edition pressing we also get a 20-Page Illustrated Booklet featuring new by Tom Vick, plus a newly translated archival review, as well as notes about the cast, crew, transfer, and release credits. The Vick essay is quite wonderful, detailing Suzuki's edgy directorial style and how that rubbed his superiors at Nikkatsu the wrong way, how dedicated his crews were to him, hi fondness of the "Taisho" period, 1912-1926, and dissecting story elements. 

Special Features: 
- Audio commentary by William Carroll, author of Seijun Suzuki and Postwar Cinema (2024)
- Newly edited archival interview with director Seijun Suzuki (10:30) 
- Newly edited archival interview with art director Takeo Kimura (11:36) 
- Trailer (3:05) 
- Newly improved English subtitle translation
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow
- Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Tom Vick and a newly translated archival review of the film

Screenshots from the Radiance Films Blu-ray: 

Extras: 

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DVD Review: Deadly Outlaw: Rekka (2002)

DEADLY OUTLAW: REKKA (2002)
Arrow Video

RATING: 18 Certificate
RUN TIME: 96 Min.
REGION: 0 PAL
DIRECTOR: Takashi Miike
CAST: Riki Takeuchi (Kunisada), Sonny Chiba, Joe Yamanaka, Yuy Ichida


SYNOPSIS: Following the death of his boss, crazed killer Kunisada (Riki Takeuchi) embarks on a violent quest for revenge, one that takes him on a deadly and surreal road trip as he searches for those responsible for the killing. Driven by madness and a volatile temper, he soon finds himself up against both his enemies and his own Yakuza allies. Pursued by a pair of hitmen, Kunisada is at once the hunter and the hunted, a pawn in a complex game being played out by a cast of double-crossing villains. With his situation spiralling out of control, he realizes that to be the winner will require him to take matters to furthest extreme.

FILM: Five minutes into Takashi Miike's Deadly Outlaw: Rekka (2002) I was hooked. It starts of all guns blazing and is unrelenting 'til the end. Takashi Miike is one of the more prolific filmmakers working todayand one could spend a lifetime delving into his filmography but as is stands I've only seen a handful of his works, so pitiful are they in number I'll share them with you...  Audition (1999), the "Box" segment of the Three... Extremes (2004) anthology film, the "Imprint" episode of Showtime's Masters of Horror and Sukiyaki Western Django (2007) ...pitiful, I told you.
At the start of Deadly Outlaw: Rekka we get some kick-ass Japanese rock n' roll from a band called Flower Travellin' Band, a very raucous proto-metal band and their Satori album comprises the entire soundtrack for the film, great stuff. The acid-tinged Black Sabbath-esque music announces a flurry of action as two hit-men take out the elderly Yakuza boss Uchida and his entourage in a bloody hail of adrenalized gunfire, it's complete non-stop bad assery. The elder boss of the clan is the last to go but not before he gets a death-grasp on the assassin's neck. So firm in fact that even in death he will not relinquish his mighty grip. Despite being severed at the forearm they remain clung to the man's neck. This is when it struck me that the film was going to be darkly humorous. It turns out that the elder Yakuza boss was the father of Kunisama - a Korean blooded hot head of epic proportions. Enraged he swears vengeance but the Yakuza families see his death as a natural restructuring of the crime families and tell Kunisama not to not take it personally. Forget it, this guy is out for blood and sets out on a journey to kill the Otaki bosses who paid the assassins even as the families conspire to elimate Kunisama who they see as a threat. Kunisama is nearly insane and is a force of nature when he loses his cool. When confronted on the street by members of the Otaki clan he snaps and takes-on all 5 members with a crowbar.  The scene is masterfuly shot and edited, frenetic and completely brutal. The crazed look in his eye is disturbing and says a lot about his state of mind. He's clearly over the edge and decimates them all single-handedly.  

As the remainder of the film plays out Kunisama joined by his best-friend mow through Yakuza conspirators dispatching them in bloody-fashion. He even going as far to use a rocket-launcher (which was awesome, darkly comic and awesome) until they finally come face to face with the two enigmatic assassins responsible for his Uchido's death. In typical Miike fashion the film is weird, gratuitous and top heavy with surreal moments of over-the-top ultra-violence and gore, so much so that the camera lense itself is splattered with blood several times.

DVD: The Deadly Outlaw: Rekka will be released on DVD for the first time by Arrow Video on November 22nd 2010. The film receives a brand new transfer with new and improved English subtitle translation. Presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen with a Japanese language 5.1 soundtrack. The special features are not particularly plentiful but the 48 minutes of interviews with Miike are illuminating as he discusses key scenes in the film, the actors and collaborator, filmscore and the ending and it's interpretations. Sadly, my screener of the DVD did not include Arrow Video's usually awesome artwork or the booklet (sigh) but the interviews with Miike were fantastic and insightful. Good stuff.
Special Features...
- Original Trailer (1:19)
- Video Interview with director Takashi Miike (18:12)
- Deadly Outlaw: Miike (30:25)
- Booklet featuring stills and an essay on the film by Tom Mes, author of ‘Agitator: The Cinema of Takashi Miike’
-  Notes on prog rockers Flower Travellin’ Band written by Sam Jones.

VERDICT: This film is completely batshit-nuts and a must-see in my opinion. I've seen but a handfiul of Miike's many, many film but thus far this is my favorite. I'm not well-versed in the workld of Yakuza Cinema and this one has me piqued my interest in the genre.  This is Arrow Video's first foray into Asian Cinema and good on 'em, next up is the cult Japanese film Battle Royale from director Kinji Fukasaku on Blu-ray and DVD.
**** (4 out of 5 stars)


- McBASTARD