MANHUNT sees the iconic Ken Takakura (A FUGITIVE FROM THE PAST) reunited with Japan’s top action director Junya Sato (THE BULLET TRAIN) in a high-octane crime thriller that takes him across the whole of Japan. When Fuyuto Morioka (Takakura), a chief prosecutor for the Ministry of Justice, is arrested for a crime he didn’t commit, he escapes from custody. Trailed by a detective and two shadowy figures wielding shotguns, Morioka’s investigation into who might want to see him locked away sees him uncover a dark web of government and corporate corruption involving a dangerous mind-controlling drug developed by a sinister pharmaceutical company. A star-studded blockbuster featuring some of Japan’s most familiar actors, including Kunie Tanaka, Ryo Ikebe and Ko Nishimura, MANHUNT proved a surprise box-office smash, inspiring a 2017 remake by John Woo, and is now presented in a brand new restoration.

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Video Quality

Manhunt arrives on Blu-Ray via Toy Robot Video with an excellent 1080p master in its original aspect ratio derived from an HD master supplied by Kadokawa from a 4K remaster conducted in 2023. While we always love when a label such as this one can work their magic with a new restoration, the master provided treats this movie amazingly well. You will hardly find anything in the way of deficiencies such as nicks or scratches. At worst, you might spot a few specks or fleeting anomalies that made it through the restoration process, but these hardly distract in a meaningful way. The presentation sidesteps virtually all instances of compression artifacts, banding, and other digital anomalies.

A handful of signs of age remain, but the source is nothing short of a dream. The transfer preserves its authentic look throughout without digital manipulation eliminating detail. The grain resolves favorably without any notable signs of spiking or clumping. Color saturation appears to be locked in wth some fetching hues in the locales, clothing, and production design. The presentation shows off exceptional detail as you observe subtle facets of the fabrics and backgrounds without issue. Toy Robot Video has done a wonderful job with this release.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray presents the film with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio dual mono track in the original Japanese which holds up just as well as the visual side of things. Dialogue appears to be in good shape, as it is clear and easy to follow. The music does a commendable job of guiding the tone of the film, and it comes through with a nice fidelity. There are no obvious instances of damage or audio dropouts, even if there are stray signs of age at points. The film is not action-packed in the traditional sense, but certain sequences bring some thrills that make things perk up. Toy Robot Video has provided an audio track that handles the material with ease. Optional English subtitles are provided.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Film historians Jasper Sharp and Amber T. deliver an informative commentary track in which they discuss the place of this film in Japanese cinema, the careers of the talent involved, the influences of certain trends of the time, the shooting locations, the legacy of the feature, and more.
Man on the Run: A new 17-minute interview with Japanese film specialist Mark Schilling in which he discusses where this fits into the career of Ken Takakura, the atmosphere of development in Japan, the archetypes in the film, and more.
An Unusual Director: A new 19-minute interview with Junya Sato biographers Masaaki Nomura and Tatsuya Masuto in which they discuss the production of Manhunt, the unique qualities of director Junya Sato, how this film factors into his career, and more.
Stills Gallery
Original Theatrical Trailer (3:21)
Text Essays
- “Scaling The (Great) Wall to Freedom” by James Marsh
- “Believing in Ken Takakura” by Earl Jackson

Final Thoughts

Manhunt takes the familiar man-on-the-run subgenre and pushes it into intriguing directions that make it feel less derivative than you might anticipate. Junya Sato brings patience to this story, allowing the scale to escalate naturally as our lead attempts to survive various encounters. When the film brings in more sci-fi elements, you are instantly left considering numerous possibilities that were nowhere on your radar. It all might fly off the rails if not for the steady performance from the great Ken Takakura, who brings a sense of nobility to this genre picture. It is a fun time that is an easy recommendation to most audiences. Toy Robot Video has released a Blu-Ray featuring a fantastic A/V presentation and a rich assortment of supplements. Recommended

Manhunt is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Toy Robot Video has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.