Constructed in the late nineteenth century to house political prisoners, Japan’s infamous Abashiri Prison served as the inspiration for a popular and prolific run of yakuza movies released between 1965 and 1972. The Masters of Cinema series is proud to present the first three entries in this landmark series, directed by the “King of Cult” Teruo Ishii (Shogun’s Joy of Torture) and starring a titan of Japanese genre cinema, Ken Takakura (The Bullet Train).

In Abashiri Prison, Takakura stars as Shinichi Tachibana, a yakuza sent to Abashiri as punishment for an attack on a rival gangster. He intends to serve his time as a model prisoner until he is shackled to the bullish Gonzo Gonda (Kōji Nanbara), unwittingly roped into an escape attempt orchestrated by Heizo Yoda (Tōru Abe) and forced to face the frozen wilderness of Hokkaidō. In Another Abashiri Prison Story, Tachibana has just been released when he stumbles across a stash of diamonds recently stolen in a bank heist – and attracts unwanted attention from criminals and cops alike. Finally, in Abashiri Prison: Saga of Homesickness, Tachibana reunites with his former yakuza associates, who are trying to go straight. That is, at least, until old rivals come looking for trouble…

Ken Takakura would reprise the role of Tachibana in another seven films under the Abashiri Prison banner – all of them helmed by Teruo Ishii – before the series was rebooted as New Abashiri Prison in 1968, leading to a further eight installments with Takakura in the lead. It all began with these early entries, presented here for the first time ever on Blu-ray from brand new restorations of the original film elements by Toei.

For thoughts on Prison Walls: Abashiri Prison I-III, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required:

Video Quality

Abashiri Prison I-III debut on Blu-Ray domestically courtesy of Eureka Entertainment with new restorations of the original film elements supplied by Toei. When dealing with a company like Toei, Eureka can only present what they are given to its fullest potential. The Japanese company has made some missteps in the past, but they largely have been conducting some pretty impressive restorations over the last decade specifically. These three restorations thankfully look really good. These films were released within months of one another and share numerous overlapping qualities, so they will be discussed as a group with any notable differences pointed out. The new transfers maintain a lovely sheen of natural film grain which resolves consistently with no unsightly clumping or swarming spotted.

The most obvious difference between these films is that Abashiri Prison is shot in luminous black-and-white while the two sequels transition to color. The black-and-white photography holds up with impressive contrast in the prison and on the mountainside with stable highlights and no exceptional instances of black crush. Even shadowy moments present some favorable depth to the image. The color photography showcases some lovely hues that never seem oversaturated or washed out. Consistency is the name of the game, and each transfer preserves the natural aesthetic in a way that works so well. Minor softness in the original photography is present, but there is not much to complain about outside of some minor specks of damage. There is a great detail revealed for the first time in the costumes, weaponry, and natural environments. Eureka Entertainment has brought some great films to life again in ideal quality.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray set comes with an LPCM 2.0 mono track for each film. The tracks are presented in the original Japanese (with optional English subtitles) and brought to life on these discs with great delicacy and nuance. Dialogue shows subtle signs of age, but it remains firm with clarity and no egregious signs of damage or distortion. Exchanges never get drowned out by the sound effects or the score. Environmental sounds provide texture to the world both in expanses of nature and bustling cities. The scores created for these three features emanate without serious signs of age or weakness. Every element shows up with good fidelity and little in the way of age-related wear and tear. Eureka Entertainment has done a nice job with this set.

Special Features

The first-pressing of the Eureka Entertainment Blu-Ray box set of Prison Walls: Abashiri Prison I-III includes a 24-page booklet featuring new writing by Mark Schilling which offers terrific insights into the series. The on-disc special features are as follows:

Abashiri Prison Commentary Track: Film Historian Tom Mes provides a commentary track that delves into the history of the Abashiri Prison series, the state of the Japanese film industry of the time, the inspiration for this narrative outing, the background of the performers, the legacy of the film, and more.

Abashiri Prison II Commentary Track: Film Historian and Author Chris Poggiali provides a commentary track that explores the surprise success of the first film, the transition to color, the hit song that emerged from the series, the background of the filmmaker and performers, returning faces to the story, the workflow of Toei, and more.

Abashiri Prison III Commentary Track: Action film experts Mike Leeder & Arne Venema provide one final entertaining commentary track in which they discuss where this falls within the series, how this works as a better follow-up to the first film, the dated elements of the film, the themes of the narrative, and more.

Break Out – Jasper Sharp & Mark Schilling Discuss Abashiri Prison: A nearly 30-minute piece with the two film historians discussing the legacy of this franchise, the unexpected success of the first film, the wonky continuity between the films, the performers in the picture, the location shooting, and more.

Interview with Tony Rayns: A 31-minute interview with the film expert in which he discusses this epic franchise, where this fits into Toei’s history, how this series went beyond what television could offer, and more.

Trailers: This disc provides trailers for Abashiri Prison (2:45), Abashiri Prison II (2:50), and Abashiri Prison III (2:21).

Final Thoughts

Prison Walls: Abashiri Prison I-III is a really cool start to this legendary crime series that offers great variety from picture to picture. Ken Takakura does an excellent job of leading the series, and there is plenty of additional exciting talent to be found throughout. The first film is our favorite, but there is not a major disappointment in the bunch. We had no idea this series existed until this year, and now we pray this series can continue in future installments with how much fun we had here. Eureka Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray set featuring a strong A/V presentation and some worthwhile special features. If you want some engaging criminal outings, this should not be missed. Highly Recommended

Prison Walls: Abashiri Prison I-III 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: Eureka Entertainment 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.