Get ready for some of the wildest action films from the impressive legacy of Sonny Chiba! This box set comprises just a small collection from his incredibly successful career. Some of these films are making their North America Blu-ray debut. Shinichi “Sonny” Chiba will be greatly missed by his legion of fans. The “Street Fighter” will live on forever!
DISC ONE:
YAKUZA WOLF: I PERFORM MURDER – In this riveting Western, a vengeful man is after the Japanese yakuza for killing his boss and selling his sister into slavery. This exciting thrill-ride is “one of Chiba’s most enjoyable films” (Chris D., Guns And Swords).
YAKUZA WOLF 2: EXTEND MY CONDOLENCES – In this fantastic sequel, Chiba is sent to prison after being betrayed by a yakuza underboss. Once out, he looks to get his revenge in this exciting film directed by Buichi Saito (Lone Wolf And Cub: Baby Cart In Peril).
DISC TWO:
BODYGUARD KIBA – Based on the anime by Ikki Kajiwara, Bodyguard Kiba follows a martial arts fighter (Sonny Chiba) who takes on the yakuza. This film was released in the US theatrically as The Bodyguard with the slogan “Viva Chiba!”
BODYGUARD KIBA 2 – This terrific sequel opens with our hero in prison. Upon his release, he takes a bodyguard position at a nightclub … and his new employer ends up being the one who had him imprisoned!
DISC THREE:
SHOGUN’S SHADOW – A young man on a journey to Edo to mark his passage to manhood is accompanied by seven master samurai charged with getting him there safely … against the wishes of a powerful shogunate.
SAMURAI REINCARNATION – When a resurrected demon assembles a team of undead samurai warriors to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate, only one person can defeat them: Jubei Yagyu (Sonny Chiba).
DISC FOUR:
SWORDS OF VENGEANCE – Director Kinji Fukasaku (Battle Royale, The Yakuza Papers) teams up with Sonny Chiba to present a daring and violent version of Japan’s most epic myth, “The 47 Loyal Retainers.”
For thoughts on The Sonny Chiba Collection, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
The Sonny Chiba Collection comes to Blu-Ray with seven films spread over four discs. These films share a lot of the same qualities, so I will mostly be judging them in groups while pointing out noticeable differences when necessary. All seven films have been presented in their original aspect ratios in their original and complete forms. While the exact source of these masters from Toei is unclear, there is no question that these are modern HD masters and not an upscale from the DVD era. The first two discs in the set contain the two Yakuza Wolf films and the two Bodyguard Kiba films, respectively, which are both on the shorter side and allow for solid compression. This third disc with Shogun’s Shadow and Samurai Reincarnation beef up the runtimes a bit, but even still the disc avoids unsightly compression artifacts. Overall, these transfers represent a very strong effort in terms of quality. The quality hovers in the “very good” range throughout with each film looking the best they ever have.
Color saturation proves to be one of the most stable elements throughout this set with the palette suffused with vibrant colors as much as you might wish. The temperature can vary just a bit at times, but never so much that it is a dealbreaker. The level of fine detail in background elements will leave you stunned at some points, as longtime fans of these films have likely never seen them looking so good. One need only to look at some of the ridges of the clothing in Swords of Vengeance to see the uptick. There are minor moments where the level of clarity dips just a bit, but this could likely be chalked up to how the film was originally captured or the state of the source elements.
There is very little in the way of wear and tear, and the films do not really exhibit any chunky compression artifacts. The natural film grain does not appear to have been managed in any way, and it remains pretty consistent without it appearing frozen or swarming in large amounts. Black levels are decent but could likely be improved to offer deeper shadow detail. This is especially true of the darker, more moody environments of the Yakuza Wolf films which finds many people being attacked in or emerging from shadows. White levels do not appear to succumb to any blooming, especially in the brighter period pieces on the last two discs. Even with some slight criticisms, these transfers are so much better than they ever have been. Having brand-new restorations for all of them would have been even better, but Shout! Factory has done some solid work with this collection of thrilling films.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray set presents all the films with DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio Mono tracks in the original Japanese. Dialogue is clear and easily distinguishable throughout this set of films. These films are often accompanied by some strong sound effects in the mix that thankfully do not get muddled. The score maintains a pleasing fidelity among these titles, although there are a few instances of age-related wear and tear at the highest amplitudes. All the films included in this set have optional English subtitles provided. These films might not be as powerful as modern action blockbusters, but they remain true to their original creative intent. Shout! Factory has handled these with as much care as the source will allow.
Special Features
- Interview with Actor Sonny Chiba: A 27-minute interview with Chiba in which he discusses his career and background in martial arts, his work in the Street Fighter films, his reasons for not using a stuntman, working on Kill Bill and more.
- Trailers
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- Yakuza Wolf: I Perform Murder (2:35)
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- Yakuza Wolf 2: Extend My Condolences (2:44)
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- Bodyguard Kiba (2:42)
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- Shogun’s Shadow (3:14)
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- Samurai Reincarnation (3:02)
Final Thoughts
The Sonny Chiba Collection is an incredible dive into the world of one of the most formidable Japanese film stars who has always deserved even more recognition than he has gotten. These seven films offer a good cross-section of his career from the period epics to supernatural-tinged showdowns to grimy modern gangster pictures. Not all of the films represent an A+ effort, but every one of them remains worth exploring and will prove to be a favorite of different segments of the audience. Even watching these films back-to-back you are offered enough variety that you will not get completely burnt out if you choose to indulge. Shout! Factory has bundled these seven films together into a Blu-Ray collection featuring an admirable A/V presentation but not too much in the way of special features. We can only hope a Volume 2 is on the way with even more hard-hitting fun! Highly Recommended
The Sonny Chiba Collection 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: Shout! Factory has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.