‘Tokijiro: Lone Yakuza’ Blu-Ray Review – A Violent Clash Between Morality & Obligation

Weary of the rigid codes of the underworld, gambler Tokijiro (Kinnosuke Nakamura, Goyokin) wanders Japan in search of freedom. But escape proves to be impossible when an obligation to a gang boss leaves him with no choice but to kill a man. To atone for his crime, he vows to take care of his victim’s widow and young son. But the gang won’t rest until they’ve killed the entire family – including the man who stands in their way. With this breathtakingly stylised film, Tai Kato broke all the conventions of the yakuza genre, fusing blood-spurting action with melodrama worthy of Japanese cinema’s greatest masters.

For thoughts on Tokijiro: Lone Yakuza, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required: 

Video Quality

Tokijiro: Lone Yakuza comes to Blu-Ray courtesy of Radiance Films sourced from a fetching HD master provided by Toei in the original 2.35:1. There is no major damage to be found in this presentation with only fleeting instances of dirt and specks remaining in the image. Colors saturate the screen quite well despite the lack of vibrant hues in the costumes and production design. Black levels are in good shape with some favorable depth to the image. The transfer delivers a consistent, natural grain structure that retains the filmic look of the picture and brings out a wealth of details in the background. Some shots display a slight bit of softness, but these are very minor at worst. Radiance Films keeps rescuing gems from Japan for western audiences. 

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray comes with an LPCM 2.0 mono track in the original Japanese (with optional English subtitles). The film has moments of conflict, but the action never amounts to a bustling affair. This is more of a dialogue-driven narrative even though the protagonist is not particularly loquacious. All words come through clearly without getting overshadowed by environmental effects or the score. The film affords a few elements that lend a bit of texture to the mix. The score comes through decently in tandem with the competing sounds. Everything is presented ideally with pleasing fidelity and only discrete amounts of hiss and distortion in the peaks. This is a good presentation from Radiance Films 

Special Features

The first pressing of the Radiance Films Blu-Ray of Tokijiro: Lone Yakuza includes a booklet featuring new writing by scholar Ivo Smits and a newly translated archival review. These provide a great examination of the film. The on-disc special features are as follows: 

• Koushi Ueno: A 17-minute piece from film critic Koushi Ueno in which he gives some background to the career of Tai Kato, the unique thematic qualities of his work, the legacy of Tokijiro: Lone Yakuza, how it fits within Japanese cinema, and more. 

• Young Master: An 18-minute visual essay by Japanese cinema expert Robin Gatto in which he discusses the legacy and history of star Kinnosuke Nakamura, his family’s presence in film, his relationship with other major performers, and more. 

• Trailer: The minute-and-a-half-long trailer is provided here. 

Final Thoughts

Tokijiro: Lone Yakuza is another strong effort from Tai Kato that takes familiar narrative beats and twists them into something unique and strangely beautiful given the violence at hand. The movie is structured to keep you glued to the screen at all times with emotional character beats and tough moral choices. The performances are great with a particularly noteworthy turn from Kinnosuke Nakamura. Radiance Films has released a Blu-Ray featuring a terrific A/V presentation and a couple of nice special features. If you are a fan of Japanese cinema, Radiance is one of the top labels in the game right now. Recommended 

Tokijiro: Lone Yakuza will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray on August 27, 2024. 

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

Disclaimer: Radiance Films 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.