Adapted from the action manga by Ikki Kajiwara, the Bodyguard Kiba movies were another series in a long line which were starring vehicles for arguably the most charismatic actor on Japan at the time, one Shinichi “Sonny” Chiba. Having made a steady stream of movies since 1959 for TOEI, working […]
Sonny Chiba
Yakuza Wolf I & II (1972) A Snapshot of a World long gone, Oozing Cool (Review)
20 Movies for Japanuray
Between Social Media and Marketing agencies, Japanuary is one of these traditions that happen every year, in which people portmanteau months to programme month long sessions into a particular movement – or, in this case, national cinema – into their cinematic diet. Giallo January is another common theme that people […]
The Fall of Ako Castle (1978) Fukusaku gives Historical Epic the Yakuza Papers treatment (Review)
On January 31st 1703, 47 Ronin committed seppuku (ritualistic suicide) having enacted revenge for the death of their master. Their feats of bravery, honour, loyalty and resolve have become the stuff of legend. It is woven into the very fabric of Japanese society and is heralded as the ultimate display […]
Samurai Reincarnation (1981) – Theatrical bombast meets relevant messages (Review)
Adapting Futaro Yamada’s 1967 novel, Samurai Reincarnation, writer/director Kinji Fukasaku crafts a historical fantasy which begins over 350 years ago following the Shimabara Rebellion. A revolt led to thousands of Christians being slaughtered by the Tokugawa regime, as horrifically conveyed within a display of severed heads – with many split […]
The Bullet Train (1975)A Measured Disaster Movie that Captured the Mood of the 70s (Review)
The Street Fighter Trilogy (1974) Kicks, Quips and Boatload of Cool (Review)
The Executioner Collection (1974) Sonny Chiba’s Lucky Stars (Review)
Japanese cinema carries with it a certain gravitas in the minds of many. It evokes images of great chivalry (Seven Samurai), dreams and heartbreak (Ikiru), honour and justice (Hara-Kiri) and the importance of family (Tokyo Story). Names such as Akira Kurosawa, Kenji Mizoguchi and Yasujirō Ozu loom large over its […]
Sister Street Fighter (1974): Stealth Feminist Exploitation Icon? (Review)
Doberman Cop (1977) A peculiar Sonny Chiba character in an endlessly odd police thriller (Review)
Once upon a time, it was instantly apparent when a film was based on a comic or graphic novel as those films concerned themselves with the super-powered and the otherworldly, then around the mid-1990s there was a paradigm shift and the nature of these titles became indistinguishable from the more […]