Overview: Academy Award winner Clint Eastwood stars as no-holds-barred San Francisco cop Dirty Harry Callahan in this action thriller that began an action franchise.

When detective Harry Callahan is assigned to pay extortion money to a serial murderer, the payoff goes wrong. Now with the life of a 14-year-old girl at stake, Callahan refuses to allow anything--including the law--to keep him from stopping the killer.

The film is directed by Don Siegel. The screenplay is by Harry Julian Fink, R.M. Fink, and Dean Riesner from a story by Harry Julian Fink and R.M. Fink. The film is produced by Don Siegel. Dirty Harry stars Clint Eastwood, Andy Robinson, Harry Guardino, Reni Santoni, and John Vernon.

Three films from legendary filmmaker Clint Eastwood – Dirty Harry, The Outlaw Josie Wales and Pale Rider (40th anniversary), will be released for the first time on 4K Ultra HD and Digital on April 29th, 2025.

4K UHD Blu-ray Verdict: Warner Bros. Entertainment is expanding their 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray catalog offerings this month with the release of the much beloved Dirty Harry (4K Ultra HD + Digital) in the expansive 4K Ultra HD video format this April 29th, 2025.

For my money, this Dirty Harry (4K Ultra HD + Digital) sharpness takes a fairly large step forward from others in their 4K Ultra HD catalog and even comes with HDR (High Dynamic Range) for the complete 4K Ultra HD experience, of course.

So, what we have is Dirty Harry presented to us as a one-disc with a sheet for a Digital HD Copy. Other stand out points you should know are: Codec: HEVC / H.265, Resolution: Native 4K (2160p), HDR: HDR10, Aspect ratio: 2.40:1 and Original Aspect ratio: 2.39:1.

Featuring Dolby Vision and HDR10 for brighter, deeper, and way more lifelike colors, as with most all 4K UHDs, everything that we watch features these qualities - but somehow, this film gloriously shines within them all.

Noticeably crisp with the overall clarity receiving an obvious boost here on this release, what is more is that it is enjoyably noticeable. For as well as some new nuances to the somewhat drab palette courtesy of Dolby Vision, we also get to witness sudden bright pops of color, which makes the eyes draw in, for sure.

One of those moments is Clint Eastwood’s daring bus roof stunt which exemplifies his commitment to performing his own stunts, adding an extra layer of authenticity and excitement to the film. As Scorpio hijacks the bus and speeds under the bridge, Callahan’s decision to jump onto the vehicle’s roof, despite the inherent dangers, displays Eastwood’s willingness to push the boundaries of his physicality for the sake of the scene.

The fact that Eastwood performed this stunt himself without the use of a stand-in shows his dedication and fearlessness as an actor.

As for the audio, well we get the plentiful choice of: English: Dolby Atmos, English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 and English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono.

Overall, this is a very strong 4K HDR Blu-ray presentation, and, for the most part, the audio track remains fairly similar to its DTS-HD counterpart; with much of the action occupying the surrounds with outstanding directionality and placement where effects flawlessly pan between the sides and rears.

As for the film itself, well, the film opens with a shot of a memorial wall in praise of the San Francisco Police officers who lost their lives in the line of duty, a SFPD badge is prominent as the camera scrolls down the ream of names on the wall.

Cut to a rooftop sniper shooting a girl taking a swim in a swimming pool, cut to the coolest looking cop you have ever seen making his way to the rooftop scene, he stands and surveys the whole of the San Francisco bay area, this is, his area, and we know we are in for a very special film indeed.

Dirty Harry is now something of an institution, the film that pushed the boundaries of cops Vs bad guys movies, some of the films dialogue became part of modern day speak, and the film that propelled Clint Eastwood into the stratosphere of super stardom.

Often wrongly tagged as a fascist film, I think it’s more a cynical look at the rights of criminals because Harry is everyone who has ever been a victim of crime, he will do what it takes to take down the criminals festering in society, you break the law and Harry will get you any way he can.

Here Harry is on the trail of Scorpio, a ruthless sniper killing at random, Scorpio kidnaps a teenage girl and demands $200.000 from the city or she will die in the hole he has her buried in. Harry is just the man for the job of delivery boy and this sets the wheels in motion for what becomes a personal crusade for Harry to take Scorpio down at all costs.

Director Don Siegel crafts a masterpiece here, creating a western within the big city landscape, the pace is energetic at times yet reeling itself in to provide genuine suspense when needed. Siegel should also be praised for sticking by Andy Robinson as Scorpio for it’s an insanely great performance from him, but it might never had happened since Robinson was petrified of guns, but Siegel stood by him and coaxed him thru it.

The result is a maniacal turn that scares and amuses in equal measure, witness his mad singing during a bus kidnap scene, you won’t know whether to laugh or be afraid.

Yet as good as Robinson is, he gives way to a seamless piece of magnificence from Eastwood as Harry Callahan, note perfect and enthusing the role with the right amount of dynamic cool and gusto, it’s no surprise that the character became a cinematic legend after such a great acting performance.

Finally I must mention the wonderful score from Lalo Schifrin, jazz/electro/beat combinations segue perfectly into each scene with maximum impact to cap off one of the finest films of the 70’s, and if you don’t believe me then you go argue with Harry!

Dirty Harry 4K Ultra HD contains the following new and previously released special features:
• Commentary by Richard Schickel
• Generations and Dirty Harry - NEW
• Lensing Justice: The Cinematography of Dirty Harry - NEW
• American Masters Career Retrospective: Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows
• Clint Eastwood: The Man from Malpaso
• Clint Eastwood: A Cinematic Legacy – Fighting for Justice
• Interview Gallery
Patricia Clarkson
Joel Cox
Clint Eastwood
Hal Holbrook
Evan Kim
John Milius
Ted Post
Andy Robinson
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Robert Urich
• Dirty Harry’s Way
• Dirty Harry: The Original

Overview: Academy Award winner Clint Eastwood stars in and directs this fast-paced Western about the fight for vengeance by a Missouri farmer whose family is murdered in the last days of the United States’ Civil War.

The film is directed by Clint Eastwood. The screenplay is by Phil Kaufman and Sonia Chernus and is based on the novel “Gone to Texas” by Forrest Carter. The film is produced by Robert Daly. The Outlaw Josie Wales stars Clint Eastwood, Chief Dan George, Sondra Locke, Bill McKinney, and John Vernon.

Three films from legendary filmmaker Clint Eastwood – Dirty Harry, The Outlaw Josie Wales and Pale Rider (40th anniversary), will be released for the first time on 4K Ultra HD and Digital on April 29th, 2025.

4K UHD Blu-ray Verdict: Warner Bros. Entertainment is expanding their 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray catalog offerings this month with the release of the much beloved The Outlaw Josey Wales (4K Ultra HD + Digital) in the expansive 4K Ultra HD video format this April 29th, 2025.

For my money, this The Outlaw Josey Wales (4K Ultra HD + Digital) sharpness takes a fairly large step forward from others in their 4K Ultra HD catalog and even comes with HDR (High Dynamic Range) for the complete 4K Ultra HD experience, of course.

So, what we have is The Outlaw Josey Wales presented to us as a one-disc with a sheet for a Digital HD Copy. Other stand out points you should know are: Codec: HEVC / H.265 (67.31 Mbps), Resolution: Native 4K (2160p), HDR: HDR10, Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 and Original Aspect ratio: 2.39:1.

Featuring Dolby Vision and HDR10 for brighter, deeper, and way more lifelike colors, as with most all 4K UHDs, everything that we watch features these qualities - but somehow, this film gloriously shines within them all.

Noticeably crisp with the overall clarity receiving an obvious boost here on this release, what is more is that it is enjoyably noticeable. For as well as some new nuances to the somewhat drab palette courtesy of Dolby Vision, we also get to witness sudden bright pops of color, which makes the eyes draw in, for sure.

One of those moments is also one of the coolest moments I have ever seen in movie history and is when they got their horses playing dead hidden in the trees before they ambush Wayde Morrow and his sidekick. The way they mount the horses instantly as they get up is just badass!

As for the audio, well we get the plentiful choice of: English: Dolby Atmos, English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit), English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit), Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 (320 kbps) and French: Dolby Digital 2.0 (320 kbps).

Overall, this is a very strong 4K HDR Blu-ray presentation, and, for the most part, the audio track remains fairly similar to its DTS-HD counterpart; with much of the action occupying the surrounds with outstanding directionality and placement where effects flawlessly pan between the sides and rears.

As for the film itself, well, the Western Genre has been good to Clint Eastwood, making him a star. He has also been good back to that genre, making one of the greatest Westerns ever, Unforgiven. The Outlaw Josey Wales was also the Western that gave Clint Eastwood his big break as a director, showing what he is capable as a filmmaker.

Josey Wales (Clint Eastwood) is a peaceful farmer who is ends up joining the Confederate guerrillas when his wife and son are murdered by a band of Union soldier known as the Redlegs. When the war is over, Josey refuses to surrender with the rest of his band to the Union who are betrayed by the Union commander, Terrill (Bill McKinney).

Soon a price is put on Josey’s head, with every bounty hunter, rebel, criminal and huntsman wanting him. But Josey meets allies on the way as he looks to settle for a peaceful life.

1976 was a great year for film because of the releases of the likes of Taxi Driver, Rocky, Network and All the President’s Men. The Outlaw Josey Wales can easily stand along side them. Eastwood directs at a brisk pace but still letting us into this tough world and get to know the characters as the embark on their odyssey.

The landscapes are rough and tough; you would need to very resourceful to survive. The picture is complex because they are many different factors: there are rebels still fighting the Union; The Union is on the hunt for these people; There are ex-soldiers who become bounty hunters because the war is over and different Native American tribes who have different allegiances.

There are some clear influences from Sergio Leone, from the color pallet, the way the action was shot and handled and the use of close up on the eyes. The final action scene reminded me of Zulu because of the shooting from the house, whether that is deliberate or by accident I do not know, but reference Zulu is of course always good. It is both an entertaining and thoughtful film.

At the beginning Eastwood shows a vulnerable side in the beginning of the film which is rare and very well done before delivering a character that embodied his Man With No Name character, a tough rogue but despite his demons is a decent man. John Vernon plays an interesting character in the form of Fletcher because he is a reluctant villain, forced to work with the bad guys and knows it is either him or Josey.

He was a more complex character and more sympathetic. The acting throughout is strong, there is complex characterization and characters do actually change during the course of the film.

The Outlaw Josey Wales 4K Ultra HD contains the following new and previously released special features:
• Commentary by Richard Schickel
• An Outlaw and an Antihero - NEW
• The Cinematography of and Outlaw: Crafting Josie Wales - NEW
• Clint Eastwood’s West
• Eastwood in Action
• Hell Hath No Fury: The Making of The Outlaw Josie Wales
• Clint Eastwood: A Cinematic Legacy – Reinventing the West

Overview: With 1985’s Pale Rider, Clint Eastwood returned to the western genre with a vengeance as the movie became the highest grossing western of that decade.

Eastwood, who also directed the hit film, plays a nameless stranger who rides into a small California gold rush town (and becomes known as the Preacher) where he finds himself in the middle of a feud between a mining syndicate and a group of independent prospectors.

The film is produced and directed by Clint Eastwood and written by Michael Butler and Dennis Shryack. The film stars Clint Eastwood, Michael Moriarty, Carrie Snodgress, Christopher Penn, Richard Dysart, Sydney Penny, Richard Kiel, Doug McGrath, and John Russell.

Three films from legendary filmmaker Clint Eastwood – Dirty Harry, The Outlaw Josie Wales and Pale Rider (40th anniversary), will be released for the first time on 4K Ultra HD and Digital on April 29th, 2025.

4K UHD Blu-ray Verdict: Warner Bros. Entertainment is expanding their 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray catalog offerings this month with the release of the much beloved Pale Rider (4K Ultra HD + Digital) in the expansive 4K Ultra HD video format this April 29th, 2025.

For my money, this Pale Rider (4K Ultra HD + Digital) sharpness takes a fairly large step forward from others in their 4K Ultra HD catalog and even comes with HDR (High Dynamic Range) for the complete 4K Ultra HD experience, of course.

So, what we have is Pale Rider presented to us as a one-disc with a sheet for a Digital HD Copy. Other stand out points you should know are: Codec: HEVC / H.265 (67.85 Mbps), Resolution: Native 4K (2160p), HDR: HDR10 and Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1.

Featuring Dolby Vision and HDR10 for brighter, deeper, and way more lifelike colors, as with most all 4K UHDs, everything that we watch features these qualities - but somehow, this film gloriously shines within them all.

Noticeably crisp with the overall clarity receiving an obvious boost here on this release, what is more is that it is enjoyably noticeable. For as well as some new nuances to the somewhat drab palette courtesy of Dolby Vision, we also get to witness sudden bright pops of color, which makes the eyes draw in, for sure.

One of those moments is one I will call The Face Of Death scene. My goodness, no one gets as much out of a scene with a long look, a slight nod of the head or a one word speech, as Eastwood can. Very clever, deft acting by the underrated Clint.

Director John Russell turns the gunfight in the film into something very special, as he has a thrilling presence that contrasts Eastwood’s calm, subtle style.

As for the audio, well we get the plentiful choice of: English: Dolby Atmos English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono, French: Dolby Digital 2.0 (320 kbps) and Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 (320 kbps).

Overall, this is a very strong 4K HDR Blu-ray presentation, and, for the most part, the audio track remains fairly similar to its DTS-HD counterpart; with much of the action occupying the surrounds with outstanding directionality and placement where effects flawlessly pan between the sides and rears.

As for the film itself, well, as noted, Clint Eastwood plays the mysterious preacher who protects a humble prospector village from a greedy mining company trying to encroach on their land.

With the film’s religious themes, let me recite the famous quote: And I looked, and behold a pale horse, and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. The reading of the biblical passage explains how Eastwood’s character is death, how his sudden appearance was as a result of a prayer from Megan, in which she quoted Psalm 23.

Thus making Eastwood’s character a savior for the prospector village which is almost too good and kind-hearted, but giving us the perspective of the so-called bad guys, it fleshes out the movie and makes it more interesting.

I don’t remember much about this film when my father showed it to me back when I was young, so I’m going in older and more appreciation of Clint Eastwood’s work, especially now this wondrous 4K UHD has arrived for review.

Pale Rider is a great western and after a time when westerns were neither critically acclaimed or made box office, Clint Eastwood returned to the genre with a western that has some incredible direction and also some good themes. Unlike his earlier movies, Eastwood first selected this movie’s theme and then commissioned a screenplay to be written.

Personally, I think the themes in Pale Rider are excellent. Eastwood also produced it whilst Michael Butler and Dennis Shryack wrote the screenplay and story, and thus while I don’t think the script is the best part of the movie, the flaws that exist are tolerable thanks to the visual storytelling and direction done by Eastwood.

The dialogue can be average at times and some of the writing is quite average, but mostly good which means that Pale Rider is a terrific western and a true classic. Visually it’s stunning to look at with some fantastic cinematography with locations ranging from gold aspens to snow-capped mountains.

However, it may sound colorful, but it’s not, as it’s dark and gritty and slow in its pacing. It’s slow in a good way allowing the tension to grow, which just goes to show how great and intelligent the filmmaker truly is.

In closing, I am very grateful Eastwood made this movie, as it most likely saved the western genre. It’s more character driven than action driven, with lots of dialogue heavy scene and drama to be seen. Pale Rider is a western made for adults by an actor who decided to make the western he wanted to make. And thus Pale Rider is also a fine addition to Clint Eastwood’s filmography.

Pale Rider 4K Ultra HD contains the following new and previously released special features:
• The Diary of Sydney Penny: Lessons from the Set - NEW
• Painting the Preacher: Bruce Surtees and Pale Rider - NEW
• Clint Eastwood: A Cinematic Legacy – Reinventing Westerns
• Eastwood Directs: The Untold Story
• The Eastwood Factor

Overview: In the 1960’s, a cycle of crime films -or krimis- became hugely popular with West German audiences. Adapted from works by the British crime writer Edgar Wallace and his son Bryan Edgar Wallace, they combined the traditional murder mystery with horror as they depicted enigmatic killers stalking their victims through foggy English landscapes - from the streets of London to isolated rural mansions.

Following the early success of the cycle after the release of Face of the Frog and The Crimson Circle, veteran producer Artur Brauner launched into his own series of Wallace krimis with his company CCC Film. Presented here are five key films drawn from CCC’s krimi cycle.

In The Curse of the Yellow Snake, a mysterious cult wishes to lay its hands on an ancient artefact that has been brought to London from Hong Kong. The Strangler of Blackmoor Castle sees a masked murderer stalk the grounds of a vast British estate - one who brands his victims’ foreheads with the letter M. London is faced with dual threats in The Mad Executioners, as a gang of hooded vigilantes roams the streets while a sadistic serial killer is on the loose.

Jack the Ripper lives on in The Monster of London City, as a series of brutal murders brings panic to the British capital. Finally, in The Racetrack Murders (or The Seventh Victim), people are dropping like flies in and around a stately home - and the murders might just have something to do with the owner’s prized racehorse.

With its masked killers, labyrinthine plots and gothic atmosphere, the Wallace krimi blended crime, thriller and horror elements into a potent mix that had a significant influence on both the Italian giallo and the American slasher film.

The Masters of Cinema series is proud to present five of Artur Brauner’s Wallace adaptations for the first time on Blu-ray in the US from new restorations provided by CCC Film, alongside a wealth of special features - including a bonus film presented in standard definition, The Phantom of Soho.

Blu-ray Verdict: This brilliant new set opens on The Curse of the Yellow Snake (1963) and was director Franz Josef Gottlieb’s Edgar Wallace debut; and which he actually co-wrote. Gottlieb had only done a couple comedies and a couple musicals before taking his first of many stabs at the krimi and it does not disappoint.

The story moved quickly and had enough complexities to it to keep me engaged. I actually enjoyed the two women and that whole subplot. Werner Peters gets his best role yet, in my opinion — he really had an opportunity to show his range by the end of it.

Eddi Arent is fantastic as always, and here he plays a character literally named Eddie (Samuel Carter), which might be a very meta wink to the audience. The soundtrack was eerie and unsettlingly minimalistic. And the camerawork, well, I found it more intimate than a lot of these krimi’s have been so far.

Some shots have the camera actually step into a scene and look around from place to place. There are even a couple character POV shots, including one inside a car. But my favorite had to be the dizzying shots that track a character as they go around in circles. I’ll have to keep an eye out for these things in Gottlieb’s future movies, but all in all, he struck me as a mix of Reinl, Vohrer, and Ashley.

Along next is he Strangler of Blackmoor Castle (1963) which is a fun but ultimately mid-tier (Bryan) Edgar Wallace krimi directed by Harald Reinl. The film starts pretty strong but has a few pacing issues and confusing plot elements along the way that keep it from being one of the greats.

The cast is a bit hit and miss - we have the always lovely Karin Dor in the female lead, while actors Harry Riebauer and Hans Reiser are competing for the handsome lead without quite pulling it off, because neither of them is naturally charming or charismatic enough, sorry.

The supporting roles fare a lot better, with Walter Giller being the clear stand-out as Lord Blackmoor and Dieter Eppler giving an intense performance as the mad servant. Sadly Hans Nielsen, who is usually a great actor, doesn’t get used enough here. And while all the kills were entertaining, it’s a bit much that the titular strangler not only strangles but also beheads and marks his victim’s foreheads with an M.

Then we get The Mad Executioners (1963). With none of the regular Edgar Wallace series cast or directors on hand, and a story adapted from a story by Wallace’s son, Bryan, The Mad Executioners nevertheless leapfrogs over the films it is attempting to imitate to land as one of the best in the cycle so far.

Part of the reason is because Bryan Edgar Wallace’s stories, at their best, incorporate more modern concerns. So instead of the usual inheritance schemes, there will be drug labs or sex criminals. Here, two cases run parallel - a hooded group of executioners are kidnapping criminals, sentencing, and hanging them one by one, using a rope that was on display as an exhibit in Scotland Yard’s crime museum, which feels like a usual Edgar Wallace plot.

Meanwhile, a sex killer is kidnapping women and decapitating them, and suddenly we’ve got something a lot more modern. Hansjörg Felmy is assigned to both cases, but he really wants to crack the sex offender case, since his sister was one of the victims. His fiancé, the stunning Maria Perschy, wants to help him so badly she’s willing to be a target - never a great idea.

There’s also a goofy quick-change disguise detective named Cabby Pennypacker who dresses like a woman (among other things), played by Chris Howland. But though he’s the Eddi Arent type, because none of the leads are played by the usual cast, they all become more deeply suspect than otherwise possible.

The chief of police is played by Wolfgang Preiss, who has played Dr. Mabuse so many times that he also becomes suspect. The mock trials are occasionally hilarious - the details of some of the crimes come out of left field sometimes, especially the guy who hid his friend’s body in a museum.

There’s also a mad scientist, which should also be funny, but he isn’t, he’s terrifying. And the way he sees nothing wrong with the crimes he has committed is deeply chilling to see. This one gets the right mix of humor, inventiveness, suspense, and mystery.

The comes The Monster of London City (1964) where someone is murdering prostitutes like a modern-day Jack the Ripper while Hansjörg Felmy performs the role on stage and has blackouts at night. He tries to keep it together with the help of his doctor and friend (Dietmar Schönherr), and his girlfriend (Marianne Koch), whose father (Fritz Tillmann) is trying to shut down his play and is appealing to parliament to censor such lurid violence.

It wouldn’t be a Bryan Edgar Wallace movie if all the men who appear weren’t suspects, along with the director, the stage manager, and everyone else. I prefer murder mysteries where the victims are actually a guilty party as well, like for example the previous film in the series The Phantom of Soho, where they at least to some degree may even deserve their fates.

Here, they definitely don’t deserve it, they are just trying to live their lives. I appreciate that even though they are just random murders of women who otherwise have no relation to the plot and therefore not people we know, most of them are allowed brief moments beforehand that humanizes them. One girl is wolfing down a sandwich on a fire escape, for example, before she hears someone coming and straightens up to try to look appealing.

Another is in a working-class apartment, a young child playing on the stairs nearby whom she is friendly with. By the end, it’s impossible to have any sympathy for the killer at all. Meanwhile a working-class couple, Betty and Teddy, decide they are going to solve the mystery themselves, and provide a fresh kind of comic relief as they end up wrecking a couple performances of the play in their determination.

Finally we get The Racetrack Murders (1964) where after two slasher films, the Bryan Edgar Wallace series goes back to its roots for its last entry of the sixties, an inheritance scheme in which everyone is getting murdered one by one. A gangster is putting pressure on the owner of Satan, the fastest horse, to throw the race.

It’s all done by the numbers but there is something comforting to watch the familiar story beats, and it’s still a mystery as to who done it and why right up until the end. In the opening 10 minutes you meet about a dozen characters, and they are all bastards you’re pretty sure could murder someone in a heartbeat.

There’s Walter Rilla as the rich and stern family patriarch, Hans Neilson as the good reverend who is insistent on a substantial donation to his parish, Harry Riebauer as the veterinarian who gives dubious injections. The beautiful Ann Smyrner is the girl mixed up in it all, and Hansjörg Felmy the detective.

In truth, this is probably my favorite of Felmy’s performances so far, pretending to be an artist looking for inspiration with his dietary consultant nurse (the very funny Trude Herr), a rare comedic role for a woman in this series. But if there’s a reason to go back for a re-watch here on this new blu-ray it would be for Anneli Sauli, playing a nightclub girl at The Silver Whip and the gangster’s moll.

She’s got a dress so sexy even Riebauer can’t resist sticking his hand in, for which he doesn’t even get a slap (but he should have).The Rialto Edgar Wallace series continued in 1965, all the way up into the 70’s. But the copycat series all ended in 1964. The Edgar Wallace films captured the zeitgeist of the early sixties in Germany, and everyone wanted to copy it.

Bonus Features:
Limited Edition of 2000 copies
Limited edition hardbound slipcase featuring new artwork by Poochamin
Limited edition 60-page collector’s book featuring a new introduction to the Wallace krimi cycle by film writer Howard Hughes, a new essay on Edgar Wallace and Bryan Edgar Wallace by crime fiction expert Barry Forshaw and new notes on each film by Holger
All five films presented in 1080p HD from 2K restorations of the original film elements undertaken by CCC Film
The Phantom of Soho (Franz Josef Gottlieb, 1964) – bonus feature (presented in SD)
Optional English subtitles, newly revised for this release
Optional English dubs for The Strangler of Blackmoor Castle, The Mad Executioners, The Monster of London City and The Phantom of Soho
New introductions to each film by genre film expert and Video Watchdog founder Tim Lucas
New audio commentaries on The Curse of the Yellow Snake and The Phantom of Soho by Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw
New audio commentaries on The Strangler of Blackmoor Castle, The Mad Executioners and The Racetrack Murders by Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby New audio commentary on The Monster of London City by Kim Newman and Stephen Jones
Bryan Edgar Wallace: An Era – new interview with Alice Brauner, producer and managing director of CCC Film and daughter of Artur Brauner
Passing the Blade – new video essay by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas exploring the influence of the Wallace krimi on the Italian giallo and American slasher film

www.eurekavideo.co.uk

Overview: In the shell-shocked, rubble-strewn wasteland of postwar Tokyo during the Allied Occupation, a group of prostitutes band to together to form a makeshift guild with the aim of pooling their resources to build a dancehall called Paradise.

As their independent existence becomes threatened by the hawkish parade of gangsters, black marketeers and would-be pimps all looking for a cut from their flesh-peddling, the discovery of an unexploded bomb in the cavernous burned-out building where they ply their trade throws their dreams into further jeopardy.

Hideo Gosha (Violent Streets, Yakuza Wives) brings a fresh eye to this oft-filmed story by Taijiro Tamura, best known from its 1964 adaptation by Seijun Suzuki, resulting in a powerful and compelling drama making its home premiere for the very first time outside of Japan courtesy of 88 Films.

Blu-ray Verdict: Lust, fascination, fear, desperation, and suffering are etched into every frame of this lush, transcendent proto-Nikkatsu Roman sexploitation flick. Simply put, it’s mountaintop melodrama!

This film only had 10 days of pre-production. That’s insane. Production designer Takeo Kimura’s sets are fantastic and the movie is gorgeous from root to fruit.

The world portrayed is theatrically rich, realistically populated, luridly humid, and desperately tumultuous. Master formalist Seijun Suzuki pivots from political rage to comedy to horror to titillation to gaudiness to high energy good vibes, yet somehow keeps complete tonal consistency. He’s a cinema sorcerer of the highest order. I short, this film is like a cross between Mizoguchi’s Street of Shame and West Side Story, with a super cynical and satirical anti-imperialist edge.

Bonus Features:
HIGH DEFINITION BLU-RAY PRESENTATION IN 1.85:1 ASPECT RATIO
ORIGINAL MONO 2.0 AUDIO WITH NEW ENGLISH SUBTITLES
ORIGINAL AND NEWLY COMMISSIONED ARTWORK BY ILAN SHEADY
STILLS GALLERY
LIMITED EDITION BOOKLET
LIMITED EDITION INDIVIDUALLY NUMBERED OBI STRIP
AUDIO COMMENTARY BY AMBER T. AND JASPER SHARP
BRAND NEW FILMED INTRODUCTION BY EARL JACKSON
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH TOEI TATTOO ARTIST SEIJI MOURI
TRAILER
TEASER

www.88-films.myshopify.com

Overview: A love story between a Suriname man (Borger Breeveld), his Dutch girlfriend (Willeke van Ammelrooy), and an Indian girl (Diana Gangaram Panday), that breaks all color, race, and religious barriers.

The last Scorpio Film, WAN PIPEL (One People) is considered Pim de la Parra (1940-2024) magnum opus and is now available for the first time on Blu-ray.

Blu-ray Verdict: Wan Pipel, or One People, is a film that reflects the painful history of Dutch colonialism through a man making a choice between two women, one who is white and lives in the Netherlands and another who is Indo-Surinamese and lives is from Suriname.

It’s a film more concerned with conveying its ideas than sometimes further establishing its characters, but it is an overall important film for the country of Suriname and that is still crafted well in many ways and stands out as the first post-colonial film from the country. There is also a really beautiful exploration of the country and its people.

Although very on-the-nose in its presentation of conflict and expository acting, it demonstrates Surinamese pride, one that seems to parade itself as reclaiming its culture in the polarities of the two male leads. This is tied in with its internal racial segregation.

It shows us the typical older generation living in the past where their cultural norm was a colonialized one - people kept to their kind but coveted what the richer man had; one being the access to higher education.

It’s a film no short of strong themes and drama that all reflect a real and common story of Caribbean people in the late 70’s. It may well be bluntly executed, but my goodness it is superbly cinematic.

Bonus Features:
New Restored 2K Transfer
Audio Commentary by film historian Lex Veerkamp and Bodil de la Parra
Introduction by Pim de la Parra (2020)
The Making of Wan Pipel (1976)
Interview with Willeke van Ammelrooy (2025) by Guido Franken
Bonus short film Aah… Tamara (1965)
Photo Gallery
Scorpio Films Trailers
New artwork design by Juan Esteban R.
Double-sided sleeve with original poster art
Slipcase

Wan Pipel (One People) Never Again [Scene] | Cult Epics

Official Purchase Link

Overview: Living at home with his mother, bachelor house painter Themroc (Michel Piccoli, Belle de Jour) leads a dull life. One day, after an unearned run-in with his boss, the usually docile Themroc rebels and dismantles his myopic world.

Made on a shoestring budget with no intelligible dialogue, Claude Faraldo’s cult taboo-busting satire about a French blue-collar worker-turned-urban caveman anarchically eviscerates mid-century labor and gender politics.

Never released on home video in the US, Themroc is both a savage commentary on the post-68 protest movement and a precursor to French extreme cinema, newly presented on Blu-ray from a 4K restoration.

Blu-ray Verdict: Themroc (Michel Piccoli) snaps under the endless repetition of daily routine, turns his apartment into a makeshift cave by smashing the wall out and starts banging his sister while his mom cries about it. What seems like an isolated incident of a severe mental break begins to spread to neighbors and soon everyone begins reverting to the state of animals in nature.

Claude Faraldo’s Themroc absurdist comedy about the breakdown of society is an interesting challenge to how we think about the existing social order. In crossing just about every line imaginable (including incest, murder and cannibalism) he implicitly contrasts how disturbing an existence without order is with the highly ordered, civilized society we exist in that represses many natural base urges. In doing so he highlights that the way we live now is perhaps also not entirely in synch with the animal humans have forgotten we are.

The editing that shows the maddening unnatural loop of Themroc’s daily routine is highly effective, cutting between coffee in the morning, the clock chiming, and the commute to work and scrambling the order until it’s all a meaningless blur. Piccoli’s performance as a modern cave man is primal, guttural, fierce and wild in a way that is entirely aligned with the completely absurd humor of the film.

He’s like a bizarre MGM monster. It’s very funny to hear him growl and throw an alarm clock from his nest through a neighbor’s window when it goes off in the. morning or to see him wander the subway tracks just yelling and howling at trains.

Themroc is a damn weird movie. It’s very funny but in an offbeat way that definitely won’t work for everyone and the lines it crosses will surely alienate a lot of viewers. But as a deconstruction of civilized society it’s solid. Sequences like a man in an office whose entire job seems to consist of sharpening pencils, breaking the tips, and sharpening again highlights the uselessness of office work.

The way people politely ignore Themroc as be sledgehammers out his wall and throws everything out is a hilarious comment on politeness and how far we tend to take it. It’s an interesting look at how we reconcile the repressed animal part of being human with the artificially acquired things that let us live in a community and how fragile the balance is.

The most disturbing observation is how vulnerable we are to herd behavior and how quickly and easily everyone follows a strong man and starts to emulate Themroc and follow him no matter how vile the things he does are (a point that resonates all the more in a world filled with rich far right wing idiots gaining political power while slack jawed morons applaud and worship them).

Bonus Features:
4K Restoration from the original negative by StudioCanal
Uncompressed mono PCM audio
Interview with critic and filmmaker David Thompson (2025)
Archival TV interview with actor Michel Piccoli and director Claude Faraldo (1973)
Interview with Manuela Lazic on Michel Piccoli (2025)
Gallery
Trailer
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sam Smith
Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Alison Smith, author of French Cinema in the 1970s The echoes of May

Official Purchase Link

Overview: After dying, coming back, taking Manhattan and dying again, Jason Voorhees is now back as a body snatcher in Jason Goes to Hell, an impossibly fun slice of campy supernatural slasher action!

Jason Voorhees is finally dead! Or is he? After being blown to smithereens in a sting operation, the infamous killer’s body is taken to the morgue in Youngstown, Ohio. But Jason can’t be killed so easily, and his still-beating heart possesses the body of the coroner performing his autopsy.

The now body-hopping Jason begins hacking and slashing his way back to his stomping ground of Crystal Lake, where his last living relatives, Diana, her daughter Jessica and her newborn baby Stephanie still reside. Only by them can he be truly killed, and only through them can he be reborn, and Jason is determined to return to full power.

Can the last remaining Voorhees’ survive long enough to finally send Jason to hell for good?

Featuring fan favorite Kane Hodder as Jason and spectacular special effects by industry legends Howard Berger, Robert Kurtzman and Greg Nicotero of KNB EFX Group, Jason Goes to Hell is a madcap entry in one of the most lasting and entertaining franchises of all time!

Blu-ray Verdict: Jason goes to Hell is indeed a stand-alone entry in the series and is a mighty fine movie. Period. Do not compare it with any instalments before or after, just appreciate it for being unique. Yes, there are themes lifted from other unrelated movies and yes, it was a departure from all the other Fridays that came before it. Oh, and yes, Jason’s return is not explained, but I think that was the best and only way to go after part VIII’s slimy sewer ending.

I don’t believe they disregarded this or took the easy way out. Rather, they clearly took a sane approach by jumping ahead and switching the focus. I’ve heard many angry fans condemn this picture, but they aren’t really seeing it in the right light (so to speak). So turn the lights off, turn off the criticism and watch it again now it is out on this brilliant 4K UHD.

Furthermore, in the beginning the homicidal hockey hiker is blown to pieces by a crack group of heavily armed cops, his body parts bagged and tagged sent off to the morgue. Sometime funnyman Richard Grant whose most known for playing the black cop in The Big Lebowski, checks in for coroner duty and quickly falls into a trance state consuming Jason’s heart raw, presumably cold.

For the rest of the movie Jason jumps in and out of bodies in search of death and destruction. Along the way a camping love-couple gets RIPPED in half, faces get smashed, and CHUNKS of human tissue go all over the place in what seems like endless gun battles. John D. LeMay who was on a show in the eighties with the same title (way different premise) plays boyfriend to local waitress with Jason genes and helps whoever he can survive the body count.

The other great part goes to Steven Williams who plays the bounty hunter Creighton Duke (awesome name) out to kill Jason for good with the aid of a ten gallon hat and an intergalactic knife. The whole movie flies by at a spitfire pace with great camera work and shooting locations.

In closing, listen to the Director’s commentary and the archival interview with Kane Hodder re: Über-Jason. Indulge in all the fantastic FX and awesome atmosphere the film offers. Shit, just watch it for Kane Hodder himself. Watch it for all the references to other horror favorites. Just make sure you watch the UNRATED version. Personally, I can’t get enough of this movie.

4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) of both the Theatrical Cut and the Unrated Cut
Original lossless stereo and DTS-HD 5.1 surround audio on both cuts
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing on both cuts
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gary Pullin
Double-sided foldout poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gary Pullin
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by JA Kerswell and original production notes

DISC ONE – THEATRICAL CUT:
Introduction to the film by director Adam Marcus
Faces of Death, a brand new interview with special make-up effects creator Robert Kurtzman
Undercover Angel, a brand new interview with actor Julie Michaels
Mixing it Up, a brand new interview with composer Harry Manfredini
The Gates of Hell, an archival interview with director Adam Marcus
Jason vs. Terminator, director Adam Marcus on growing up with the Cunninghams
Über-Jason, an archival interview with Kane Hodder on playing Jason
Additional TV footage, with optional commentary by director Adam Marcus Theatrical trailer and TV spots
Still, behind-the-scenes and poster galleries

DISC TWO – UNRATED CUT:
Brand new audio commentary with film historians Michael Felsher and Steve “Uncle Creepy” Barton
Archival audio commentary with director Adam Marcus and author Peter Bracke
Archival audio commentary with director Adam Marcus and screenwriter Dean Lorey

Official Purchase Link

Overview: It is now time for Jason Voorhees to boldly go where no serial killer has gone before in Jason X, a spectacular sci-fi twist on the Friday the 13th franchise brought to life by legendary special effects supervisor Jim Isaac (Gremlins, eXistenZ).

The year is 2455, humanity has left an overly polluted Earth for a new planet they’ve christened Earth II. A crew of scientists on an expedition to Earth I discover a research facility near Camp Crystal Lake where Jason Voorhees’ body has been cryogenically frozen.

They decide to bring him back on their spaceship, but in so doing seal their doom! As they depart once again for the furthest stars, the masked maniac awakens, ready to kill again!

With fan favorite Kane Hodder returning as Jason this time sporting a new space age look, and some of the most creative kills in all of slasherdom, Jason X is a rollicking blast from take-off to landing!

Blu-ray Verdict: The last of the original Friday the 13th series, and the least. Jason is put into deep freeze sometime in the 21st Century but gets thawed out as a scientific curiosity during a student field trip aboard a spacecraft in the far-off future.

Kane Hodder returns for his fourth and final go-round as Jason and is his usual dependable self. The idea of featuring Jase In Space sounds absurd at first, but it works within the movie because despite his surroundings, Jason himself still remains rooted in his mindless and indiscriminating killing persona; this time he just happens to be a victim trapped in a world beyond his understanding or control.

However, what really weakens this one substantially for me is that there are too many dumb jokes, and these teenagers who are supposed to be from the year 2455 still look, act, and spout dopey colloquialisms exactly like today’s dopey teenagers! The writing and dialogue in particular could have been much better.

However, a few outstanding highlights include the liquid nitrogen face death (one of the top kills in Jason history) and the humorous virtual reality sequences. At least the ending devised an interesting way to eliminate Jason once and for all.

In closing, the movie is not meant to take itself as serious as the last one, but to have fun with what they got. Its death scenes are among the best I’ve seen in a long time. My favorite of all though is the freezing head and screw, although the gore is toned down since the last one. Oh, and the relationship between the robot K-M (Lisa Ryder) and her creator Tsunaron (Chuck Campbell) is cute and funny, something missing since Jason Lives.

4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Original lossless stereo and DTS-HD 5.1 surround audio options
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Introduction to the film by actor Kane Hodder
Brand new audio commentary with film historians Michael Felsher and Steve “Uncle Creepy” Barton
Archival audio commentary with writer Todd Farmer and author Peter Bracke
Archival audio commentary with director Jim Isaac, writer Todd Farmer and producer Noel Cunningham
Scoring the Stars, a brand new interview with composer Harry Manfredini
Outta Space: The Making of Jason X, an archival documentary on the making of the film featuring interviews with producers Noel Cunningham and Sean S. Cunningham, actor Kane Hodder and writer Todd Farmer
In Space No One Can Hear You Scream, an archival interview with writer Todd Farmer
Kristi Is a Headbanger, an archival interview with actor Kristi Angus
Jason Rebooted, Sean S. Cunningham on Jason Goes to Hell and Jason X
The Many Lives of Jason Voorhees, an archival documentary on the history of the character
By Any Means Necessary: The Making of Jason X, archival making-of documentary
Cast and crew interviews
Behind-the-scenes footage
Electronic Press Kit
Theatrical trailers and TV spots
Still, behind-the-scenes and poster galleries
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gary Pullin
Double-sided foldout poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gary Pullin
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Matt Donato and JA Kerswell

Official Purchase Link

Overview: Before he created Westworld and Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton first blurred the line between science fiction and science fact with his breakout success The Andromeda Strain.

Two years after the novel’s publication, Robert Wise (The Haunting) directed the film adaptation, a nail-biting blend of clinically-realized docudrama and astonishing sci-fi visuals that ushered in a new subgenre: the killer virus biological thriller.

A government satellite crashes outside a small town in New Mexico - and within minutes, every inhabitant of the town is dead, except for a crying baby and an elderly derelict. The satellite and the two survivors are sent to Wildfire, a top-secret underground laboratory equipped with a nuclear self-destruct mechanism to prevent the spread of infection in case of an outbreak.

Realizing that the satellite brought back a lethal organism from another world, a team of government scientists race against the clock to understand the extraterrestrial virus - codenamed Andromeda - before it can wipe out all life on the planet.

Aided by innovative visual effects by Douglas Trumbull (2001: A Space Odyssey, Silent Running) and an unforgettable avant-garde electronic music score by Gil Melle (The Sentinel), Wise’s suspense classic still haunts to this day, and is presented here in a stunning, exclusive new restoration from the original negative.

Blu-ray Verdict: The Andromeda Strain, takes us back to a time when sci-fi was more stiff than rigor mortis, back to the days of Star Trek. This film is perhaps a bit too dated but it is not without merit. Like 2001, the story is not driven by plot or character but more about ideas, except this one contains a hundred times more dialogue.

Although people in the Andromeda Strain talk a lot but, they don’t actually have much to say. Sometimes it feels like the Andromeda Strain is more of a science lesson, than an A to Z story. Considering that it comes from the mind of Michael Crichton, perhaps this is not surprising.

It moves at the rate of a snail, but the reason Andromed Strain is watchable, is because director Robert Wise chooses to craft it like a jigsaw puzzle, adding one piece at a time, and it’s never too predictable or formulaic. If you have patience, that should be enough to keep you engaged, waiting to see what comes next.

A space probe has crash landed in a small desert hamlet. When a crew is sent out to inspect they find that the place is dead as a door nail. Not only is everyone lifeless but their blood has solidified and turned to powder. The probe is taken to quarantine in an underground facility where it will be inspected. There may be microscopic life attached on board that could pose a threat to humanity.

By now I can recognize one of Crichton’s trademarks. His introductions are very long. Take for instance Jurassic Park, much of the first third was a tour of the grounds. Also consider Westworld. The story spends too much time on exposition as our protagonists settle into their environment. For the Andromeda Strain, it is not just the introduction, but everything is stretched out. Some filmmakers like to be noble when adapting a novel. They feel it is wrong to cut too much out.

I don’t know if it was intentional, but the film is just as much amusing as it is mysterious. The acting is so unrealistic that sometimes Andromeda Strain resembles one of those numerous 1950’s five minute commercials that talks about rocket science. The sets looks like they were built in an hour. They need a little more dressing up.

The Andromeda Strain is not the kind of sci-fi film that would be financially successful if released today. I think it will appeal to only a limited number of people, but I recommend it to those who prefer mystery over adrenaline. Especially now it is out on spectacular 4K UHD.

4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
4K restoration from the original camera negative by Arrow Films
4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Original lossless mono audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Audio commentary by critic Bryan Reesman
A New Strain of Science Fiction, an appreciation by critic Kim Newman
The Andromeda Strain: Making the Film, an archive featurette from 2001
directed by Laurent Bouzereau and featuring interviews with director Robert Wise and screenwriter Nelson Gidding
A Portrait of Michael Crichton, an archival featurette from 2001 directed by Laurent Bouzereau and featuring an interview with author Michael Crichton
Cinescript Gallery, highlights from the annotated and illustrated shooting script by Nelson Gidding
Theatrical trailer, TV spots and radio spots
Image gallery
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring writing by Peter Tonguette and select archive material
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Corey Brickley

Official Purchase Link

Overview: Before he created Westworld and Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton first blurred the line between science fiction and science fact with his breakout success The Andromeda Strain.

Two years after the novel’s publication, Robert Wise (The Haunting) directed the film adaptation, a nail-biting blend of clinically-realized docudrama and astonishing sci-fi visuals that ushered in a new subgenre: the killer virus biological thriller.

A government satellite crashes outside a small town in New Mexico - and within minutes, every inhabitant of the town is dead, except for a crying baby and an elderly derelict. The satellite and the two survivors are sent to Wildfire, a top-secret underground laboratory equipped with a nuclear self-destruct mechanism to prevent the spread of infection in case of an outbreak.

Realizing that the satellite brought back a lethal organism from another world, a team of government scientists race against the clock to understand the extraterrestrial virus - codenamed Andromeda - before it can wipe out all life on the planet.

Aided by innovative visual effects by Douglas Trumbull (2001: A Space Odyssey, Silent Running) and an unforgettable avant-garde electronic music score by Gil Melle (The Sentinel), Wise’s suspense classic still haunts to this day, and is presented here in a stunning, exclusive new restoration from the original negative.

Blu-ray Verdict: It’s easy to see why the Shaw Brothers Studio was so enamored of Shih Szu as the possible replacement for Cheng Pei Pei, when Cheng retired in the early 1970’s and left for the US. Shih Szu was beautiful and charismatic and her physical abilities was very conducive to the type of action roles that Cheng Pei Pei was known to do.

This film is an example of that. It’s a standard Wuxia with some plot twists but nothing out of the ordinary if you are familiar with the genre. Shih Szu plays Leng Rushuang aka Lady Law, who’s after Jiao Yaner, played by Lo Lieh, who’s mistakenly blamed for the series of rapes and murders of women.

It also stars Dean Shek, in one of his early appearances. Lo Lieh does not play one of his usual roles, as his character, Jiao Yaner, mostly gets beat up or escapes instead of fighting. There are some clever fighting choreography and the way they cut from hit to hit is actually meserizing at times.

In closing, and with the film having been filmed in 1971 but not released until 1975, Szu is incredible in the lead role offering much pathos and empathy to her role whilst kicking the shit out of evil scumbags; the last fight sequence involving a tight rope is highly inventive and unique and the which adds much flavor to the film.

Limited Edition Special Features:
Stills Gallery
Limited Edition O-ring
2.0 DTS-HD MA Mandarin Soundtrack with newly translated English Subtitles
Trailer
High Definition (1080p) Presentation in 2.35:1 Aspect Ratio
Limited Edition Set of 4 collectors art cards

Official Purchase Link

Overview: In the free-for-all chaos after World War II, black marketeer Ueda (Hiroki Matsukata, Cops vs Thugs) is robbed of a stash of morphine. He takes his brutal revenge but is arrested for murder and sentenced to 20 years.

He escapes and is caught, but no matter where they send him, Ueda won’t let prison walls stop him. Directed by a master of the genre and based on the real exploits of a seven-time prison escapee, this ranks as one of the rawest entries in the 1970’s cycle of Japanese true-account crime films.

Blu-ray Verdict: The awesome chaos of Crazed Beast got me hooked to see more Nakajima films and a title like The Rapacious Jailbreaker sure is one way to grab my attention. Here’s another darkly-humorous crime odyssey, barreling forward with the same breakneck energy as its titular serial-escapee lead (played by Hiroki Matsukata with half-gritty-half-slapstick intensity).

You could almost describe this film as a thematic cousin to Fukasaku’s Graveyard of Honor as it also follows a criminal’s inescapable cycle of deviancy. But whereas that film was vile and grim, this is an increasingly absurd (yet always fatalistic) cycle of breakouts, street crimes, and inevitable capture.

Nakajima pairs the crafty prison capers and on-the-lam escapades with a narration that turns Matsukata’s relentlessly self-destruction into the adventures of a self-deprecating wily rogue forever driven towards the next jailbreak, while prison slowly saps his humanity and leaves him more caged beast than freedom-yearning man.

The juggle of crime outside and behind bars provides a brisk energetic pace, and while each jailbreak takes shape, Nakajima treats lock-up as a peek into odd prisoner culture, smuggling cunning, and incarcerated life. It’s great stuff, and the escapes are all clever and varied, often followed by frenetic pursuits and process-focused evasion.

Outside the prison walls unfolds a compelling struggle within an outlaw torn between himself: the man who truly does want to settle down with those he cares for and the man who can escape prison but can’t seem to escape his own nature.

In short, The Rapacious Jailbreaker is another very entertaining, very bloody, and very well-paced Toei thriller from Sadao Nakajima.

Limited Edition Special Features:
High-Definition digital transfer
Uncompressed mono PCM audio
Audio commentary by yakuza film expert Nathan Stuart (2025)
Visual essay on Sadao Nakajima by Tom Mes (2025)
New English subtitle translation
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Filippo Di Battista
Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Earl Jackson and an archival review of the film

Official Purchase Link

Overview: Ellis and Drayton have been sent from London on a job. Things go wrong when Drayton has a seizure forcing them to stop at a vineyard owned by Joni and Cora. Things unravel when others arrive and Ellis’ lies catch up to them.

DVD Verdict: Interestingly, Dead on the Vine was shot during the easing of the first UK Covid19 lock-down. Frustrated at the shutting down of the film industry during this time, writers Laura and Mark Brown came together and came up with the idea of making a feature with all the people that were out of work. Having been given access to Tillingham Wines 77 acre vineyard Mark and Laura put wrote and produced the film in just two months.

As for the film itself, well, chock full of interesting characters and great storytelling, all cloaked in a healthy dollop of dark humor, I have nothing but good things to say about Dead On The Vine.

The storyline is not that complicated, and as much as it follows somewhat none tropes it still manages to seem fresh and curiously inventive. We watch along as a couple of hoteliers find themselves in trouble when a couple of criminals call in looking for help.

But being filmed in the East Sussex countryside of England helps propel what could be an age old story into one where the look of the English countryside makes it rather appealing to the eye (no matter what trope is being ridden at the time).

Brothers Ellis (David Whitney) and Drayton (Tom Sawyer) are travelling back to London, when Drayton suffers an epileptic seizure which forces his brother to call in at the aforementioned remote hotel to ask for the aforementioned help.

The couple running the Hotel, Joni (Victoria Johnstone) and Cora (Shereener Browne) invitingly welcome them inside, happy smiling faces beaming brightly, but soon enough Cora becomes suspicious of the two men. Especially given Drayton’s increasingly erratic behavior once he awakens from his bout of unconsciousness.

But the women quickly discover what the brothers have in the trunk of their car and, trust me, things take a very dark turn thereafter! The trouble is the police are, as we speak, putting roadblocks up due to reports of a robbery in their vicinity.

Oh and add to that, the hoteliers are expecting guests for an exclusive wine tasting party that very same evening and so with everyone now under the same roof, and the police getting closer, the comedy of errors has well and truly begun!

Coming complete with some inventive plot twists and some very bloody killings, the level of darkly black humor is just perfect to help guide the dialogue. Thus, Dead On The Vine comes highly recommended.

Official Movie Trailer

Overview: A brutal story of an unlikely duo who will stop at nothing to find what they are looking for, Adilkhan Yerzhanov’s award-winning film Steppenwolf is a nihilistic, hyper-violent redemption tale filled with social commentary (Molly Henery, The Blogging Banshee) and a must-see for fans of ultra-violent, vicious and unforgiving revenge films (Gary Gamble, Moviehooker).

Tamara (Anna Starchenko), a young lady consumed by trauma, searches for her missing son, Timka, in a small town dominated by riots and violence. In a desperate attempt to get him back, she teams up with an amoral former police investigator (Berik Aitzhanov) whose methods prove to be frequently cruel and sadistic.

Quietly determined, Tamara decides to complete the mission with the nihilistic detective, no matter the cost, as the pair embark on a bloody and bullet-riddled road trip in their combined search for salvation.

Winner of the Golden Raven Grand Prix at the 2024 Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival and the Outstanding Performance Award for both Anna Starchenko and Berik Aitzhanov at the 2024 Fantasia Film Festival, Steppenwolf is the latest film from acclaimed director Adilkhan Yerzhanov (Cannes-selected The Gentle Indifference of the World and Venice-selected Goliath) and Oscar-nominated producer Alexander Rodnyansky (Leviathan).

This Limited Edition release also includes Adilkhan Yerzhanov’s 2022 feature film Goliath, available for the very first time in the US.

Blu-ray Verdict: Violent, cold, bleak and detached from emotions, 2024’s Steppenwolf gives assholes what I can only describe as rebellious inspirations! Weapons aren’t just available; they are required to navigate into this desolate area of Kazakhstan.

The conflict is never fully explained, which is never the purpose here. After a few minutes, you understand how oppressive everything is; the wasteland is calling you, and the only thing in motion is the main character dragging you by force to a vacuum of miserabilism.

It’s brutally toying with your tolerance of gratuitous violence. You’ll witness more executions and unfair treatment than anything else in the film. After a while, it’s adding up. Desensitizing feels like the main quest, in all truth.

I have immense respect when a film aims for cruel violence and manages to be beautifully shot. There’s something so evocative in witnessing extreme instability. So trust me when I say that Steppenwolf is an incredibly competent filmscape, and one that both invigorates the soul and pulses the mind in tandem.

In closing, Steppenwolf is a movie that stays in its own lane. You either get into it (against your better judgment) or hate it entirely. I hope it is the former, but if it’s the latter, well, God bless you.

Limited Edition Special Features:
High-Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentations of Steppenwolf and Goliath
Original lossless DTS HD-MA 5.1 surround audio for both films
English subtitles for both films
Optional Spanish subtitles available for Steppenwolf only
Brand new audio commentary on Steppenwolf with critic and pop culture historian David Flint, recorded exclusively for Arrow Video in 2025
Reading Steppenwolf as a Transnational Post-Western, a brand new visual essay by author, film historian and academic Lee Broughton, exploring the use of American and Italian Western genre tropes in Steppenwolf and other films from around the world
The Making of Steppenwolf, a 15-minute behind-the-scenes featurette featuring interviews with the cast and crew
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new interviews with Steppenwolf cast and crew members including writer-director Adilkhan Yerzhanov, producer Aliya Mendygozhina, actors Berik Aitzhanov and Anna Starchenko, composer Galymzhan Moldanazar and cinema
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly-commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow

Official Purchase Link

Overview: It’s the year 1985 and the proprietors of new television channel called TunnelVision, which is notably free of censorship) are under a government investigation led by a Senator who wishes to shut down the network due to its widespread negative effects on the population.

During the hearing, the committee examines a typical day or programming which includes shows, programs, commercials, news, and much more, and what they discover will surely crack you up in this outrageous and irreverent spoof of 1970’s movies and television in the tradition of Kentucky Fried Movie and Amazon Women on the Moon!

Blu-ray Verdict: In truth, Tunnel Vision is a unique sort of grindhouse film. It is a feature-length collage of comedy sketches, loosely tied together by a simple (and not terribly important) framing mechanism. The production values are rather low, very rough around the edges in the same way the Python TV show was, but the humor here comes across nonetheless.

Those of you with delicate taste, beware! The comedy in this film is extremely dark, savage, and mercilessly satirical. It takes on the TV-junkie generation, ripping into network television with energy and vehemence.

I guess the best way to describe it is that it looks like someone said Hey let’s make a movie out of a bunch of Saturday Night Live skits! The storyline’s glue is a futuristic congressional hearing on a new network called, of course, the titular Tunnel Vision and the skits are presented as some kind of evidence for the hearing, fired off one after the other.

And sure, ok, here today this humor is far outdated, but it still does a great job capturing the smarmy quality of TV commercials of the era, especially because it uses some of the best voice over talent of the time (Ernie Anderson, Danny Dark, etc.) Oh, and look out for pre-fame bit parts by John Candy, Chevy Chase, Ron Silver, and director Betty Thomas.

Moments of stereo-typical old fuddie-duddie outrage is interspersed, but in closing, if you like dark humor and satire, like Terry Southern or Robert Downey, Sr., you will probably like this film. Just don’t expect glossy visuals or a strong central narrative.

Special Edition Bonus Features:
Brand new 4K HD transfer presented in 1080p in both 1.66:1 and 1.33:1 aspect ratios
LPCM 2.0 Mono Audio
Optional English Subtitles
New! Feature Commentary from Cult Film Historian Marc Edward Heuck
New! Interview with Co-Writer & Co-Director Neal Israel conducted by Stuart Shapiro (HD, 45:07)
Tunnel Vision Continuity Script
Archival Photo Gallery (SD)
New! Photo Gallery
Radio Spots
Theatrical Trailer
Reversible Artwork
Collectible Mini-Poster
Limited Edition Slipcover (*FIRST PRESSING ONLY)

Directors Neal Israel (Bachelor Party) and Brad Swirnoff (Prime Time) along with producer Joe Roth (Anyone But You) and an all-star cast featuring appearances by Chevy Chase (National Lampoon’s Vacation), John Candy (Uncle Buck), Al Franken (Stuart Saves His Family), Laraine Newman (Coneheads), Howard Hesseman (This is Spinal Tap), Ron Silver (Timecop) and Lynne Marie Stewart (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) present a satirical look at the small screen, delivering a relentless barrage of parodies, spoofs, and social commentary.

Overview: What happens when you put a bunch of bodacious California babes behind the wheel of a busy carwash? Jack McGowan’s (Joe Dusic) about to get the wild and wacky answer!

When the naive Midwesterner comes to L.A. to run his ailing uncle’s carwash, he makes a few wrong turns and ends up at the beach. He is rescued by foxy business major Melissa Reeves (Kristi Ducati, Intimate Obsession), who convinces Jack to let her run the business for a cut of the action.

Things get hilariously out of hand as Melissa and her bubbly friends dress for success in the skimpiest bikinis - or nothing at all!

Blu-ray Verdict: First up is the original Bikini Car Wash Company (1992) where a group of young women decide to help out at the local carwash. To attract more customers and increase profits the girls opt for a simple uniform ... the bikini! Cars queue up for miles, but the authorities aren’t happy with the way women are operating.

Sure, this movie falls into the B rated T+A movies category of the early 90’s, spun off from the movies that kept teens glued to the VCR on a Friday night when the smoke supply was thin and there were no good bands in town, but that’s what made this one fun.

When I saw this film at my video store (with the unrated message at the bottom) I knew this was going to be good, and it was. If you’re looking for a film that offers good looking women going topless and wearing thongs, this is the one to get!

Good looking cast, interesting story, great music and videos (boy these ladies can dance), and the trio of Suzanne, Kristi, and Neriah add up to great fun (although I liked the lady with the camera the most, for what a gluteus maximus she has!)

I mean, to my mind (and eyes) Kristi Ducati shines her brightest in this one. Oh, man! She is FINE! There is plenty of nudity with some very attractive chicks, some fun rock songs current for that time in the 90’s, and at least a semi-reasonable plot. Man, did I really say that?! Anyway, I would most definitely have invested in a bikini car wash too if Kristi would have come down to run it for me!

In closing, the plot is simple: Corn-fed nephew comes to L.A. to visit uncle, uncle having trouble keeping car wash in the black, nephew concocts a scheme to raise enough money to keep car wash in a very limited amount of time using busty women in bikinis.

If you’ve seen this movie (or even if you haven’t), you’ve seen one like it down the years. The comedy in this film is classic low-budget humor with lots of bikini tops bursting, weird background sound effects, and comic relief from the really lovely ladies!

Then we get the sequel Bikini Carwash Company II (1993). Their business has been a success, and a purchase contract has been signed with an international megabusiness. But the company CEO is not playing straight - he wants only the land the car wash locations are sited on - to tear them down and build condos.

The girls have only a week to raise $4 million to buy their company back. Lingerie sales over a TV channel is the method of choice, and since the product is demonstrated by the car wash principals, the flesh quotient remains as high as expected.

Well, the lovely Ms. Ducati is back as Jessica, looking a little heavier, but still very voluptuous! This type of B-movie fare was becoming the standard back then unfortunately and most got pretty boring even with the topless scenes, but at least this one still carried with it some of the genuine fun and (s)ass of the original.

You see folks, Melissa and the gang were tricked by the CEO of the company to sell and now have no control over the company they started on their own. Now they have to raise a few million by the end of the week to buy their company back! How are they gonna do it?

Well, by selling lingerie! Sound familiar, well, that’s because it should be re: the original, albeit a variation on a theme of the original. They use a public access channel to get their product seen, and from there the fun begins. As portrayed within the movie as, the extremely dumb blonde is provided for us once again to use as comic relief, and she does a great job of it.

Although it’s a formulaic movie, it’s overwhelmingly good. There’s plenty of things to laugh at, and there’s almost as many women to drool at. As noted, Kristi shines once again in her role as Melissa, our busty, intelligent heroine and as much as it is not as good as the first, it’s significantly better than Bikini Summer 3!!

The Bikini Carwash Company and The Bikini Carwash Company II were originally shot and produced on standard definition videotape. To present these films in the best possible quality, both feature films have been up-converted, re-mastered and upgraded from their original standard definition 480p resolution to high definition 1080p resolution using the latest advanced up-conversion AI models and presented in their 1.33:1 original aspect ratios in order to provide the best possible viewing experience.

Overview: From the Academy Award-winning writer/director of Parasite, Bong Joon Ho, comes his next groundbreaking cinematic experience, Mickey 17.

The unlikely hero, Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) has found himself in the extraordinary circumstance of working for an employer who demands the ultimate commitment to the job ... to die, for a living.

Blu-ray Verdict: In truth, Mickey 17 takes you on a marvelous journey of meaningful mayhem with dark, self-deprecating humor as its fuel. Bong Joon Ho’s thorough investigation of identity, duality, and the relationship between ego and power stick with you far after the film’s credits roll.

I mean, we all have fragmented personalities. Various versions of ourselves. Some of these characters are consistently active and in rotation while others lay dormant, hidden deep beneath. Unless you’re a complete sociopath, you have an empathic, emotional piece of your personality fostered in feelings of both love and fear. However, it’s constantly at war with the carelessness, confidence, and bravery we all paradoxically have the potential for.

Classically personified by symbolic imagery of an angel on one shoulder and a devious demon on the other, the moral and spiritual duality of man is a tale old as time. Yet, Joon Ho and Robert Pattison’s lovable, highly animated Mickey Barnes breathe new life into the classic concept.

The film’s as unrealistic and ridiculous as it is refreshing and surprisingly relatable. Pattison’s seemingly endless range and raw acting ability are on full display, perhaps more than ever. Not to mention, his natural charm in the role makes for a hell of a good time for audience members willing to give their selves up to the cynicism and obvious outrageousness of it all.

Joon Ho swings for the fences with his first fully English feature, while Pattison’s performance puts to rest any allegations left he can only play characters in the vein of Twilight’s eerie Edward. On the other end, Mark Ruffalo’s characterization of the relentlessly greedy and hilariously obnoxious Kenneth Marshall feels as fragmented and frantically scattered (in both its execution and inspiration) as Mickey’s rich spirit and diverse personality traits throughout the course of the insanely inhumane scientific investigation he so desperately (and naively) agrees to take part in during the film’s effective exposition.

Despite this singular flaw, the picture is perfect from top to bottom, nothing new for the work of the Oscar-winning director. We all have our own Mickey 17’s and 18’s within. Now, much like moral Mickey, I’ll find myself asking ... What would eighteen do?

DIGITAL, 4K, BLU-RAY & DVD ELEMENTS:
Behind the Lens: Bong Joon Ho’s Mickey 17 (11:32)
Mickey 17: A World Reimagined (9:44)
The Faces of Niflheim (8:00)

From the Academy Award-winning writer/director of “Parasite,” Bong Joon Ho, comes his next groundbreaking cinematic experience, “Mickey 17.” The film arrives for purchase and rental Digitally at home on April 8th, 2025. “Mickey 17” will also be available to purchase on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD on May 13th, 2025.

Written and directed by Bong Joon Ho, “Mickey 17” stars Robert Pattinson (“The Batman,” “Tenet”), Naomi Ackie (“Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker”), Steven Yeun (“Nope”), with Academy Award nominees Toni Collette (“Hereditary”), and Mark Ruffalo (“Poor Things”).

The film is produced by Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner (Oscar winners for “Moonlight” and “12 Years a Slave”), Bong Joon Ho and Dooho Choi (“Okja,” “Snowpiercer”). It is based on the novel Mickey 7 by Edward Ashton. The executive producers are Brad Pitt, Jesse Ehrman, Peter Dodd and Marianne Jenkins.

Overview: Bob Marley’s music and message of love and redemption are known throughout the world. His universal appeal, impact on music history, and role as a social and political prophet is both unique and unparalleled.

This documentary looks at Marley’s life and legacy as one of the most influential singers, songwriters, musicians, and activists in history.

DVD Verdict: Bob Marley’s universal appeal, impact on music history, and role as a social and political prophet is both unique and unparalleled. Bob Marley - Marley (MVD Visual) is the definitive life story of the musician, revolutionary, and legend, from his early days to his rise to international super-stardom; made with the support of the Marley family, it contains rare footage, incredible performances, and revelatory interviews with the people who knew him best.

In my humble opinion, Bob Marley - Marley is an extraordinarily competent new documentary from director Kevin MacDonald on the great man and is wholly more heartfelt and impassioned than the recent Bob Marley film.

Not without its flaws here, they are far and few between and as someone who has loved Bob’s music from the very first note heard, what this documentary fundamentally does is help the viewer understand the meaning behind the Jamaican history and Rastafarian culture that laid the groundwork for Bob to become so successful.

A life worth documenting, for sure, Bob was a man of simple politics and simple messaging and his rise and humility is well recounted here with access to an impressive cast of the people closest to him.

Special Features:
120 Minutes of never before seen interviews with Rita Marley, Diane Jobson, Cindy Breakspear, Aunt Amy and Pearl Livingston.

Official Purchase Link

Overview: From Alex Proyas, visionary director of The Crow, comes Dark City, a mind-bending science fiction thriller set in a shadowy world where the sun never rises and nothing is quite what it seems.

John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell) wakes in a hotel bathtub with no memory of who he is or how he got there, but there’s a body on the floor with bloody spirals carved into the flesh and a voice on the phone that tells him to flee.

Soon Murdoch is on the run, wanted by the police, a woman who claims to be his wife and a group of mysterious pale men who seem to control everyone and everything in the city ... except him.

With a cast that includes Kiefer Sutherland (The Lost Boys), William Hurt (A History of Violence), Jennifer Connelly (Phenomena) and Richard O’Brien (The Rocky Horror Picture Show), and a script by Proyas, Lem Dobbs (Kafka) and David S. Goyer (Batman Begins), Dark City is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, filmed through a lens of film noir and German expressionism ... an extraordinary feast for the cinematic senses.

4K Blu-ray Verdict: For those not in the late 90’s know, Dark City is a sci-fi thriller set in a neo-noir environment. The Strangers, beings with telekinetic abilities, treat human beings like laboratory mice, endlessly testing to see what makes them tick. However, when one human being demonstrates abilities similar to their own he becomes their prime target.

The cast is a pretty decent one although it doesn’t really have a big name attached. Jennifer Connelly was still a few years away from her Oscar win and Keifer Sutherland hadn’t yet been rescued from obscurity by his role in 24. Nevertheless, they show themselves to be capable actors, as do Rufus Sewell and the always-authentic William Hurt.

The story and setting bear resemblance to certain other sci-fi films down the years, though they cannily retain a sense of originality. The film hurtles along for the most part and lets the viewer piece together the mystery from the clues as they are presented. Nothing much moves slowly and for that alone I appreciate it as a visual entity.

Alex Proyas’s direction is well-handled, and the neo-noir cinematography is really quite appealing. The special effects are decent but certainly not comparable to today’s best efforts. I can’t really recall anything specific about the score, which suggests that it was average; neither good nor bad, and yet it was definitely on point as it never once spiked my attention watching the film and thus drew me away.

All in all, Dark City should be of interest to any and all sci-fi fans. It’s not quite on the same level as the greats of the genre but it’s a worthwhile diamond in the rough, of that you can be sure.

4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
Brand new 4K restoration from the original 35mm camera negatives approved by director of photography Dariusz Wolski
4K Ultra HD (2160p) Blu-ray presentations of both the Director’s Cut and Theatrical Cut of the film
Original DTS-HD MA 5.1, stereo 2.0 and new Dolby Atmos audio options for both cuts of the film
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing 60-page perfect bound collectors book featuring new writing by author Richard Kadrey, and film critics Sabina Stent, Virat Nehru and Martyn Pedler
Limited edition packaging featuring newly commissioned artwork by Doug John Miller
Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Doug John Miller
Three postcard-sized reproduction art cards
Postcard from Shell Beach
Dr Schreber business card

DISC 1: DIRECTOR’S CUT:
Brand new audio commentary by director Alex Proyas
Brand new audio commentary with Craig Anderson, Bruce Isaacs and Herschel Isaacs, co-hosts of the Film Versus Film podcast
Archive audio commentary by director Alex Proyas
Archive audio commentary by film critic Roger Ebert
Archive audio commentary by writers Lem Dobbs and David S. Goyer
Archive introduction by Alex Proyas
Return to Dark City, a new hour-long documentary featuring interviews with director Alex Proyas, producer Andrew Mason, production designers Patrick Tatopoulos and George Liddle, costume designer Liz Keough, storyboard artist Peter Pound, director of photography
Rats in a Maze, a new visual essay by film scholar Alexandra West
I’m as Much in the Dark as You Are, a new visual essay by film scholar Josh Nelson on film noir and identity in Dark City
Design & Storyboards

DISC 2: THEATRICAL CUT:
Archive audio commentary by director Alex Proyas, writers Lem Dobbs & David S. Goyer, director of photography Dariusz Wolski and production designer Patrick Tatopoulos
Archive audio commentary by film critic Roger Ebert
Memories of Shell Beach, a 2008 featurette in which cast and crew look back at the making of the film from concept to reception
Architecture of Dreams, a 2008 featurette presenting five perspectives on the themes and meanings of the film
Theatrical trailer
Image gallery

Official Purchase Link

www.arrowvideo.com

Overview: The 90’s saw an ever-growing number of action-thrillers based around computers and the internet as more and more people connected to the information superhighway.

Fresh from the success of The Matrix, legendary producer Joel Silver (Road House, The Invasion) would ride the wave of this global phenomenon into the next millennium with high concept hit Swordfish.

Former master hacker Stanley Jobson (Hugh Jackman) is on parole after getting caught infiltrating an FBI program. Even so much as glancing at a computer could send him straight back to prison, but Stanley’s new offline life is interrupted when he’s approached by the mysterious Gabriel Shear (John Travolta), who offers him $10 million for one last hacking job.

Unable to resist the lure of the computer screen, Stanley accepts and finds himself caught in the middle of a complex web of intrigue involving several covert agencies and a nine billion-dollar government slush fund.

Slick, stylish and action-packed, Swordfish is a nail-biting high-tech thriller from its explosive opening to its thrilling climax, with a great supporting cast including Halle Berry, Don Cheadle and Vinnie Jones.

4K Blu-ray Verdict: In my humble opinion, director Dominic Sena gave us a thinking person’s thriller with more plot twists than you can handle in a single viewing. You really have to pay attention while watching it and that is most definitely the sign of a good movie.

John Tavolta is in form, after a couple of turkeys, as Gabriel Shear an international terrorist who claims to be protecting the American way of life, but is he? Hugh Jackman plays Stanley Jobson a paroled computer hacker who is drawn into a complex plot by Shear to rob the American government of some $9 billion dollars by hacking into the World Bank’s computer system.

Jackman is disillusioned at first but through clever manipulation by Travolta and Co., becomes a part of the plot. The lovely Halle Berry appears as Ginger, Shear’s so-called assistant who may or may not be who she appears to be. Berry, by the way, displays some of her ample charms over the course of the film so that is definitely waiting for! And, as always, Don Cheadle is effective as FBI agent Roberts who is trying to find out what Shear’s intentions are.

The special effects in Swordfish are excellent, particularly the explosions which come whether you are ready for them or not! The performances are top notch all around which makes this an exciting film from start to finish.

So remember, pay attention to the plot details, my friend, as you will be rewinding at its end to put the pieces that were sewn throughout back together again it not!

4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
4K Ultra HD (2160p) Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Original lossless stereo and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio options
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Audio commentary by director Dominic Sena
Soundtrack Hacker, a brand new interview with composer Paul Oakenfold
How to Design a Tech Heist, a brand new interview with production designer Jeff Mann
HBO First Look: Swordfish, a promotional behind-the-scenes featurette
Effects in Focus: The Flying Bus, a promotional featurette detailing how the film’s iconic climactic scene was created
Planet Rock Club Reel, a music video by the film’s co-composer Paul Oakenfold
Swordfish: In Conversation, a promotional featurette with interviews from cast and crew members including actors Hugh Jackman, John Travolta, Halle Berry, Don Cheadle and Sam Shepard, director Dominic Sena, and producer Joel Silver
Two alternate endings
Theatrical trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tommy Pocket
Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tommy Pocket
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Priscilla Page and an article from American Cinematographer about the film’s opening sequence

SWORDFISH (2001) | Trailer | Full HD | 1080p

Official Purchase Link

www.arrowvideo.com

Overview: Ever since she was small, Aviva has desperately wanted a baby. Now a teenager - with thoughts and feelings her well-meaning parents Joyce (Ellen Barkin, Drop Dead Gorgeous) and Steve (Richard Masur, The Thing) don’t quite know how to handle - she’ll stop at nothing to make that dream a reality.

Played by a cast of rotating actors, including Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight) and Sharon Wilkins, Aviva’s journey towards motherhood never would run smooth.

Bringing his trademark dry wit to another series of taboos, Todd Solondz’s portrait of middle-American girlhood interrogates the naivety and hypocrisy of the post-9/11 psyche that continues to shape US public life and policy.

4K Blu-ray Verdict: Well, saying it like it is, from my humble perspective, Palindromes is disturbing and strange and confusing, so someone expecting the standard cotton candy that passes for a script in Hollywood is going to blow a few circuits trying to wrap their head around this one!

The story hits a number of uncomfortable topics, from Jesus freaks to child molestation and let’s not forget abortion. Consistently we see scenes where creepy people are hanging out with each other in their own awkward creepy way. Indeed, there are a number of what they call grotesques in the movie which basically means very strange looking and acting people.

That all said, the movie is well worth a look simply because it is so beautifully weird and it examines so many icky relationships. At the end of the movie you will be wondering if what you saw is really what you saw and what it all meant.

Furthermore, the theme of this movie is that our spirits and our lives are equally as important/unimportant no matter how bloody strange and grotesque we may be!

SPECIAL FEATURES:
4K restoration from the original negative by the Museum of Modern Art approved by writer-director Todd Solondz
4K UHD with Dolby Vision HDR and Blu-ray presentation of the feature
Uncompressed stereo PCM audio
New interview with Todd Solondz by critic Hannah Strong (2025)
Todd Solondz and His Cinema of Cruelty, a new video essay by critic Lillian Crawford (2025)
Trailer
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Reversible sleeve featuring designs based on original posters
Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Bence Bardos, extracts from the original press book, plus archival interviews with Solondz and composer Nathan Larson

Official Purchase Link

www.radiancefilms.co.uk

Overview: Mysterious sprites, eerie supernatural goings on and heroic sword-fighting action abound in this mystical tale of vengeance and adventure from the makers of the Zatoichi, Daimajin and Yokai Monsters films.

In Edo-era Japan, Sanshiro diligently hones his sword-fighting technique at the kendo dojo, but no amount of practice can hide the fact that he is both clumsy and cowardly. When his samurai father falls prey to a gang of murderous phantom thieves while on night watch duties, Sanshiro is drawn to the banks of the Sanzu River that separates the worlds of the living and the dead.

Here he encounters a strange being that introduces itself as a Shokera. The otherworldly apparition offers advice on how Sanshiro can avenge his father with the aid of a mysterious potion with the power to turn him invisible. But first Sanshiro must gather the ingredients, and his father’s killers might be closer to home than he thinks.

Directed by Yoshiyuki Kuroda (Yokai Monsters: Spook Warfare, Lone Wolf and Cub: White Heaven in Hell) and beautifully shot by Hiroshi Imai (Zatoichi and the Doomed Man, The Haunted Palace), The Invisible Swordsman boasts the sumptuous attention to its historical setting, costume design, fight choreography and period details that Daiei Kyoto were renowned for, all with an added dose of rip-roaring fantasy and adventure.

Arrow Films is proud to release this unseen gem in a brand new high-definition transfer for the very first time for the home video market outside of Japan.

Blu-ray Verdict: The makers of the Yokai Monsters films carry over their tone of supernatural buffoonery to this samurai revenger with middling results, in my humble opinion. Sanshiro is being trained at an Edo-era dojo to please his father, but no amount of training can hide his clumsiness or cowardice.

However, when his father is brutally murdered by a gang of marauding thieves, in a fit of grief, Sanshiro meets a Shokera – a strange otherworldly being who gives him the recipe to a potion that will help him gain his revenge ... by making him invisible!

Cue much fun as various items are hurled at actors by barely hidden strings and everyone pretends poorly that they really are fighting an Invisible Swordsman.

Its broad comedy beats are blunt and simply don’t gel with its more serious narrative elements at times, but that’s all in the eye of the beholder, of course. Osamu Sakai’s entire character is ripped from a pure comedy, all bumbling mannerisms and pratfalling performances, and even when he’s up against an entire armada of vengeful bandits, the overly humorous nature of the whole falls a little flat (but nothing that stops you watching along and rooting for him).

The fight choreography is non-existent, almost all the action set pieces limited by the ‘invisible’ special effects of the time and even its lean 78 minute run time is a sign that the makers – director Yoshiyuki Kuroda and writer Tetsuro Yoshida – were struggling themselves to know exactly what to do with the premise.

All that said, and in conclusion, a prime example of what sounds good on paper – The Invisible Man crossed with 47 Ronin – not translating well into practice, and yet a compelling watch if only for the way the 70’s played out invisible people scenes! [M.C.]

BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
High-Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
Original lossless Japanese mono audio
Optional newly translated English subtitles
Brand new audio commentary from author and Asian culture expert Jonathan Clements
The Invisible People, a brand new interview with film critic Kim Newman on the history of invisibility in cinema
Phantom Fighter, a brand new interview with film critic and Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp
Image gallery
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Jolyon Yates
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Zack Davisson

Official Purchase Link

www.arrowvideo.com

Overview: When the daughter of an elite family takes a shine to poor samurai Iemon (Tomisaburo Wakayama, lone wolf and cub), he sees an opportunity to climb the social ladder. He just needs to rid himself of his only obstacle: his loving wife Oiwa.

He poisons her and dumps her corpse in a nearby swamp, but she returns as a horribly disfigured ghost to haunt Iemon on his wedding night.

Crime film specialist Tai Kato (I, the Executioner) brings the famous Ghost Story of Yotsuya to the screen as a gritty tale of murder and greed, with an intense lead performance by Wakayama (The Bounty Hunter Trilogy, Big Time Gambling Boss).

Blu-ray Verdict: This tale of greed, betrayal and revenge from beyond the grave is based on Tōkaidō Yotsuya Kaidan; a kabuki play by Tsuruya Nanboku and one of the most famous and influential Japanese ghost stories ever written.

It was so popular, in fact, that it was filmed nearly 20 times between 1912 and 1937 alone and well over 30 times in total; influencing all manner of later stage plays, paintings, anime, movies (including hundreds of recent ghost girls movie filmed throughout Asia), you name it.

Among the most famous of the filmed versions are Nobuo Nakagawa’s excellent THE GHOST OF YOTSUYA (1959), produced by Shintoho and usually considered the very best of the adaptations, and Shirô Toyoda’s ILLUSION OF BLOOD (1965), which was produced by Toho Studios and is also quite good.

Falling right in between those two is this one, which was a Toei Company production. I guess every major Japanese studio just had to film this particular story.

Things center around Tamiya Iemon (Tomisaburô Wakayama) who, as the film opens, is searching for his runaway wife Oiwa (Yoshiko Fujishiro), who fled from him because of his violent temper (and the fact he killed someone). Tamiya’s father-in-law also wants nothing to do with him and doesn’t want Oiwa (who has been hiding out in his home all this time) to stay married to a known murderer.

Having fallen on hard times due to an ongoing war, the father-in-law has little choice but to put his youngest daughter Osode (Hiroko Sakuramachi) to work at a massage parlor / whorehouse. The agreement is that she only works as a masseuse, but naturally the beautiful Osode becomes a coveted piece of tail at the establishment.

Already betrothed to Yomoshichi (Sentarô Fushimi), Osode also has an obsessive admirer in Naosuke (Jûshirô Konoe), who is willing to do anything it takes to get his hands on her. In order to get the women they want, Tamiya and Naosuke strike up a bargain. They murder the father-in-law while Yomoshichi is off serving in the war and then take ownership over the two sisters; promising to avenge their father’s death (which naturally never happens since they are the killers!)

A year passes and, not surprisingly, neither of the couples are happy. Osode refuses to have sex with Naosuke and threatens to kill herself with a dagger if he forces himself upon her. Even worse, despite having a baby, Tamiya becomes resentful and abusive toward the miserable and sickly Oiwa. He beats her, berates her, kicks her and even sells the mosquito net protecting their baby for drinking money.

Tamiya finally comes to the conclusion he wants rid of her altogether and, rather conveniently, the accommodating and wealthy Ito family move in next door. The Ito daughter Oume falls in love with Tamiya, so they and Tamiya conspire to kill Oiwa by giving her a poison potion that ends up horribly disfiguring her face and leading her to commit suicide.

Tamiya then kills thieving helping hand Keiho; justifying the crimes with an adultery alibi. Oiwa and Keiho are nailed together on a board and sunk in the river and Tamiya is then free to marry Oume.

It doesn’t take long after the deaths for the ghost of Oiwa to return to settle the score. She appears to Tamiya on the night of his honeymoon and ruins the festivities by causing him to accidentally decapitate his new bride and slash to death the entire Ito family and servants!

From there, Tamiya retreats to a mountain sanctuary where he continues to have scary visions of the people he murdered and starts going mad. When Yomoshichi returns from war service, he, Osode and Naosuke (attempting to redeem himself) head to the sanctuary for a final confrontation.

I’ve already seen several versions of this same story, but this is a solid enough version itself and sticks very close to the source material (unlike some of the other versions). The actors are all fine, including lead Wakayama, who’d already played this same role in a 1956 version of the story called YOTSUYA KAIDAN, which was directed by Masaki Mori.

The horror scenes toward the end (including a blood hand reaching up out of a wash basin and a board with the corpses nailed to it rising from the river waters) are also very well done. The only real qualms I have with this one are that some of the scene transitions and editing cuts are abrupt and the staging of the finale is a bit on the messy side. But aside from those tiny blemishes, to my mind, the film, as a whole, is outstanding and well worth your viewing time. [C.K.]

SPECIAL FEATURES:
High-Definition digital transfer
Uncompressed mono PCM audio
Interview with Mari Asato (2025)
Visual essay on tormented female ghosts by Lindsay Nelson (2025)
Trailer
Newly improved English subtitle translation
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow
Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Tom Mes and an archival review of the film

Official Purchase Link

www.radiancefilms.co.uk

Overview: From Warner Bros. Pictures, “The Alto Knights,” starring Academy Award winner Robert De Niro in a dual role and directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Barry Levinson, will debut Digitally at home on April 11th, 2025.

The film follows two of New York’s most notorious organized crime bosses, Frank Costello (De Niro) and Vito Genovese (De Niro), as they vie for control of the city’s streets. Once the best of friends, petty jealousies and a series of betrayals place them on a deadly collision course that will reshape the Mafia (and America) forever.

Blu-ray Verdict: There are plenty of stone-cold classics with distracting casting. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance features James Stewart portraying a young man, seemingly in his early to mid-twenties, despite Stewart being 53 years old at the time of filming.

That’s not to say the De Niro double casting works here. At 81, De Niro is too old for even roles such as this. I’m just saying that the film can still be decent if you can move past this.

There’s plenty of rich historical detail and meaty characterization to hold a certain type of viewer’s interest. I’ll admit that the audience that will really enjoy this film is possibly quite small at this juncture. Some exciting youthful character actors in supporting roles would have undoubtedly helped this bring in a larger audience.

But, on the whole, it’s a pretty well-told if emotionally distant story of two mobsters with differing values. The film would undeniably have been stronger if De Niro had only played one of the two characters, since the suspension of disbelief required to see him as two different people detracts from immersion here.

De Niro acts both parts well, but he’s a shadow of the actor he was in younger years. He’s clinging to the coattails of his previous roles just to come off as well as he does here.

So, if you enjoy old-timey tales of gangsters, loyalty, codes, and savage violence, you will likely find this quite enjoyable even if it falls quite a bit short of the greater gangster films of yore.

Special Feature:
· One Legend, Two Mobsters - Featurette

From the Academy Award-winning writer/director of “Parasite,” Bong Joon Ho, comes his next groundbreaking cinematic experience, “Mickey 17.” The film arrives for purchase and rental Digitally at home on April 8th, 2025. “Mickey 17” will also be available to purchase on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD on May 13th, 2025.

· On April 11th, “The Alto Knights” will be available Digitally at home on participating digital platforms including Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Fandango at Home, and more.

· On May 27th, “The Alto Knights” will be available to own on Blu-ray and DVD from online retailers. “The Alto Knights” will also continue to be available in high definition and standard definition from participating digital retailers.

Overview: When the sun is bright and the wind is still, she comes to you like a sudden chill. Draped in black from head to toe, how she got there, you’ll never know. Today’s the day.

With that cryptic warning, an otherworldly woman sends a family into a seemingly inescapable nightmare. Already grieving the death of her husband, Ramona faces a new fear when this mysterious figure appears outside her farmhouse.

With the woman continually creeping closer, Ramona must protect her children from the chilling grasp of this haunting entity whose unknown intentions are anything but peaceful. From Blumhouse, producers of The Invisible Man and The Black Phone.

Blu-ray Verdict: Director Jaume Collet-Serra, ventures into the realm of psychological horror with The Women in the Yard, and the result is a thought-provoking experience. Anchored by a powerful performance from Danielle Deadwyler, the film burrows under the skin, exploring the insidious nature of grief, guilt, and the darkest corners of the human psyche.

Deadwyler portrays Ramona with a raw intensity. She is a woman fractured by loss and the weight of a terrible secret. Her physical disability, a constant reminder of the fatal car accident, mirrors her emotional paralysis. The arrival of the enigmatic Woman, played with an unsettling stillness by Okwui Okpokwasili, throws Ramona’s already fragile world into chilling disarray. Okpokwasili’s presence is a masterclass in understated horror; her veiled face and pronouncements of Today’s the day create an atmosphere of relentless dread.

Collet-Serra expertly crafts a sense of claustrophobia within the confines of the isolated farmhouse. The cinematography, often bathed in stark daylight that somehow feels more menacing than darkness, amplifies the feeling of being exposed and vulnerable. The unsettling sound design further contributes to the creeping unease, making the ordinary seem sinister.

However, The Women in the Yard transcends mere jump scares, delving into profound and disturbing themes. The film cleverly uses the supernatural to externalize Ramona’s internal torment. Saying anything further at this point, drifts us into spoiler territory.

The revelation of the Woman’s true nature is a chilling twist that reframes the entire film. It forces the audience to reconsider every interaction and realize the battle Ramona is fighting. The ending, unsettling and leaves a lingering sense of unease.

While some may find the pacing deliberate and the horror more psychological than visceral, The Women in the Yard is a compelling and disturbing. It’s a film that stays with you long after the credits roll, prompting reflection on the shadows we carry within ourselves.

Special Features:
Making The Woman in the Yard [Featurette]
Beneath the Veil

Overview: A versatile British-Chinese filmmaker whose career has spanned nearly fifty years, Po-Chih Leong has worked in a variety of genres, from action in Foxbat to horror in The Island, comedy in Ping Pong and the gangster movie in Shanghai 1920, which was nominated for Best Feature at the Chicago International Film Festival.

His masterpiece, though, is Hong Kong 1941 - an affecting war drama starring Cecilia Yip (Nomad), Alex Man (Rich and Famous) and Chow Yun-fat (The Killer) in his breakout role.

Produced by Sammo Hung, Hong Kong 1941 follows three Hongkongers forced to negotiate life under occupation as their homeland falls to the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. Ha Yuk-nam (Yip) is a young woman locked in a love triangle with her close friends Yip Kim-fei (Chow) and Wong Hak-keung (Man).

As they dream of escape, their complicated personal relationships play out against the background of oppression and brutality that was brought to Hong Kong by Japanese rule between 1941 and 1945.

A story of loyalty and love, Leong’s film deals with one of the darkest periods in Hong Kong’s history and was nominated for no less than eight awards at the 1985 Hong Kong Film Awards - winning for its breathtaking cinematography by Brian Lai (The Postman Strikes Back).

It also launched Chow Yun-fat to stardom two years before his first collaboration with John Woo in A Better Tomorrow. The Masters of Cinema series is honored to present the film on Blu-ray for the first time outside of Asia.

Blu-ray Verdict: Chow Yun-fat anchors a wildly charismatic love triangle in the foreground while the atrocities of the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong erupt in the background.

Dreams of running off to sea and making it rich in one of the twentieth century’s new fabled Gold Mountains (San Francisco and Australia), dashed against the tides of crueler and bloodier histories.

Fascinating as an evocation of Hong Kong’s experience during the War, even as its old-fashioned epic kind of filmmaking consistently feels more interested in its melodramatic machinations than in the actual epic tapestry its built for them. “Sometimes, to survive, you have to look out beyond where you are.”

In conclusion, the film won a best cinematography award in 1984 Hong Kong Film Awards (also Chow Yun Fat won the Taiwan Golden Horse for Best Actor in the same year, the film had also many other nominations for different awards) and the visual look is indeed very impressive in its natural lightning, restrained camerawork, some very effective POV shots and angles.

The scenery at the beginning and the end not only makes the film look like a circle depicting how everything can be different and avoided once we accept to change and look into ourselves but also gives some very beautiful images of the forthcoming dawn at the sea.

Every camerawork detail in the film has its purpose and is not there just to make the piece look stylish or special without any other reason. Highly recommended.

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
Limited edition of 2000 copies
Limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Time Tomorrow
Limited edition collector’s booklet featuring new writing on Hong Kong 1941 and Po-Chih Leong by Gary Bettinson, editor of Asian Cinema journal
Presented in 1080p HD from a brand new 4K restoration
Original Cantonese mono audio track
Optional English dub
Optional English subtitles, newly translated for this release
New audio commentary by East Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival)
Hong Kong 1984 – new video essay by Tony Rayns on the contemporary impact of Hong Kong 1941
Archival interview with Chow Yun-fat
Archival interview with Cecilia Yip
Original theatrical trailer
* All extras subject to change

www.eurekavideo.co.uk

Overview: Gwen (Samantha Westervelt) and James (Amanda Drexton) are two broke, self-absorbed, emotionally stunted 30-somethings, eking their way through a meager LA existence.

They’ve tried everything to get rich quick from cliche artistic endeavors and failed business startups to sex work, playing the victims all the way.

When Gwen realizes she forgot her older sister’s baby shower the night before, she’s determined to save face in front of her family and get her sister a proper gift ... from the registry.

After putting their heads together, Gwen and James assemble a list of people they believe owe them money and set out on a twisted road trip across Los Angeles in an attempt to collect on their debts. What begins as a journey to confront the ghosts of their pasts quickly shifts gears as Gwen and James realize maybe they’re not the victims after all - maybe they’ve just been throwing themselves a sour party!

Featuring hysterical performances from Reggie Watts (Comedy Bang! Bang!), Corey Feldman (The Lost Boys), and Christopher Rodriguez Marquette (Barry), this female-led comedy in the vein of SUPERBAD will resonate with anyone who’s ever felt lost in their life.

Blu-ray Verdict: In what is a refreshing breath of cinematic comedy for the here and now, the new movie Sour Party is a delightfully chaotic, yet at times dramatic feature that if you play along with the premise will ultimately visually and tonally reward you.

The chemistry between the two female leads Gwen and James is spot on believable from the start, the two actors bringing their respective comedic tones to the fore from the very off.

Actually, something I found out afterwards is that Samantha Westervelt - who plays Gwen - is a very accomplished bass guitarist and has played with the bands Death Valley Girls and Egg Drop Soup. Not that any of that musical endeavor comes to the fore here, but I thought it was worthy of a mention.

Anyway, as aforementioned, the movie is definitely chaotic, but not enough to jerk you out of the running plot line - the classic stoner structure of trying to hustle for some cash to pay for something before the end of the day - nor the subcurrent that is always there, albeit it not picked up on by the girls until nearer the end.

Oh, and the Nic Cage shrine/statue is something truly to behold and just goes to show that the great man doesn’t have to be physically in a movie to still impose his greatness upon it!

Official Sour Party Trailer

Overview: Revenge is and has always been one of the most popular and prolific themes in Hong Kong cinema, from classic wuxia epics to kung fu movies and heroic bloodshed films. During the 1970s, Shaw Brothers Studio was the largest production company operating in Hong Kong and the king of the vengeance tale.

Presented here are two of the studio’s most interesting and underrated takes on the revenge story: The Eunuch and The Deadly Knives (aka Fists of Vengeance).

A wuxia pian written by the legendary Lo Wei (Fist of Fury) and directed by Teddy Yip (The Black Tavern), The Eunuch begins as the eponymous eunuch Gui De-hai (Pai Ying, The Valiant Ones) survives an attempt on his life ordered by the Emperor (Lo Wei himself). After killing the Emperor and his family in cold blood, Gui notices that the Prince is missing - and sets out to complete his revenge mission.

Then, Ching Li (Four Riders) and Ling Yun (Killer Clans) star in the kung fu film The Deadly Knives as young lovers Guan Yue-hua and Yan Zi-fei, whose relationship is tested when Yan’s family comes under threat by Japanese thugs led by Ogawa (Ching Miao, The Shadow Boxer). He becomes determined to avenge their honor - even if that means taking on Guan’s corrupt father.

The Eunuch and The Deadly Knives were made just as the wuxia film was giving way to the kung fu movie in the wake of Bruce Lee’s international success and provide a fascinating insight into how the theme of revenge was retooled as one genre superseded another. Eureka Classics presents both films on Blu-ray for the first time anywhere in the world.

Blu-ray Verdict: First up on this most glorious double-feature is The Eunuch from 1971. Eunuch Gui Dehai avoids assassination and extracts a most bloody revenge on the royal family. This revenge extends to the absent Prince and the Eunuch sends out men to find and kill him. Fortunately for Prince Chuchin, a fake kidnapping and cry for help draws him after the Leisurely Old Man of the Green Bamboo Forest (a legendary pole fighter) and thus he is under his wing when Gui’s men come.

At the same time Gui is having a surprise as his father turns up after 20 years to tell him he has a daughter. Knowing that such information would hurt his standing even though it occurred before his castration, Gui kills his father and seeks to have the girl killed too so that the secret may be hidden.

Fortunately for Yanyan, she is rescued by the Old Lady of Green Bamboo Forest (herself no slouch with the bamboo pole). Husband and wife come together with their new students and set about helping train them up to take revenge - although what that actually means may be different for each of the two students.

In truth, this film is not on the same level as Teddy Yip Wing-Cho underrated The Black Tavern but is an entertaining one thanks to Pai Ying as the title character. It has a more than decent plot with some twists and turns along with some nice swordplay choreography adds to the fun. It also has appearances by Lo Wei and Sammo Hung, which is never a bad thing.

Then we next get The Deadly Knives (aka Fists of Vengeance) from 1972 where Yan Zi Fei and Guan Yue Hua are returning home in love and plan to tell their parents but once they arrive back they find that there is a conflict between the two families.

Guan Fun Lin is working with Master Ogawa to assist the Japanese in taking possession of the Yan family’s forest - by fair means or foul. With Master Yan refusing to sell, Ogama continues his plotting, using deceit, betrayal and ultimately bloody violence to get what he wants.

While in the midst of a Romeo & Juliet-type situation, a young man’s family sees their forest stolen from them by the jerk head Japanese, thanks to a scheme by bribed government officials and jilted lovers. After successfully stealing the land, the Japanese continue to be murderous dickholes about the whole situation and so the young man (Ling Yun) must fight back … with deadly knives!

This early 70’s Shaw Brothers tale seems like it’s going to be classier than most but nope, it has far too many uncomfortable moments to keep on screen as long as they deem necessary, in my humble opinion.

I mean, it is totally unnecessary for the plot alone justifies enough revenge avenging as it is. Perhaps audiences’ tolerance for evil wrong doing was greater back then, but here those unfiltered, unjustifiable moments are too much, albeit the final five minutes are in a far more justifiably satisfying style of revenge [aka a bleak brutal escalation towards Cheh-tier levels of vicious sword brawls!]

In closing, the lead characters carry the tropey drama of the film’s first half so well that I slipped into its patterns without complaint and have to admit stayed comfortably there, but then came all the aforementioned, and unnecessary cinematic moments.

Bonus Features:
Limited edition of 2000 copies
Limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Grégory Sacré (Gokaiju)
Limited edition collector’s booklet featuring new writing on both films in this set by writer and film critic James Oliver
1080p HD presentations of both films
Original Mandarin audio tracks
Optional English dub for The Deadly Knives | Optional English subtitles, newly revised for this release
New audio commentary on The Eunuch by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
New audio commentary on The Deadly Knives by Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival)

www.eurekavideo.co.uk

Overview: Levon Cade left his profession behind to work construction and be a good dad to his daughter. But when a local girl vanishes, he’s asked to return to the skills that made him a mythic figure in the shadowy world of counter-terrorism.

A Working Man, from Amazon MGM Studios, will be available for purchase on 4K UHD ™, Blu-ray ™ and DVD on June 10th, 2025.

4K UHD Blu-ray Verdict: Warner Bros. Entertainment is expanding their 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray catalog offerings this month with the release of the hotly anticipated A Working Man (4K Ultra HD + Digital) in the expansive 4K Ultra HD video format this June 10th, 2025.

For my money, this A Working Man (4K Ultra HD + Digital) sharpness takes a fairly large step forward from others in their 4K Ultra HD catalog and even comes with HDR (High Dynamic Range) for the complete 4K Ultra HD experience, of course.

So, what we have is A Working Man presented to us as a one-disc with a sheet for a Digital HD Copy. Other stand out points you should know are: Codec: HEVC / H.265 (62.90 Mbps), Resolution: Native 4K (2160p), HDR: HDR10 Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 and Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1.

Featuring Dolby Vision and HDR10 for brighter, deeper, and way more lifelike colors, as with most all 4K UHDs, everything that we watch features these qualities - but somehow, this film gloriously shines within them all.

Noticeably crisp with the overall clarity receiving an obvious boost here on this release, what is more is that it is enjoyably noticeable. For as well as some new nuances to the somewhat drab palette courtesy of Dolby Vision, we also get to witness sudden bright pops of color, which makes the eyes draw in, for sure.

One of those moments comes early on and I shall call it The Construction Site Battle, which is where Statham holds the shotgun sideways - like a legit gangster - before unleashing his badass self!

As for the audio, well we get the plentiful choice of: English: Dolby Atmos English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit), English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps), Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps) and Audio descriptive.

Overall, this is a very strong 4K HDR Blu-ray presentation, and, for the most part, the audio track remains fairly similar to its DTS-HD counterpart; with much of the action occupying the surrounds with outstanding directionality and placement where effects flawlessly pan between the sides and rears.

As for the film itself, well, the best way to describe A Working Man is to say that it is imperfectly very good. I do have a couple of issues with it, but all in all I have to say that I did enjoy this to a fairly strong degree. Jason Statham seldom disappoints in an action thriller. But I’m a fan of his so was always likely to get the required fun out of this, in truth.

Statham is great, naturally without him the movie would be vastly less entertaining. Away from the former British diver (still can’t quite believe that’s the same guy!), there are too many characters - which is one of the issues I have. There didn’t need to be so many main characters here, in my humble opinion, but it is what it is.

Regardless, those onscreen are all decent enough and none register as overtly negative in my mind. David Harbour does well in a small role although he genuinely seems to only speak the same weird-language way in most all his roles, but perhaps this one is minorly different, I guess. Michael Peña and Arianna Rivas are solid, as too is Jason Flemyng.

The latter’s character should’ve been the only bad guy in this, or at least one of a few. He gives enough that we didn’t need anyone else in my opinion, especially as higher-up’s Andrej Kaminsky and Maximilian Osinski give weaker performances. Chidi Ajufo is the best of the rest though, for sure.

My other issue lies with the run time. I guess with so many characters it did need to be almost two hours in length, however you could’ve told this story within 90 minutes. But again, as noticeable as that and the other issue is, it at least doesn’t hinder the brilliant movie viewing experience as the film, overall, is a rather solid 9/10 for me.

In closing, A Working Man isn’t groundbreaking, but for fans of action films or Jason Statham in particular, it’s very much worth a watch. Even if it follows a familiar formula, it delivers enough punch and intensity to make for a very enjoyable ride.