Overview: Constructed in the late nineteenth century to house political prisoners, Japan’s infamous Abashiri Prison served as the inspiration for a popular and prolific run of yakuza movies released between 1965 and 1972.

The Masters of Cinema series is proud to present the first three entries in this landmark series, directed by the “King of Cult” Teruo Ishii (Shogun’s Joy of Torture) and starring a titan of Japanese genre cinema, Ken Takakura (The Bullet Train).

Blu-ray Verdict: In Abashiri Prison (1965), Takakura stars as Shinichi Tachibana, a yakuza sent to Abashiri as punishment for an attack on a rival gangster. He intends to serve his time as a model prisoner until he is shackled to the bullish Gonzo Gonda (Kōji Nanbara), unwittingly roped into an escape attempt orchestrated by Heizo Yoda (Tōru Abe) and forced to face the frozen wilderness of Hokkaidō.

This classic Japanese movie depicts the life of some inmates serving in the notorious Abashiri prison. The hierarchy among inmates is the same as in Western culture, except that they continuously greet each other by nodding which is unique to Japanese culture.

The storytelling is so very nice for childhood memories of the lead character are cinematically shown with flashbacks. His attachment to his sick mother is so very emotional. His sorrow is very well reflected to the viewer.

Also blended to perfection with some rather beautiful songs - some that actually reminded me of Turkish ballads - the overall camera work was great and the actors all did a fine job too, their collective characters interesting also.

So if you like prison movies, this may be interesting for you, now that it has been re-released as this crystalline new Blu-ray. I would also recommend it if you are into old Japanese movies for it is most certainly worth viewing.

In Another Abashiri Prison Story (1965), Tachibana has just been released when he stumbles across a stash of diamonds recently stolen in a bank heist – and attracts unwanted attention from criminals and cops alike.

After being released from Abashiri Prison, Shinichi Tachibana (Ken Takakura) travels with ex-cellmate, Takeshi (Joji Aoi), to Aomori where he intends to hustle and keep his head down, not wanting to be sent back. After failing at selling ladies underwear and being ripped off several times by pickpocket Yumi (Michiko Saga), he ends up in possession of an algae ball filled with stolen jewels from a bank heist which kicks off a series of events as various parties try to lay hands on the loot.

The second Abashiri film is much maligned by genre fans and it’s honestly not hard to see why. Taken on its own merits, it’s not a bad little crime caper and some of its more fun moments keep it ticking along nicely. But, as a sequel to the classic first film, it’s genuinely disconnected.

Gone is the tension, the style, the fascinating context and backstories, instead relying solely on its cast and a (probably) hurried script to usher audiences back into the cinema for a lackluster continuation of events from the first.

Overall, in my humble opinion, Abashiri Prison 2 is a misfire as a sequel, but an OK watch if you can get past the fact that it pales in comparison to its incredible predecessor and watch it as a standalone caper.

Finally, in Abashiri Prison: Saga of Homesickness (1965), Tachibana reunites with his former yakuza associates, who are trying to go straight. That is, at least, until old rivals come looking for trouble.

Returning to his hometown of Nagasaki, Shinichi Tachibana (Ken Takakura), recently released from his term in Abashiri Prison, is forced to deal with the repercussions of his unsanctioned raid that saw him jailed.

Returning to his old gang, the Asahi Family (led by Kanjuro Arashi) who are to trying to go straight through working as port laborers, he is welcomed back into the fold. But things quickly escalate with old rivals the Yasui Family, (led by Toru Abe) who are determined to control the port and settle old grievances by any means necessary.

The third film in the series sees maverick director Teruo Ishii right all the wrongs of the second film to the point where you can pretty much ignore it in its entirety. Armed with a script that positively dwarfs it’s aforementioned lackluster predecessor, he delivers both a fantastic Ninkyo, and a terrific sequel that returns to the roots of the classic first film; and that is every bit as good as I remembered.

Overall, Abashiri Prison 3 is a fantastic return to form. A brilliant Ninkyo in its own right, as well as a terrific sequel that clearly had much more time and attention poured into it. Revisiting all three of these initial films is a bittersweet journey, because it makes me yearn for the continued adventures of Shinichi Tachibana; none of which are translated at this point, sadly, so I guess it is onto the new series once more.

Regardless, these are must-see films for Japanese film fans which, in my opinion, deserve much more attention (just maybe skip the second, you are not missing anything really!).

Special Features:
1080p HD presentation of all three films from restorations of the original film elements supplied by Toei
Optional English subtitles newly translated for this release
Original Japanese audio (uncompressed LPCM mono)
Brand new audio commentary tracks by Tom Mes, Chris Poggiali and Mike Leeder & Arne Venema
Tony Rayns on Abashiri Prison – brand new interview with critic and Asian cinema expert Tony Rayns
Brand new video appreciation by Jasper Sharp and Mark Schilling Trailers

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