Yusaku Matsuda stars in three rare Japanese gangster films, available outside Japan for the first time ever. Photo courtesy of Arrow Films. © Toei Co., Ltd.
Source: Arrow Films, MVD Entertainment
Special Thanks to Derek Stubinski
Photo courtesy of Arrow Films. © Toei Co., Ltd.
Made at the end of the 1970s, Tōru Murakawa's GAME TRILOGY launched actor Yusaku Matsuda as the Toei tough guy for a new generation. Matsuda was the definitive screen icon of 1980s until his career was tragically cut short by cancer at the age of 40, following his Hollywood debut in Ridley Scott’s BLACK RAIN.
In this career-defining triptych, Matsuda is Shohei Narumi, an ice cool hitman of few words, a steely trigger finger, and a heart of stone, hired in THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME (最も危険な遊戯, Mottomo Kiken na Yūgi, 1978) by a company bidding for a lucrative government air defense contract to take out the competition. In THE KILLING GAME (殺人遊戯、Satsujin Yūgi, 1978), Narumi finds himself caught in the midst of violent yakuza gang warfare, while his own brutal past catches up with him in the form of two beautiful women still bearing the emotional scars of his past assignments. In THE EXECUTION GAME (処刑遊戯, Shokei Yūgi, 1979, Narumi falls for a mysterious saloon bar chanteuse who may or may not be part of the same, shadowy underworld organisation as the rival hitmen he is employed to rub out.
Released for the very first time outside Japan, with their cool blue cinematography by Nagisa Ōshima collaborator Seizô Sengen and a sultry score by jazz legend Yuji Ohno, Murakawa’s masterful set of films raised the bar for the Japanese action movie to new heights.
- SKU: AV512
- UPC: 760137127260
- Format: Blu-ray
- Street Date: 06/20/23
- Label: Arrow Video »
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Run Time: 281 mins
- Number of Discs: 2
- Audio: Stereo
- Year of Production: 1978-79
- Region Code: 0
- Language: Japanese
- List Price: $39.95
Bonus Materials
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentations of all films
- Original lossless mono Japanese soundtracks
- Optional newly translated English subtitles
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella
- Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella
- Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the films by Hayley Scanlon and Dimitri Ianni
DISC 1: THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME
- Brand new audio commentary by Chris Poggiali and Marc Walkow
- The Action Man, a 30-minute interview with director Toru Murakawa
- Original Japanese theatrical trailer
- Image gallery
DISC 2: THE KILLING GAME & THE EXECUTION GAME
- Brand new audio commentary on THE KILLING GAME by Earl Jackson and Jasper Sharp
- Brand new audio commentary on THE EXECUTION GAME by Tom Mes
- Remembering Yusaku Matsuda, an interview with Yutaka Oki, film critic and personal friend of Yusaku Matsuda
- Game Changer, an interview with The Execution Game screenwriter Shoichi Maruyama
- Original Japanese theatrical trailers for both films
- Image galleries for both films
Photo courtesy of Arrow Films. © Toei Co., Ltd.
About Arrow Films
Arrow Films is a leading independent entertainment distribution company, established in 1991. Operating in the UK, the Republic of Ireland, United States of America and Canada, Arrow Films is dedicated to supporting upcoming and established filmmakers of dynamic new cinema and developing an enviable slate of quality films that enjoy a lasting legacy across its award-winning branded labels, channels, and platforms.
About MVD Entertainment Group
MVD Entertainment Group is a full service music and movie distribution firm, exclusively representing thousands of audio and visual products for DVD, Bluray, CD, vinyl, and digital rights, worldwide. MVD also exclusively distributes a growing line of merchandise including limited edition collectibles, tee shirts, and more. “Serving Artists and Audiences†is MVD's purpose statement; it represents a commitment to the interests of the musicians, filmmakers, record labels, producers, managers, and every link in the supply chain. The customers are the Audience, from wholesalers, sub-distributors, major retail chains, online retailers, specialists, and independent mom and pop stores, all the way to the consumer. MVD Entertainment Group was founded in 1986 by Tom Seaman, an industry veteran with prior experience with The Record Hunter, Sam Goody, CBS Retail, and JEM Distribution. Tom, along with his family Elinor, Eve and Ed, initially focused on music videotapes. At the turn of the century, with the advent of DVD, MVD built a large catalog of exclusively distributed audiovisual content on DVDs, with special strength in music concert films, horror movies, documentaries, comedy, cult classics, and much more.