Photo courtesy of Arrow Films. ©Toei Co., Ltd.
Source: Arrow Films, MVD Entertainment
Special Thanks to Derek Stubinski
In 1989 legendary Japanese studio Toei launched their V-Cinema line of direct-to-video genre features. Filled with action, thrills and double-crosses, Arrow's V-CINEMA ESSENTIALS: BULLETS & BETRAYAL is a compendium of gems from the Japanese video underworld, presenting nine explosive titles representing some of the best the Japanese crime film has to offer.
Photo courtesy of Arrow Films. ©Toei Co., Ltd.
Fast-paced and action-packed, CRIME HUNTER: BULLETS OF RAGE (クライムハンター 怒りの銃弾, Kuraimuhanta Ikari no Judan, 1989) sees detective Joe Kawamura out for revenge against the men who gunned down his partner. Along the way he teams up with Lily, a gun-toting nun looking to get back five million dollars that was stolen from her church. Next up, NEO CHINPIRA: ZOOM GOES THE BULLET (ネオ チンピラ 鉄砲玉ぴゅ～, Neo Chinpira Teppōdama Pyu ~, 1990) sees wannabe yakuza Junko get more than he bargained for when tasked with avenging the murder of a fellow gang member, or face the consequences for betrayal. Meanwhile, in Shunichi Nagasaki's unbearably tense thriller STRANGER (夜のストレンジャー 恐怖, Yoru no Sutorenjā Kyōfu, 1991), a late-night taxi driver is stalked by the unseen driver of an SUV, who just might have a connection to the taxi driver's criminal past. In CARLOS (カルロス, Karurosu, 1991), the eponymous Brazilian-Japanese petty criminal sees an opportunity to play rival yakuza gangs against each other, but bites off much more than he can chew. BURNING DOG (襲撃 BURNING DOG, Shūgeki BURNING DOG, 1991) is a gripping heist film where a gang of thieves plot to rob a US military base in Okinawa, but rising tensions in the group threaten to put the plan in jeopardy.
The sequel to one of the most iconic Japanese franchises of all time, FEMALE PRISONER SCORPION: DEATH THREAT (女囚さそり 殺人予告, Joshū Sasori Satsujin Yokoku, 1991) sees a female assassin hired to infiltrate a women's prison and search for The Scorpion, a legendary rebellious prisoner hiding in the bowels of the building. After his fiancée is killed in the crossfire of a yakuza turf war, a man on the edge remorselessly hunts down the gangsters responsible in legendary director Teruo Ishii's THE HITMAN: BLOOD SMELLS LIKE ROSES (ザ・ヒットマン 血はバラの匂い, Za Hittoman Chihabara no Nioi, 1991). Meanwhile in DANGER POINT: THE ROAD TO HELL (地獄への道, Jigoku he no Michi, 1991), duo of contract killers' fragile partnership is tested when their most recent hit starts to have unforeseen consequences. Finally, assassin and femme fatale Shion rebels against the fanatical religious order who prepared her from birth to be the perfect killer in the pulpy XX: BEAUTIFUL HUNTER (XX 美しき狩人, XX: Utsukushiki Kariudo, 1994).
V-CINEMA ESSENTIALS: BULLETS & BETRAYAL Limited Edition Blu-ray
Running Time: 795 Minutes
Number of Discs: 5
Language: Japanese
Subtitles: English
Audio: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
US
Region Code: 0
SKU: AV707
UPC: 760137172901
Sreet Date: 04/29/25
List Price: $99.95
UK
Region Code: A/B
Product Code: FCD2670
UK Rating: 18
Street Date: 04/28/25
RRP: £64.99
LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
- High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentations of all films
- Original lossless Japanese mono audio on Crime Hunter: Bullets of Rage and original lossless Japanese stereo audio for all other films
- Optional newly translated English subtitles for all films
- Nine postcard-sized artcards
- Limited edition packaging with reversible sleeves featuring newly commissioned artwork by Chris Malbon
- Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Earl Jackson, Daisuke Miyao, and Hayley Scanlon
DISC 1 – CRIME HUNTER: BULLETS OF RAGE / NEO CHINPIRA: ZOOM GOES THE BULLET
- Newly filmed introductions to both films by Japanese film critic Masaki Tanioka
- Loose Cannon, a newly filmed interview with CRIME HUNTER: BULLETS OF RAGE director Shundo Okawa
- Zooming Out, a newly filmed interview with NEO CHINPIRA: ZOOM GOES THE BULLET writer-director Banmei Takahashi
- Crime Hunter and the Dawn of V-Cinema, a brand new video essay on CRIME HUNTER: BULLETS OF RAGE by Japanese cinema expert Tom Mes
- Original trailers for both films
DISC 2 – STRANGER / CARLOS
- Newly filmed introductions to both films by Japanese film critic Masaki Tanioka
- Stranger than Fiction, a newly filmed interview with STRANGER writer-director Shunichi Nagasaki
- From Manga to Movies, a newly filmed interview with CARLOS writer-director Kazuhiro Kiuchi
- An Extra Round in the Chamber, a brand new video essay on CARLOS by critic and Japanese cinema expert Jonathan Clements
DISC 3 – BURNING DOG / FEMALE PRISONER SCORPION: DEATH THREAT
- Newly filmed introductions to both films by Japanese film critic Masaki Tanioka
- Fire and Ice, a brand new video essay on BURNING DOG by critic and Japanese cinema expert Mark Schilling
- Toshiharu Ikeda’s Beautiful Monster of Vengeance, a brand new video essay on FEMALE PRISONER SCORPION: DEATH THREAT by film historian Samm Deighan
- Original trailers for both films
DISC 4 – THE HITMAN: BLOOD SMELLS LIKE ROSES / DANGER POINT: THE ROAD TO HELL
- Newly filmed introductions to both films by Japanese film critic Masaki Tanioka
- The Versatility of Teruo Ishii, a brand new video essay on THE HITMAN: BLOOD SMELLS LIKE ROSES and its director Teruo Ishii by Japanese cinema expert Frankie Balboa
- The Road to V-Cinema, a brand new video essay on DANGER POINT: THE ROAD TO HELL by critic and Japanese cinema expert James Balmont
- Original trailer for THE HITMAN: BLOOD SMELLS LIKE ROSES
DISC 5 – XX: BEAUTIFUL HUNTER
- Newly filmed introduction by Japanese film critic Masaki Tanioka
- The Sacred and the Profane, a newly filmed interview with screenwriter Hiroshi Takahashi
- They Brought Back the Sleaze, a brand new video essay on XX: BEAUTIFUL HUNTER by critic and Japanese cinema expert Patrick Macias
- Original trailer
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.