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The Film

[Rating:4/5]

Branded to Kill was Suzuki Seijun’s last and wildest of his films for Nikkatsu, before being let go by the studio and ending up embroiled in a lengthy lawsuit against his former employer that he ultimately would win. If Tokyo Drifter was a wild and colorful experiment in aesthetics that would stretch the “b-movie” yakuza genre to its limits, Branded to Kill was even further afield. An absurdist, stylized romp through the criminal underworld with a rambling plot, off-kilter humor, and steamy sexuality, the film could be compared to the likes of John Woo, David Lynch, and Luc Besson.

The story follows a yakuza hitman, Hanada, known ranked third in the underworld and with a fetish for the smell of boiling rice, played by Joe Shishido, his cheeks freshly plumped up by plastic surgery. When one of his jobs goes wrong and he kills the wrong person, Hanada ends up marked for death by the crime organization that hired him, his sex-crazed wife, the mysterious beauty with a death wish who hired him, and the top killer in the country, known only as Number 1.

Branded to Kill, with its quirky visual style, oddball humor, and eccentric characters is absolute fun from beginning to end; a truly unique and trendsetting gangster film from Suzuki.

Video Quality

[Rating:4/5]

Arrow lists this as a “new high definition digital transfer,” but to my eyes, I cannot spot any clear differences between this new Blu-ray from Arrow and the previously released U.S. Blu-ray of Branded to Kill from the Criterion Collection. They look almost, if not exactly identical. Both are rather film-like with a fine layer of grain that is sometimes given to a little bit of roughness and some areas of softness. The contrast is strong and no serious issues with noise or edge enhancement are a concern.

Audio Quality

[Rating:3.5/5]

Arrow includes the original Japanese monaural soundtrack in LPCM 1.0 (48kHz/24-bit). Given the times and age of this film, it works. It is just a bit boxy, but it is relatively clean.

Supplemental Materials

[Rating:4/5]

• Suzuki Seijun Interview (1.33:1; SD; 00:07:08)
• Shishido Jô Interview (1.33:1; SD; 00:06:41) – By critic and author Koshi Ueno
• Trapped in Lust (Yamatoya Atsushi, 1973; 2.35:1; 1080p/24; 01:13:33) – A delirious roman porno re-imagining of Branded to Kill from Yamatoya Atsushi, scripted by Tanaka Yôzô, both Branded to Kill‘s screenwriters and Suzuki’s regular collaborators.
  • Trapped in Lust Trailer (2.35:1; 1080p/24; 00:02:07)
• Trailer (2.35:1; 1080p/24; 00:03:10)
• Reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork by Ian MacEwan
• Booklet by Japanese film expert Jasper Sharp, illustrated with original stills and new artwork by Ian MacEwan

The Definitive Word

Overall:

[Rating:4/5]

Branded to Kill is always an entertaining film to watch given its stylish look, its unabashed sexiness, and instantly recognizable lead actor Shishido Jô. Arrow brings it to Blu-ray in a fine transfer and includes the even more exploitative ’70s remake Trapped in Lust as a bonus.

Additional Screen Captures

[amazon-product region=”uk” tracking_id=”bluraydefinit-21″]B00KHQD6WG[/amazon-product]

Trapped in Lust:

[amazon-product region=”uk” tracking_id=”bluraydefinit-21″]B00KHQD6WG[/amazon-product]