Asian Action Extreme: Hit Man File/Yakusa Graveyard/3 Seconds Before Explosion/Cops vs. Thugs [4 Di

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Box set includes 3 Seconds Before Explosion, Cops Vs. Thugs, Yakuza Graveyard and Hit Man File.

DVD FEATURES:

• Number of Discs: 4
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (Cinemascope)
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Akira Kobayashi - Yabuki
       Hideki Takahashi - Yamawaki
       Asao Uchida

• Director:

  Kinji Fukasaku, Sananjit Bangsapan, Motomu Ida

• Screenwriter:

  Sananjit Bangsapan, Kazuo Kasahara, Shuichi Nagahara

• Book Author:

  Haruhiko Oyabo

• Cinematographer:

  Teerawat Rujinatham, Izumi Hagiwara

• Composer (Music Score):

  Santisuk Promsiri, Niroot Sirichanya, Sompop Benjatikul, Thanit Jitnukul, Chatchai Plengpanich, Sarunyoo Wongkrachang, Bongkoj Khongmalai, Pitisak Yaowanont, Chatchai Pongprapaphan, Seitaro Omori

• Songwriter:

  Katsue Takaishi, Shiro Hide

• Editor:

  Sunit Asvinikul, Osamu Inoue

• Production Designer:

  Withaya Chaimongkol

• Art Director:

  Kazuo Yagyu

• Executive Producer:

  Somsak Techaratanaprasert

• Lighting:

  Saburo Mitsuo

REVIEWS:

• Cops Vs. Thugs delivers plenty of action and suspense for the yakuza film enthusiast: there are countless shootings, shifts of alliance and a particularly tense finale. However, Cops Vs. Thugs is much more than a mere action outing. The carefully layered script also takes time to comment on how the letter of the law can sometimes betray what is truly decent and humane and how the forces of law and order can be as cruel and underhanded as the crooks they pursue. The performances reflect the script's humanist approach: Bunta Sugawara is sympathetic as the savvy cop hero who empathizes with the crooks a little too much for his own good, Seizo Fukumoto delivers a memorably wild-eyed turn as the yakuza kingpin who is determined to honor his criminal code to the bitter end and Tatsuo Umemiya is convincingly hateful as a nasty high-ranking cop whose "ends justify the means" approach alienates everyone except his bosses. Fukasaku's direction is the lynchpin that holds it all together: he gives the film his trademark kinetic-yet-stylish visuals, gets a confident level of performance from everyone in the cast and wrings a tremendous amount of emotional intensity from the material to ensure that the viewer not only understands but feels his point of view. The result is a powerful experience that is a must for yakuza film fans and well worth a gamble for any adventurous foreign film aficionado. ~ Donald Guarisco, Rovi
• Kinji Fukasaku's yakuza films are fascinating because they are fueled by a unique combination of meditations on machismo, an analysis of the thin line between cop and crook and a tireless exploration the relationship between Japanese society and the crime it spawns. All of these aspects come to the fore in Yakuza Graveyard. The script tells its story of police corruption in a brisk, adrenalized style, giving the characters just enough room to make their internal dilemmas felt. The actors take the ball and run with it: Tetsuya Watari is fascinating as the lone wolf cop who finds more honor in his prey than he does his fellow officers, Meiko Kaji is quietly affecting as the female crime boss whose all-business exterior barely hides a fragile soul and Tatsuo Umemiya is fiercely charismatic as the tough-guy yakuza boss who finds a kindred spirit in Watari. However, the most important aspect of Yakuza Graveyard is Fukasaku's taut, stylish direction: he brings a gritty visual style to the squalor of Japanese urban life and keeps the pacing taut. Most importantly, he makes room for scenes that underline the film's social critique between the action and the double-crosses: one of the most powerful is a scene where Watari meets the alcoholic mother of a young yakuza punk and finds a new sympathy for the boy's lifestyle choices. All in all, Yakuza Graveyard is a strong piece of work that is well worth the time for anyone interested in the yakuza film. ~ Donald Guarisco, Rovi