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Released by: Radiance Films
Released on: August 17th, 2024.
Director: Tai Katô
Cast: Kinnosuke Nakamura, Junko Ikeuchi, Chiyonosuke Azuma
Year: 1966
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Tokijiro Lone Yakuza – Movie Review:
Set in 18th century Japan, director Tai Katô’s 1966 Toei Films production of Tokijiro Lone Yakuza stars Kinnosuke Nakamura as the titular gambler who has left behind the Yakuza code in an effort to wander the country and enjoy life on his own terms.
Tokijiro tries his best to lead a peaceful existence but we know early on in the film, when he has to defend himself from a trio of bandits, that violence would seem to be following him regardless. As he travels, and obviously finds himself in need of food and lodging, he often has to deal with Yakuza who, in exchange for helping him with life’s bare necessities, ask him to handle a job for them in return. To deny these requests would go against the Yakuza code that binds them. One such request sees Tokijiro’s right hand man, Asakichi (Kiyoshi Atsumi), attempt to take his place but he isn’t nearly as handy with a sword and when Asakichi winds up dead, Tokijiro finds himself needing to avenge his friend’s death.
A short time later, Tokijiro is required to kill a man named Mutsuda no Sanzo (Chiyonosuke Azuma). He agrees to the job, albeit begrudgingly, and just as he’s about to end the man’s life, Mutsuda asks him to ensure that the wife, Okinu (Junko Ikeuchi), and infant son he’ll be leaving behind are delivered to his uncle. Tokijiro agrees to grant the dying man his wish,
Okinu is, understandably, not really all that happy with the idea of having to travel with the man who killed her husband but sees in Tokijiro enough good that she agrees. When they arrives at Sanzo’s uncle’s home and find him dead, it soon becomes apparent that Tokijiro is going to have to look after Olinu and her child a lot longer and a lot more carefully than he originally anticipated, as it seems that the Yakuza gang that wanted Mutsudo dead want his entire family eliminated.
Based on author Shin Hasegawa’s story ‘Kutsukake Tokijiro’ from 1928, Tai Katô’s adaptation of the story is a good one, blending some very human drama and inevitable romance with some expertly directed scenes of violence and bloody revenge. Along the way, the film explores the concepts of loyalty and revenge as well as the merits of those same concepts through Tokijiro’s actions and the consequences he experiences from those actions. There’s good depth to this story, it’s a lot more than just another period Yakuza movie and when violence is employed, it hits with a significant amount of impact. As such, it never feels especially gratuitous so much as it feels like an inescapable part of the world that Tokijiro inhabits.
Kinnosuke Nakamura is great in the lead. The guy had no shortage of charisma at this point in his career and the camera loves him. He has that movie star magnetism and really makes it work in this role. He also has pretty solid chemistry with Junko Ikeuchi, which isn’t evident at first but becomes increasingly apparent as their respective characters warm to each other. Tai Katô paces the film well, it moves quickly but doesn’t skimp on character development.
Tokijiro Lone Yakuza – Blu-ray Review:
Tokijiro Lone Yakuza arrives on Blu-ray from Radiance Films in an AVC encoded 1080p high definition transfer provided by Toei framed at 2.35.1 widescreen on a the Region A/B locked 50GB disc. Like all of the Radiance discs representing vintage Japanese films thus far, it looks pretty solid. There is some softness inherent in the photography but generally speaking, the image is crisp. Some small white specks show up now and again but that’s about it as far as print damage goes, while colors are reproduced accurately, as are black levels and skin tones. The image always looks like proper film, preserving natural grain and showing no problems with noise reduction or edge enhancement. All in all, a solid job.
The only audio option on the disc is a 24-bit DTS-HD 2.0 Mono track in Japanese with optional subtitles provided in English only. This is a fairly dialogue heavy film despite frequent scenes of intense action, but the track handles everything well, giving things some punch when the movie calls for it and doing a very nice job with the score and foley effects. No problems with any hiss or distortion and the levels are balanced nicely. The subtitles are clean, clear, easy to read and free of any noticeable typos.
Extras start off with an interview with film critic Koushi Ueno about the film’s place in genre cinema history that runs seventeen minutes. This goes over the director's output and biography as well as what set him apart from his contemporaries, how his films follow his own set of values and how this is reflected in the movie and its lead character, Tai Kato's place in the history of Japanese cinema, where the movie draws from earlier Yakuza stories and films, the story that inspired the movie and the different versions of that story that have made it to the screen, details on the cast members and their characters, differences between the film and the source material, the film's period setting and more.
The disc also includes a visual essay on star Kinnosuke Nakamura by Japanese cinema expert Robin Gatto. This eighteen minute piece provides a lot of interesting background information on Nakamura's life and times, detailing his parents and his family life, how he got into show business, how he connected with Toei Studios and became quite popular in many of their youth oriented films, some of the stand out roles from the early part of his career, his connections to kabuki theater, his rise in popularity, some of the people that he worked with along the way, the actor's sense of humor, his work in Tokijiro Lone Yakzua, his appreciation for period dramas, details of his personal life, going freelance after leaving Toei and the later part of his career before passing in 1997.
A trailer for the feature finishes up the extra features on the disc.
As to the packaging, Radiance supplies, with the first pressing, some really nice reversible sleeve artwork featuring newly commissioned artwork on one side and art from the original Japanese theatrical poster on the reverse. This release also comes packaged with a limited edition full-color booklet featuring an essay on the film titled ‘Dark Blue With Splashes Of Red: Tai Kato’s Ultimate Wandering Gambler’ by Ivo Smits as well as an archival review from the April 1966 issue of Kinema Junpo by Tetsuya Fukasawa along with cast and crew notes, credits for the Blu-ray release, notes on the transfer and some archival imagery.
This limited edition first pressing is being pressed in 3,000 copies and comes with a removable Obi strip, which is a nice touch.
Tokijiro Lone Yakuza - The Final Word:
Tokijiro Lone Yakuza works really well, a frequently very tense mix of drama, intrigue and action led by a strong leading man and equally strong supporting cast. The Blu-ray edition from Radiance Films looks and sounds very nice and the two featurettes and essay in the insert booklet do a nice job of exploring the lives and importance of the people behind the production. Recommended!
Click on the images below, or right click and open in a new window, for full sized Tokijiro Lone Yakuza Blu-ray screen caps!
