Sonny Chiba Mega Review Thread

[47lab Guest Find all posts View Profile Close 47lab]

Is there an HD print of THE POWER OF AIKIDO available from Toei's channel? I re-watched this the other day and would really like to upgrade my bootleg copy.

[Takuma Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Takuma]

Is there an HD print of THE POWER OF AIKIDO available from Toei's channel? I re-watched this the other day and would really like to upgrade my bootleg copy.

No, unfortunately there isn't. I can mention the film the next time I send them a request (actually, I'm gonna ask my girlfriend to make that request... Toei seems more responsive when they see a girl's name )

I think The Power of Aikido and 13 Steps of Maki are the two Chiba/Shihomi films most in a need of an HD upgrade. Both are some of the best films the 70s karate film boom produced.

The good news is that there is hope for Toei giving them HD scans. They've focused mainly on films that are 1) best sellers or 2) never had a dvd release/master available, and these two fall into the latter category.

Speaking of Shihomi, I wonder what happened to Arrow's Sister Street Fighter set which was confirmed last year but no news since then. The HD masters are ready since Toei is currently broadcasting them...

[Takuma Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Takuma]

Emergency Line (Japan, 1976) [TV] - 3.5/5
The last of the mid-70 action/detective shows with Sonny Chiba, this one makes an immediate impression with its grit and darkness. It's the usual 'group of detectives' (Chiba, Shihomi, Tani, Masaaki Daimon, Tamio Kawachi, Seigo Inoue, Yuriko Hishimi) pattern, but without jokes. The opening episode has a bitter war vet (Eiji Okada) trying to assassinate a foreign little girl flown to Japan for medical operation, and another story has Chiba, taking a bullet in his leg in the first scene, trying to penetrate a top floor condo where the shooter is holding hostages. There are also smaller delights like usual yakuza crook Eiji Go quest starring as a narcotics cop, and Toei's regular evil gaijin Osman Yusuf as murderous diplomat in an episode that concludes with one of Chiba's most explosive karate sequences as Chiba decides to ignore diplomatic immunity and fight his way though 20 bodyguards. Another stunt highlight involves Chiba chasing criminals. After his car falls off the cliff (!), he climbs on top of a train, then jumps down when the train is crossing a bridge, landing on the moving car's roof, only to slip, grab the rear bumper, pull out his gun and shoot the tires. Bravo! As usual, Chiba and Japan Action Club were in charge of the action.

Not every episode is as exciting as those, though. Despite having more action than Blazing Dragnet, this is the most talkative of the four shows. There are also a couple of dullish drama/thriller stories, and Etsuko Shihomi is largely wasted in a role that offers her little to do. The rest of the cast is ok, with Tani, who has developed some charisma since Key Hunter (1968-1973) faring the best. The episodes take a bit of patience since they often reveal the gist only at the end, which is interesting but a bit odd since these aren't strictly mystery stories. The show's ending is exceptionally powerful and each episode closes with a beautiful theme song and closing credits montage. Gritty and atmospheric, this is a very worthy closing product for Chiba's detective show streak.

* Original title: Daihijosen (大非常線)
* Director: Various
* Chiba's role: Starring role
* Series availability: None / Review format: TV

Chiba. I always loved the gritty 16mm look of these shows


Detectives. Eiji Go on the left.


The series really is quite gritty






Chiba's had it






Osman Yusuf. This episode features the best role I've seen him in. I've really become a bit of a fan. He was born in the Ottoman Empire in 1920 but moved to Japan at a young age (his younger brother Osman Toruko was born in Japan and become a Japanese professional wrester). He was working on TV and movies since the 1940s, although all the roles I've seen him in (60s and 70s) have been small roles. He died in 1982.


Stunt action


Find Chiba in the frame!




Shihomi and Tani


Chiba and Shihomi

[47lab Guest Find all posts View Profile Close 47lab]

No, unfortunately there isn't. I can mention the film the next time I send them a request (actually, I'm gonna ask my girlfriend to make that request... Toei seems more responsive when they see a girl's name )

I think The Power of Aikido and 13 Steps of Maki are the two Chiba/Shihomi films most in a need of an HD upgrade. Both are some of the best films the 70s karate film boom produced.

The good news is that there is hope for Toei giving them HD scans. They've focused mainly on films that are 1) best sellers or 2) never had a dvd release/master available, and these two fall into the latter category.

Speaking of Shihomi, I wonder what happened to Arrow's Sister Street Fighter set which was confirmed last year but no news since then. The HD masters are ready since Toei is currently broadcasting them...

Damn, I totally forgot about SISTER STREET FIGHTER. I remember I was stoked when it was announced as a possibility since I can finally banish that godawful BCI set. I can't recall what the source was off hand (was it a Marc Walkow tweet?) but didn't it say Fukasaku's WOLVES, PIGS & MEN was going to be the next release? I remember on the COPS VS THUGS release they showed footage of HOKURIKU PROXY WAR, so it was assumed that was one of the other titles slated for release along with MESSAGE FROM SPACE to round out the 11 titles acquired from Toei but it's just mere speculation on my part.

[Takuma Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Takuma]

I can't recall what the source was off hand (was it a Marc Walkow tweet?)

Here you go:
http://www.rockshockpop.com/forums/s...l=1#post152636

I believe everything else (Wolves, Message, Proxy) was just speculation.

[Jason C Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jason C]

Hunter in the Dark (Japan, 1979) [DVD] - 3.5/5
Effective if depressingly gloomy de-romantization of samurai romantics, a fitting continuation to Hideo Gosha cinematic work in 60s. The storyline is convoluted beyond belief with multiple simultaneous revenge quests and political plots. The main focus is on a one eyed assassin (Yoshio Harada) working for a gangster boss (Tatsuya Nakadai), clashing with a rotten politician (Tetsuro Tamba) and his right hand man, a sadistic police commander (Sonny Chiba in an excellent role.) This was a mid career film by Gosha, a messy but intriguing samurai epic full of sex and violence. Case in point: in scene where a gangster boss is assassinated in the upstairs, the blood drips through the floor and falls on a stripper's breasts, all set to a groovy score by Masao Sato in a scene that draws comparisons to Dario Argento, and not for the first time (Violent Streets, 1974) on Gosha's career. However, what the film really excels in is displaying swordfights as ugly, un-cinematic battle for survival. Chiba recalled in an interview that (despite only being in a handful of scenes) his part took two months to film due to Gosha's obsession for detail and realism in fight choreography.

* Original title: Yami no karyudo (闇の狩人)
* Director: Hideo Gosha
* Chiba's role: Major supporting role
* Film availability: Shochiku DVD (Japan) (No subs), HK Video DVD (France) (French subs), Hong Kong DVD (full screen)

Caught the Hulu rip of HUNTERS IN THE DARK. It looks/sounds very good. On par with a top notch DVD presentation. I agree with everything Takuma said. The plot is ridiculous but its never boring. Cool characters, gripping fights and a near constant stream of sex and violence. I absolutely love the music (sounds like a giallo). Chiba is intense.

[Takuma Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Takuma]

Just got this beauty



Sister Street Fighter (1974)

Now I've got all my heroines on my wall. Meiko, Reiko and Etsuko!

[Jason C Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jason C]

Freaking awesome! /jealous

[47lab Guest Find all posts View Profile Close 47lab]

Just finished the final ep of KAGE NO GUNDAN season 2 and ready for season 3 (I already bought the fan subbed 13 disc edition). The best part of season 2 was Mayumi Asaka who played Otoki. She only received a couple storylines that centered around her character but she was hella cute. Going to miss her in season 3. She was also good the ABARENBO SHOGUN tv series as well where she played one of Ken Matsuidara's agents/bodyguards. She seems to have some action background but don't know is she was part of JAC or not?

[Takuma Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Takuma]

Violent Street (Japan, 1963) [35mm] - 3/5
Decent yakuza lieutenant Ken Takakura tries to maintain peace between gangs while rivals and reckless subordinates (Shinjiro Ebara in full Hiroki Matsukata mode trying to make money with boxing and dirty gambling) give him hard time. This was one of the relatively few modern day ninkyo films (most were set in pre-WWII era), which lends to some interesting bits such as the "final walk" in contemporary milieu. Not especially well written, lacking the kind of strong honour/duty dilemma that is the backbone of the best ninkyo films, but there are many good scenes like a detailed yakuza ceremony in the opening and action packed ending. It's also surprisingly sexy, without explicit nudity, with one of Ebara's businesses being turning a traditional stage theatre into a strip joint. Sonny Chiba has a decent supporting role as an impulsive young yakuza holding grudge against Takakura's gang. There's no character development for him but Chiba acts well and gets enough screen time to make it the film's third or fourth biggest role. The film is unrelated to the Hideo Gosha movie (1974) of the same title.

* Original title: Boryoku gai (暴力街)
* Director: Tsuneo Kobayashi
* Chiba's role: Major supporting role
* Film availability: None / Review format: 35mm

[Takuma Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Takuma]

Life of Blackmail (Japan, 1963) [TV] - 3/5
Two kids and best friends (Tatsuo Umemiya and Sonny Chiba) go different paths, one becoming a gangster specializing in blackmailing and the other a policeman. Umemiya and Chiba share the top billing; however, it is Umemiya who gets the juicier role with most screen time as the blackmailer. It's an entertaining modern day gangster film with an energetic score and young cast; however it feels a bit superficial as the script doesn't really pit the two main characters against each other most of the time, which could have added psychological depth. The storyline is an adaptation of Shinji Fujiwara's novel. Kinji Fukasaku directed a better version called Blackmail is My Life for Shochiku in 1968 with a vastly different rendering of the storyline. Chiba's character does not appear in that film at all, and the blackmailer, played by Hiroki Matsukata, faces mostly different scenarios although some plot elements and characters are the same.

* Original title: Waga kyí´katsu no jinsei (わが恐喝の人生)
* Director: Kiyoshi Saeki
* Chiba's role: Starring / Major supporting role
* Film availability: None / Review format: TV

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

I really do envy you getting to see all of this rare stuff.

[Takuma Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Takuma]

Gendai onibabako: Satsu ai (Japan, 1973) [TV] - 4/5

A 300 year old witch agrees to assassinate a dead-sick businessman and his ignorant sexy wife upon the former's own request - the kills are to take place in separate locations at the same time. The granny then exits the same way she entered his office, with rope via 20th floor window! And it gets even better when you realize the granny is played by Sonny Chiba. Chiba soon takes his own handsome form and retreats to plan the hits with his karate killer sister (17 year old Etsuko Shihomi in her first role).

A decently insane fantasy / karate / murder thriller based on a Kazuo Koike manga, brought to the small screen as a 46 minute TV movie, the final one shown in the "Suspense Series" slot (Toei / Mainichi Broadcasting System). The script by Koike himself is fabulous, with twists like the businessman receiving a call from hospital that they made a mistake and he's not dying from cancer after all, the kills set to take place in the afternoon at 02:02 (o-ni, o-ni, as for "demon in Japanese") and Chiba promising to buy tasty bread for Shihomi as soon as all targets have been murdered!

The closest comparison point would probably be Wolfguy (1975), and although not as wild or graphic, this still packs a punch and manages to throw in some nudity (courtesy of Tomoko Mayama from the first Lone Wolf and Cub film). Oh and the scene where the cute as a button mini-skirt Shihomi takes down a roomful of men with karate... you'll need a face massage to get the resulting smile to go down.

The title, Gendai onibabako: Satsu ai, roughly translates as "Modern Witch Tale: Murderous Love".

* Original title: Gendai onibabako: Satsu ai (現代鬼婆考 殺愛)
* Director: Koichi Takemoto
* Chiba's role: Starring role
* Film availability: None / Review format: TV

Kazuo Koike TV Play




Chiba!


Tomoko Mayama










Shihomi!

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

Awesome. So much Chiba out there that, sadly, we in the English speaking world are never going to get to see. I had no idea that one existed, and based off of a Kazuo Koike work no less.

And yeah, Ms. Shiomi looks awesome there.

[Takuma Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Takuma]

I had no idea that one existed, and based off of a Kazuo Koike work no less.

I don't blame you. I just added it to IMDb last night.

I bit more Shihomi: