NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

Warner Archive transfer Sydney Pollack's The Yakuza to Blu-ray. The almost 2-hour films is on a dual-layered Blu-ray in 1080P with a max'ed out bitrate. It looks very film-like with nice texture and impressive detail. It is in the original 2.35:1 aspect ratio and looks sweet... and consistent in-motion with occasional depth. It looks super. 

The Yakuza's audio is transferred via a 2.0 mono 24-bit DTS-HD Master audio track in the original English with some Japanese. The lossless handles the sword fighting and aggression with some potent depth. The delightful score is by Dave Grusin (A Dry White Season, The Front, The Friends of Eddie Coyle, ...And Justice For All, 3 Days of the Condor) with Only the Wind (Japanese lyrics by Yû Aku). The audio quality is decent and dialogue is clear and audible. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles, in 'SHOUTING' capitals, for the entire film or English subtitles for the Japanese language (see samples below) on this Region FREE Blu-ray.

Warner Archive include the previous DVD commentary by Sydney Pollack who openly shares his production methods, working with Robert Mitchum and the hurdles with bringing together a Japanese crew, as well as themes of guilt and cultural differences. Also included is Elliot Geisinger's 20-minute documentary, Promises to Keep that details the filming of Sydney Pollack's "The Yakuza." It addresses the challenges, Japanese traditions, and shows some cast rehearsing scenes. Lastly, is a trailer.

The Yakuza is a wonderful integration of Eastern and Western culture. it doesn't seem to have garnered the recognition it deserves. The Paul Schrader / Robert Towne script works beautifully for this taut thriller. Mitchum was perfect and Ken Takakura's performance is equally brilliant. It's close to a masterpiece.  The Blu-ray transfer is as good as we are ever likely to get - really flawless - and the commentary and documentary give this essential value. A must-own.

Gary Tooze