Review by Gary Tooze

 

Production:

Theatrical: Samurai Productions

Video: Criterion Collection - Spine # 596

 

Disc:

Region: 'A' (as verified by the Momitsu region FREE Blu-ray player)

Runtime: 1:33:57.673

Disc Size: 28,468,761,152 bytes

Feature Size: 27,534,047,232 bytes

Video Bitrate: 34.99 Mbps

Chapters: 16

Case: Standard Blu-ray case

Release date: February 14th, 2012

 

Video:

Aspect ratio: 2.35:1

Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps

Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Audio:

LPCM Audio Japanese 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit

 

Subtitles:

English (SDH), none

 

Extras:

• Trailer (3:28 in 1080P)

• Liner notes booklet featuring an essay by film critic Bilge Ebir

 

Bitrate:

 

 

Description: This first feature by the legendary Hideo Gosha is among the most beloved chanbara (sword-fighting) films. An origin-story offshoot of a Japanese television phenomenon of the same name, Three Outlaw Samurai is a classic in its own right. A wandering, seen-it-all ronin (Tetsuro Tamba) becomes entangled in the dangerous business of two other samurai (Isamu Nagato and Mikijiro Hira), hired to execute a band of peasants who have kidnapped the daughter of a corrupt magistrate. With remarkable storytelling economy and thrilling action scenes, this is an expertly mounted tale of revenge and loyalty.

 

 

The Film:

Although there are extended battles, "Three Outlaw Samurai" doesn't really seem to be an "action movie." There are complicated relationships (more even than in "Yojimbo" or "Seven Samurai") and in the eternal division of plot-driven vs. character-driven, this has to go in the latter category. The mixture of pragmatism, idealism, and swordsmanship of Shiba puts him in the company of the heroes of other "rebel samurai" protagonists from the mid-to-late-1960s, which for me was the golden age of samurai films with complex characters, in many ways paralleling American "adult westerns" of the 1950s and 1960s.

Excerpt from Stephen O. Murray at eOpinions located HERE

Reluctant heroes are a storytelling staple. It gives the writer a reason to build the tension, develop the villain slowly, set up a variety of ways that the tale could go, even if you know in your heart of hearts that the direction is pre-ordained. It gives the audience a certain amount of identification with the protagonist, because most of us know that our first reaction to a dangerous situation would probably be "don't get involved". And, when they finally do get involved, the audience knows that the bad guys are in for one heck of an ass-kicking. As the name suggests, this film gives us three reluctant heroes.

Excerpt from Jay Seaver at eFilmCritic located HERE

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

A lot of times classic Japanese Samurai film sources are compromised by inferior storage methods. However, Criterion's Three Outlaw Samurai from 1964 looks outstanding on Blu-ray. Layered contrasts support fine detail and some impressive depth. While I couldn't identify digital manipulation - I feel Criterion have probably boosted black levels in segments augmenting the print utilized. This produces rich visuals. Regardless, whether they have or have not, this Blu-ray is beautiful. It handles the frequent dark scenes without producing unsightly noise. The overall image is exceptionally clean and I found no flaws at all in my viewing presentation. It might be one of the best looking of the vintage genre that I can recall. I was very pleasantly surprised by the high quality of the video transfer. All good.... no, great.

 

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Audio :

Criterion remain faithful to the original with a linear PCM mono track at 1152 kbps in the Japanese language. There is not an abundance of action in Three Outlaw Samurai but when the aggression does come - there are hints at depth in the uncompressed track. Parts of Toshiaki Tsushima's score may sound a shade tinny but generally handles the high-end adeptly. There are optional English subtitles and like all Criterion Blu-rays to date - my Momitsu has identified it as being region 'A'-locked.

 

Extras :

Surprisingly we get very little from Criterion on this title. Just a 3 1/2 minute trailer in 1080P and the package contains a liner notes booklet featuring an essay by film critic Bilge Ebir.

 

 

BOTTOM LINE:
As far as Samurai films go - this is well above average. It has intense characters that adhere to the nobleness of the samurai code. There is a tenseness running through from the very start, the cinematography is excellent and, although not a lot of action, it carries the fight sequences extremely well. I can see fans of the genre eating this up - and to be able to view Three Outlaw Samurai on a ravishing, stellar Blu-ray - is a true treat. Those keen on the samurai milieu will certainly enjoy while simultaneously marveling at the presentation.

Gary Tooze

January 14th, 2011

Coming to the UK, from Criterion, on Blu-ray, in July 2020: