The Sleeping Beast Within (1960) is a gripping crime thriller that sees a newspaper reporter's search for his girlfriend's missing father lead him into heart of the criminal underworld of Yokohama s Chinatown. Its companion piece, Smashing the 0-Line (1960), follows two reporters descent into a scabrous demimonde of drug and human trafficking. In Eight Hours of Terror (1957), a bus making its precarious way across a winding mountain road picks up some unwelcome passengers. In Tokyo Knights (1961), a college student takes over the family business in the field of organised crime, while The Man with A Shotgun (1961) marks Suzuki's first entry into the territory of the borderless Japanese Western.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Film:

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

Seijun Suzuki: The Early Years Vol. 2 Border Crossings: The Crime and Action Movies is simultaneously released on Blu-ray in UK and North America by Arrow.  It stacked in dual-layered territory to house the 3 black and white, and two colors, films and some supplements. Bitrates are modest at around 20 mbps and there is softness that appears inherent. The Sleeping Beast Within may be the haziest but it wasn't bothersome in my viewing. The 1080P supports the films in the 2.35:1 frame (1.33 for 1957's Eight Hours of Terror).

There is some minor frame-specific damage (see sample below). Generally, they are very watchable and look similar to others from the studio and era. There is some heavy texture and no bothersome noise. These Blu-rays offers a lot of value and it's easy to accept the less-than-stellar video - as each film appears to be a good replication of the source. The HD resolution escalate the visuals well beyond SD. The screen captures should give you a good idea of the image quality.

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

 

Eight Hours of Terror

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Sleeping Beast Within

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frame-specific damage

 

Smashing the 0-Line

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tokyo Knights

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Man with a Shotgun

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arrow use a linear PCM mono tracks (24-bit) for all 5 films. They are flat with a pinch of depth. There is some sharp aggression but it is fairly modest in terms of being dynamic. The scores are, respectively, by Takio Niki, Hajime Kaburagi's (Retaliation, Blind Woman's Curse, Fairy in a Cage, Tokyo Drifter), Taiichirô Kosugi, Seitarô Ômori, and Masayoshi Ikeda (Kanto Wanderer). All audio sounds reasonably supportive - occasionally rough-around-the-edges but consistent enough not to make issue. There are optional English subtitles and my Oppo has identified it as being a region 'A' + 'B'.

Extras :

Extras include an audio commentary by critic and author of Historical Dictionary of Japanese Cinema, Jasper Sharp on Smashing the 0-Line. It is excellent in detailing the Japanese studios, Suzuki and many facets of, what is often referred to as, the Nikkatsu Noir genre - a very educational and interesting talk. Also on the first Blu-ray is 50-minutes of Tony Rayns on the Crime and Action Movies. He discusses the background to the films, their place within Suzuki’s career and the talent involved with them. It is at his usual professional level of competence. There are also trailers for the latest four films and stills galleries for all five. The package offers a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys and a whopping 60-page illustrated collector's book featuring new writing by Jasper Sharp.

 

Blu-ray Two

 

 

BOTTOM LINE:
Seijun Suzuki: The Early Years Vol. 2 Border Crossings: The Crime and Action Movies is another fabulous package by Arrow. These are such infectious films - following right in the mould of Eclipse's Nikkatsu Noir with its late fifties early sixties crime-dramas by the likes of Suzuki - and we get five of them (with Tokyo Knights being less typical with some humor but still retaining action-mystery-crime elements) on two Blu-rays! The a/v quality is more modest but that is reflected in the value of simply being able to see these films in 1080P. I thoroughly enjoyed Smashing the 0-Line as well as 1957's Eight Hours of Terror and The Man with a Shotgun - essential examples of the studios charismatic and identifiable style with frequent crime narratives and femme fatale characters. I can thoroughly recommend especially for this keen on this genre of Japanese cinema. I can't wait for more! A very strong endorsement! 

Gary Tooze

April 7th, 2018