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

ADDITION: Discotek Media Blu-ray (January 2026): Discotek Media have transferred Norifumi Suzuki's Sex & Fury to Blu-ray. This 1080P transfer boasts an impressively robust scan that maintains good fine film grain and detail throughout, allowing the intricate visuals of Norifumi Suzuki's (Terrifying High School Women's Violent Classroom, Tokugawa Sex Ban, The Killing Machine, Red Peony Gambler: Gambler's Obligation, Terrifying Girls' High School: Lynch Law Classroom, Girl Boss Guerilla, Shogun's Ninja, and co-writer for much of the Sister Street Fighter series) direction - such as the vibrant color palettes in action sequences and the stark contrasts in snowy fight scenes - to shine faithfully. Colors are particularly striking, enhancing the beautiful cinematography and contributing to a pleasing overall encode - albeit single-layered - that elevates the grindhouse aesthetic making it a significant upgrade over SD for fans of pinky violence cinema. Suzuki's direction is fluid and frenetic, employing a vibrant cinematographic palette with long shots, close-ups, slow-motion, zooms, and shaky handheld camerawork to capture chaotic action. The film's visual refinement - jerky cuts, skewed angles, and contrasting imagery (e.g., upbeat music over carnage) - elevates it beyond exploitation, with artful staging in group scenes and historical sets enhancing immersion. The HD presentation supports these dynamics exceptionally well.

NOTE: We have added 94 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Discotek Media use a linear PCM dual-mono track (24-bit) in the original Japanese language. Traditional Japanese instrumentation appears in the opening, with sounds of geta (wooden clogs) and bells synchronized to rhythmic music, enforcing the girl's frantic run and setting a cultural tone that evolves into more modern, cheesy funk as the narrative progresses. The track is engaging and clear, with dialogue that remains crisp and easy to follow, while the sound design by Ichiro Horiba (Girl Boss: Guerrilla, Tokugawa Sex Ban, Inferno of Torture) - including the groovy 1970s funk score and visceral effects during sword fights and torture scenes - is reproduced with fidelity and dynamism. The auditory landscape of Sex & Fury complements its visual frenzy with a eclectic, groovy soundtrack that fuses 1970s funk, traditional Japanese elements, and delirious scoring to heighten the film's exploitation energy and thematic depth. Composed by Ichiro Araki (Terrifying Girls' High School: Delinquent Convulsion Group, Girl Boss: Escape from Reform School, Tokugawa Sex Ban,) the music is funky and delirious, featuring an infectious main theme that kicks in during key action sequences, blending upbeat, energizing rhythms with elements reminiscent of Western influences like Eric Clapton or Burt Bacharach, creating a sense of ironic contrast over violent or sensual scenes. This groovy 70s vibe enlivens moments like the slow-motion nude swordfight, where the score's rhythmic pulse celebrates female beauty amid carnage, making it one of Japanese cinema's most unforgettable auditory-visual pairings. Discotek Media offer optional English subtitles (and burned-in Japanese subtitles for the English dialogue - see sample HERE) on their Region 'A'-locked Blu-ray.

The Discotek Media Blu-ray is virtually bare-bones with only a standard-definition trailer running approximately 3 minutes, which offers a glimpse into the film's blend of eroticism, violence, and revenge-driven plot.

Norifumi Suzuki's Sex & Fury stands as a landmark in Japanese exploitation cinema, particularly within the "pinky violence" genre - a term coined for films blending ultra-violent action, eroticism, and strong female protagonists often in revenge-driven narratives. Produced by Toei Company, the film stars Reiko Ike as the fierce anti-heroine Ocho Inoshika, alongside Christina Lindberg as a seductive foreign spy, and draws from a novel by Taro Bonten to infuse depth into its chaotic plot. Set against the backdrop of Meiji-era Japan (spanning 1886 to 1905), it exemplifies the era's studio output of sensationalized "pink films" that pushed boundaries with graphic nudity, brutality, and social commentary, while achieving cult status for its stylistic flair and influence on global cinema. At its core, Sex & Fury delves into the power dynamics of gender and sexuality in a patriarchal society, portraying female sexual confidence as a potent weapon against male aggression and dominance. Reiko Ike's (Female Yakuza Tale, Terrifying Girls' High School: Women's Violent Classroom, Yakuza Wolf 2: Extend My Condolences, Terrifying Girls' High School: Animal Classmates, Terrifying Girls Delinquent Convulsion Group,) portrayal of Ocho Inoshika is magnetic and multifaceted, transforming her from a traumatized child into a savage yet heroic avenger whose physicality - tattooed with the symbolic animals - and emotional depth convey desperation, control, vulnerability, and fearlessness. Iconic sequences, such as Ocho's nude swordfight against a dozen samurai in a snowy teahouse - blood spraying in geysers against white landscapes, scored to a groovy 1970s funk track by Ichiro Araki - blend balletic grace with grindhouse gore, celebrating the female form amid surreal violence. Christina Lindberg (Anita: Swedish Nymphet, Maid in Sweden, Black Circle, Thriller - A Cruel Picture,) as the tormented British spy, provides a contrasting foil: her flat vocal delivery underscores a longing for connection amid espionage, while her nudity and romance with the anarchist Shunosuke (Masataka Naruse Terrifying Girls' High School: Women's Violent Classroom,Yakuza Graveyard, Message from Space, Gate of Flesh,) add layers of forbidden desire and political idealism. Globally, Sex & Fury helped popularize Japanese exploitation, inspiring directors blending grindhouse with arthouse, and spawned a sequel, Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture (1973) which we will reviewed on Blu-ray. Overall, the film endures as a pinnacle of pinky violence, blending entertainment with social commentary in a culturally resonant package. Discotek Media's Blu-ray release of Sex & Fury is a commendable package for cult cinema enthusiasts, delivering an entertaining Japanese action classic highlighted by Reiko Ike's standout performance and the film's high-octane mix of extreme violence and stylistic flair. It's a must-have for fans of pinky violence, earning high marks for its faithful presentation of this influential 1973 exploitation gem.

Gary Tooze