Graveyards of Honor | Two Films by Kinji Fukasaku & Takashi Miike | Blu-ray

Cinema has a fascination with psychopaths and sociopaths; serial manipulators and criminals unable to feel empathy or create true human connection. As our fascination with serial killers grew in the latter half of the 20th century, movies like Night of the Hunter and Peeping Tom began to push characters that might have existed as mere two-dimensional thugs and killers in older films into the forefront for deep examination.

Alongside Vengeance is Mine, Graveyard of Honor presents one of the more stark portraits of a real-life psychotic criminal in Japanese history. The two films in this collection, directed by legendary filmmakers Kinji Fukasaku and Takashi Miike, tell the tale of Rikio Ishikawa, a Yakuza gang-member noted for his unpredictable violent outbursts.

Ishikawa’s story is a second-hand narrative from Fujita Goro, himself a former Yakuza, whose autobiographical novels were the basis for the fantastic Outlaw: Gangster VIP series of films. Stylish, hard bitten, and nihilistic to the core the 1975 Graveyard of Honor is a must-see film in the annals of Japanese crime cinema. The fact it comes with another great, more modern version I consider a nice bonus.

Special Features (via arrowvideo.com)

• Two-disc set featuring two different versions of Graveyard of Honor, the 1975 film by Kinji Fukasaku and the 2002 film by Takashi Miike
• Special edition packaging featuring newly commissioned artwork by Ian MacEwan
• Reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Ian MacEwan

DISC ONE – GRAVEYARD OF HONOR (1975)

• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
• Original lossless Japanese PCM 1.0 mono soundtrack
• Optional English subtitles
• Audio commentary by author and critic Mark Schilling
• Like a Balloon: The Life of a Yakuza, a visual essay by critic and Projection Booth podcast host Mike White
• A Portrait of Rage, an archival appreciation of Fukasaku and his films, featuring interviews with filmmakers, scholars, and friends of the director
• On the Set with Fukasaku, an archival interview with assistant director Kenichi Oguri
• Theatrical trailer
• Imagery gallery

DISC TWO – GRAVEYARD OF HONOR (2002)

• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
• Original lossless Japanese PCM 2.0 stereo soundtrack
• Optional English subtitles
• Audio commentary by Miike biographer Tom Mes
• Men of Violence: The Male Driving Forces in Takashi Miike's Cinema, a visual essay by author and critic Kat Ellinger
• Archival 'interview special' featuring Miike and cast members Goro Kishitani and Narimi Arimori
• Archival 'making-of' featurette
• Archival 'making-of' teaser
• Archival press release interviews featuring Miike, Kishitani and Arimori
• Archival 'premiere special' featuring Miike, Kishitani and Arimori
• Theatrical trailer