Bounty Hunter Trilogy, The | Blu-ray

Tomisaburo Wakayama may never quite have achieved the profile of his brother Shintaro Katsu (of Zatoichi fame), but he was a popular star of Samurai cinema in his own right. Most notable in the titular role of the Lone Wolf and Cub series, Wakayama featured in a number of film serials over the 60s and 70s.

In The Bounty Hunter Trilogy, Wakayama plays Shikoro Ichibei, a doctor by day and spy by night. Taking just as much from James Bond as it does other chambara classics, the three movies see Ichibei take on arms dealers, ruthless feudal lords, and gold smugglers using a wealth of unique and creative gadgets.

With films directed by workhorse genre pros Shigehiro Ozawa (of Sonny Chiba's The Street Fighter fame) and Eiichi Kudo (of the classic 13 Assassins, 11 Samurai, and The Great Killing samurai trilogy), this set is a great deep dive into the wealth of old school Japanese serial cinema treasures.

Special Features (via radiance.co.uk)

• High-Definition digital transfer of each film presented on two discs, made available on Blu-ray (1080p) for the first time in the world
• Uncompressed mono PCM audio
• Audio commentary on Killer’s Mission by Tom Mes
• Interview with film historian and Shigehiro Ozawa expert Akihito Ito about the filmmaker
• Visual essay on Eiichi Kudo by Japanese cinema expert Robin Gatto
• Series poster and press image gallery
• Trailers
• Optional English subtitles