{"id":32887,"date":"2026-01-28T02:22:02","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T10:22:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=32887"},"modified":"2026-01-28T02:22:02","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T10:22:02","slug":"blasts-from-the-past-blu-ray-review-blood-of-revenge-1965","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=32887","title":{"rendered":"Blasts from the Past! Blu-ray Review: BLOOD OF REVENGE (1965)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This \u201cLimited Edition\u201d Blu-ray from Radiance Films is\ncurrently available for purchase.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Radiance Films has had a long streak of delivering classic\ninternational titles to North American movie fans. They\u2019re continuing the trend\nthis month with another batch of releases. The second to arrive this week is\nthe Japanese feature Blood of Revenge<\/em> (1965), which is considered the\ngold standard of a specific type of Yakuza film. If you appreciate crime movies\nfrom this part of the world, then it\u2019s an essential title that sets up many of\nthe genre staples that would follow for the next couple of decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The distributor is presenting the feature as a \u201cLimited\nEdition\u201d Blu-ray. It comes with a high-definition transfer of the movie from\nthe Toei Company, Ltd., the production company behind many of these types of\npictures. This is another solid transfer that presents a clean and impressive\nimage with a fine amount of natural grain that won\u2019t be noticeable to most\nviewers. The film is also beautifully shot and some scenes, including an\nencounter between two characters at sunset, are gorgeous to behold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what is the movie about? Well, it\u2019s set in Osaka in\n1907, and follows a generally friendly Yakuza gang called Kiyatatsu who own and\noperate a construction supply business. Truth be told, this group doesn\u2019t want\nany violence, actually preferring to focus on honest commerce, with force only\nbeing used as a protective measure and last resort. Unfortunately, there is\nanother upstart Yakuza group who are decidedly less pleasant – they want to\ntake control of the area and wipe the entire Kiyatatsu family out. When the\n\u201cBoss\u201d of the Kiyatatsu syndicate is stabbed, members get together to plan\ntheir next step. The son of the leader, Haruo (Masahiko Tsugawa), is young and\nhot-headed, demanding immediate retaliation. However, the sharper and more\nlevel-headed Asajiro (Koji Tsuruta) prefers a subtle approach to dealing with\nthe conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The call for calm is extremely difficult when the main\nhitman\/gang thug Karasawa (Turo Abe) continues to threaten the Kiyatatsu\nfamily. Asajiro also comes into conflict with Karasawa over the affections of\nlocal prostitute Hatsue (Sumiko Fuji). The villain wants to buy Hatsue outright\nand is incredibly abusive towards the woman. When Karasawa learns that her\nfather is dying, he pays for Hatsue to leave town and pay her respects.\nOverwhelmed by his kindness, the woman falls for Asajiro, and tensions escalate\nbetween the men. Even within the Kiyatatsu family, there is strife when the\nprotagonist is given control of the \u201cbusiness,\u201d much to the dismay of son\nHaruo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This is a slow burn of a movie, with the quiet but assured\nAsajiro standing by a strict moral code and trying to do right by everyone\nwithin the organization. He certainly bends to try and accommodate others, but\nany viewer knows that it\u2019s only a matter of time before the villains strike\nagain and the situation devolves into a bloody showdown. But while there are no\nsurprises with the story, the cast are very good in their roles. Tsuruta is a\ncharismatic lead, even though he doesn\u2019t have much in the way of monologues and\nkeeps a low profile. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a lot of melodrama with the romantic subplot, but he\nand Fuji (as well as the period backdrop) help sell it all. The villains are\nalso enjoyable to watch. Abe is a blast to witness as the central foe, staring\ndown his enemies menacingly. He is given a memorable introduction during a\nvillage celebration with a party blower that\u2019ll bring a smile to the face of\nany viewer. Despite the colorful backdrop, this guy definitely doesn\u2019t look\nlike he\u2019s there for a good time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The widescreen photography in general is quite good, with a\nlot of low angles. You\u2019ll see plenty of creatively framed images shot from the\nground up featuring more feet onscreen than you would expect to see.\nOccasionally, figures will drop into the frame during battles. The previously\nmentioned sunset encounter also looks wonderful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As this is a Yakuza film, everything does eventually end in\na bloody fracas, and the climax is impressively put together. And the final,\nbittersweet exchange between the main character and Hatsue adds a unique spin\nto the situation. There is no doubt as to why the film was popular back in the\nday. By today\u2019s standards, there aren\u2019t any surprises, but as the first of its\nkind, the compelling cast, and slow-burn tension that explodes during the\nfinale makes a lasting impression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Viewers new to Japanese cinema will also get a couple of\nbonuses to help explain the picture and its cultural significance. The major\nextra is a featurette on the life and career of co-star Sumiko Fuji. Fuji is\nconsidered one of cinema\u2019s biggest stars in her homeland, and the film\nhistorian narrating explains that she was discovered at a young age after\nauditioning for a couple of studios. Once you signed with one house, you often\nstayed with them for your entire career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It seems that Toei was the studio that managed to sign Fuji.\nThe company was struggling to survive as TVs were being introduced to the\npublic and box office grosses were dropping. Toei changed their business model,\nfocusing on Yakuza tales about \u201chonor among thieves\u201d. Blood of Revenge<\/em>\nwas among the first, and when it struck a nerve with audiences, Fuji ended up\nappearing primarily in their crime and action pictures. She eventually was\ngiven her own successful franchises like the Red Peony<\/em> and Lady\nWanderer<\/em> series. The speaker notes that Blood of Revenge<\/em> ranked as\nher favorite role and says that while it was an exciting and enjoyable shoot,\nshe didn\u2019t get on well with star Koji Tsuruta. In the end, this conflict may\nhave actually added to the onscreen tension between them. It\u2019s an enlightening\nfeaturette.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, the disc includes the short Lice are Scary<\/em>\n(1943) made by the director and produced for the Ministry of Public Welfare.\nIt\u2019s about the dangers of lice, and features a man who doesn\u2019t care about\nhygiene. Suddenly, talking animated ticks appear on his skin. They drink his\nblood, reproduce and expose him to Typhus. It is, in part, a propaganda film\nfrom around 1943 before World War II had ended, but is an amusing and wild way\nto see this information presented to the public. And, while eccentric, the\nshort does a good job of explaining the dangers and sickness that lice can\ncause. The print is in rough shape, but this is still a lot of fun to watch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Those who pick up the Blu-ray will also get a reversible\nsleeve and a booklet with writing on the movie that discusses its important\nrole in Japanese cinema history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All in all, the film is another fascinating effort that is\nrightly considered a groundbreaking movie in its home country. The picture is\nclean and the extras add a bit more background details that make the film even\nmore enjoyable. Blood of Revenge<\/em> is recommended to those who appreciate\nJapanese Yakuza-centered films.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This \u201cLimited Edition\u201d Blu-ray from Radiance Films is currently available for purchase. Radiance Films has had a long streak of delivering classic international titles to North American movie fans. They\u2019re continuing the trend this month with another batch of releases. The second to arrive this week is the Japanese feature Blood of Revenge (1965), which […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":32891,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[95,2933,3024,3025,3026,3027,10385,16584,24579],"class_list":["post-32887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dvdblu-ray-reviews","tag-95","tag-blasts-from-the-past-2","tag-blood-of-revenge","tag-blood-of-revenge-blu-ray-review","tag-blood-of-revenge-disc-review","tag-blood-of-revenge-review","tag-japan","tag-radiance-films","tag-yakuza"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32887","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=32887"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32887\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=32887"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=32887"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=32887"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}