V-Cinema Essentials: Bullets & Betrayal [Limited Edition] Blu-ray Review

Actors: Riki Takeuchi, Seiji Matano, Masanori Sera, Minako Tanaka, Chikako Aoyama, Ren Osugi, Rikaya Yasuoka, Sho Aikawa, Shiori Sakura, Joji Abe, James Fujiki, Masumi Harukawa, Yûzô Hayakawa, Minoru Ôki, Hideki Saijô, Kiyoshi Nakajoe, Natsumi Nanase, Tetsurô Tanba, Kimiko Yo, Makiko Kuno, Johnny Ôkura, Katsuo Tokashi, Kôji Shimizu, Maiko Kazama | Directors: Toshimichi Okawa, Banmei Takahashi, Kazuhiro Kiuchi, Teruo Ishii, Masaru Konuma

In the 1980s and 1990s there were tons of direct-to-video releases. This was driven by the creation and popularity of the VHS tape. Toei Company, Ltd. was at the forefront of the Japanese V-Cinema the direct-to-video industry.

Arrow Video have released a massive collection of 9 V-Cinema films on one Blu-ray set. Not only does this set include 9 films, but a nice stack of bonus features as well. Let's take a look at the movies is included on this set.

Movie Rating:
****=Don’t Miss it!
***=Worth a look.
**=An Ok way to spend some time.
*=You haven’t missed anything.

Crime Hunter: Bullets of Rage (1989) Detective Joe Kawamura out for revenge against the men who gunned down his partner. Along the way he teams up with Lily, a gun-toting nun looking to get back five million dollars that was stolen from her church. ***

Neo Chinpira: Zoom Goes the Bullet (1990) Wannabe yakuza Junko get more than he bargained for when tasked with avenging the murder of a fellow gang member, or face the consequences for betrayal. ***

Stranger (1991) A late-night taxi driver is stalked by the unseen driver of an SUV, who just might have a connection to the taxi driver's criminal past. ***

Carlos (1991) The eponymous Brazilian-Japanese petty criminal sees an opportunity to play rival yakuza gangs against each other, but bites off much more than he can chew. ***

Burning Dog (1991) A gripping heist film where a gang of thieves plot to rob a US military base in Okinawa, but rising tensions in the group threaten to put the plan in jeopardy. ***

Female Prisoner Scorpion: Death Threat (1991) A female assassin hired to infiltrate a women's prison and search for The Scorpion, a legendary rebellious prisoner hiding in the bowels of the building. ***

The Hitman: Blood Smells Like Roses (1991) After his fiancée is killed in the crossfire of a yakuza turf war, a man on the edge remorselessly hunts down the gangsters responsible. **

Danger Point: The Road to Hell (1991) A duo of contract killers' fragile partnership is tested when their most recent hit starts to have unforeseen consequences. ***

XX: Beautiful Hunter (1994) An assassin and femme fatale Shion rebels against the fanatical religious order who prepared her from birth to be the perfect killer. **

Arrow Video Have transferred these direct-to-video films to Blu-ray in 1080p and all films are presented in their 1.33:1 aspect ratio. The audio tracks are original lossless Japanese mono audio on Crime Hunter: Bullets of Rage and original lossless Japanese stereo audio for all other films. There is also the option for the newly translated English subtitles for all films.

These films look at sound pretty impressive when you think these were not made for theatrical releases. This 5-disc Blu-ray sets in addition to 9 movies, have some really nice bonus features included. Take a look at what this disc have to offer.

DISC 1 – CRIME HUNTER: BULLETS OF RAGE / NEO CHINPIRA: ZOOM GOES THE BULLET
* Newly filmed introductions to both films by Japanese film critic Masaki Tanioka
* Loose Cannon, a newly filmed interview with Crime Hunter: Bullets of Rage director Shundo Okawa
* Zooming Out, a newly filmed interview with Neo Chinpira: Zoom Goes the Bullet writer-director Banmei Takahashi
* Crime Hunter and the Dawn of V-Cinema, a brand new video essay on Crime Hunter: Bullets of Rage by Japanese cinema expert Tom Mes
* Original trailers for both films

DISC 2 – STRANGER / CARLOS
* Newly filmed introductions to both films by Japanese film critic Masaki Tanioka
* Stranger than Fiction, a newly filmed interview with Stranger writer-director Shunichi Nagasaki
* From Manga to Movies, a newly filmed interview with Carlos writer-director Kazuhiro Kiuchi
* An Extra Round in the Chamber, a brand new video essay on Carlos by critic and Japanese cinema expert Jonathan Clements

DISC 3 – BURNING DOG / FEMALE PRISONER SCORPION: DEATH THREAT
* Newly filmed introductions to both films by Japanese film critic Masaki Tanioka
* Fire and Ice, a brand new video essay on Burning Dog by critic and Japanese cinema expert Mark Schilling
* Toshiharu Ikeda’s Beautiful Monster of Vengeance, a brand new video essay on Female Prisoner Scorpion: Death Threat by film historian Samm Deighan
* Original trailers for both films

DISC 4 – THE HITMAN: BLOOD SMELLS LIKE ROSES / DANGER POINT: THE ROAD TO HELL
* Newly filmed introductions to both films by Japanese film critic Masaki Tanioka
* The Versatility of Teruo Ishii, a brand new video essay on The Hitman: Blood Smells Like Roses and its director Teruo Ishii by Japanese cinema expert Frankie Balboa
* The Road to V-Cinema, a brand new video essay on Danger Point: The Road to Hell by critic and Japanese cinema expert James Balmont
* Original trailer for The Hitman: Blood Smells Like Roses

DISC 5 – XX: BEAUTIFUL HUNTER
* Newly filmed introduction by Japanese film critic Masaki Tanioka
* The Sacred and the Profane, a newly filmed interview with screenwriter Hiroshi Takahashi
* They Brought Back the Sleaze, a brand new video essay on XX: Beautiful Hunter by critic and Japanese cinema expert Patrick Macias
* Original trailer

Interviews, Introductions and Essays are not all that this massive Blu-ray release has going for it. Arrow Video also included nine postcard-sized artcards, limited edition packaging with reversible sleeves featuring newly commissioned artwork by Chris Malbon and illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Earl Jackson, Daisuke Miyao, and Hayley Scanlon.

There is so much entertainment found in this Blu-ray set. You truly can't go wrong with this Blu-ray 'V-Cinema Essentials: Bullets & Betrayal' especially if you love foreign action adventure films.

If you enjoy Japanese action, adventure films from the 80 and 90s this truly is an 'essential' collection of films for your video library. To order a copy of Arrow Video's V-Cinema Essentials you can head over to MVD Shop or Amazon and order your copy today.

Out of 4 film reels (4 being the best) Arrow Video's Blu-ray of V-Cinema Essentials receives....