Guest Stuntman Jules Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 Fukasaku is not just one of my favorite Japanese directors, he's really one of my favorite directors ever. Discuss his incredible works here. My personal favorites: Battle Royale Graveyard of Honor Under the Flag of the Rising Sun Battles Without Honor and Humanity Cops vs. Thugs Virus Legend of the Eight Samurai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pressureworld Posted June 16, 2007 Share Posted June 16, 2007 Nice thread, this man is a legend if there ever was one, his films were like no one else's. A true master of the film medium. He set the bar so high for crime films it's had for me to get into other director's yakuza work except for Gosha Street Mobster Outlaw Killers: The Three Mad Dog Brothers Battles Without Honor Hokuriku Proxy War Dobermann Cop Cops vs thugs Graveyard of Honor Yakuza Graveyard Fall of Ako Castle, The The Abe Clan Under the Flag of the Rising Sun Sympathy for the Underdog Yagyu Clan Conspiracy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tosh Posted June 16, 2007 Share Posted June 16, 2007 You know, I've really been lagging on the Yakuza movies, I'm usually going for the Samurai films if I'm going to watch something Japanese, my video store has most(if not all) of these titles, maybe I'll have to take a break from the KF and Samurai movies one night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mr Dragula Posted June 18, 2007 Share Posted June 18, 2007 It's astounding to me the magnitude of great works this man has put out, five years ago when first watching Battle Royale I never would of imagined how many more excellent films Fukusaku had already made nearly 30 years ago! My favorite of his works would have to be Sympathy for the Underdog with his Battles Without Honor and Humanity series trailing closely behind, simply Jitsuroku eiga at it's best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted February 18, 2017 Moderator Share Posted February 18, 2017 The guys over at Arrow Video will be releasing 'Cops vs Thugs' on Blu-ray & DVD on May 22nd - http://www.arrowfilms.co.uk/shop/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=939 Synopsis: Considered by many to be director Kinji Fukasaku's greatest single-film achievement in the yakuza genre, Cops vs Thugs was made at the height of popularity of Toei Studios' jitsuroku boom: realistic, modern crime movies based on true stories taken from contemporary headlines. Returning to the screen after completing their Battles Without Honor and Humanity series together, Fukasaku joined forces once again with screenwriter Kazuo Kasahara, composer Toshiaki Tsushima and star Bunta Sugawara to create one of the crowning achievements of his career, and a hard-boiled classic which is still ranked as one of the best Japanese films of the 1970's. It's 1963 in the southern Japanese city of Kurashima, and tough-as-nails detective Kuno (Sugawara) oversees a detente between the warring Kawade and Ohara gangs. Best friends with Ohara lieutenant Hirotani (Hiroki Matsukata), he understands that there are no clear lines in the underworld, and that everything is colored a different shade of gray. But when random violence interrupts the peace and an ambitious, by-the-books lieutenant (Tatsuo Umemiya) comes to town, Kuno's fragile alliance begins to crumble. Greedy bosses and politicians alike seize the opportunity to wipe out their enemies, and Kuno faces the painful choice of pledging allegiance to his badge and keeping a promise to his brother. Echoing the great crime films of Sidney Lumet and Jean-Pierre Melville, in Fukasaku's world, there's no honor among thieves or lawmen alike, and the only thing that matters is personal honor and duty among friends. Kasahara's shattering screenplay and Fukasaku's dynamic direction support an all-star, ensemble cast to create one of the most exciting, and deeply moving films about cops and criminals ever made. SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS • High Definition digital transfer • High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations • Original uncompressed mono audio • Optional English subtitles • Beyond the Film: Cops vs Thugs, a new video appreciation by Fukasaku biographer Sadao Yamane • A new visual essay on cops & criminals in Fukasaku's works by film scholar Tom Mes • Theatrical trailer • Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Ian MacEwan FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Patrick Macias Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Takuma Posted February 19, 2017 Member Share Posted February 19, 2017 Not complaining, although I would've preferred Graveyard of Honor or Yakuza Graveyard, which are not available on BD in Japan. In any case, Cops vs. Thugs is a fine film, better than any of the Battles without Honor and Humanity films. Also, I always considered Cops vs. Thugs to be one of Fukasaku's most accessible mid 70s yakuza films for beginners as it's a relatively plot driven film and has a strong focus on one character. In this sense it's much less "heavy" than most of the Battles films that tend to have a dozen central characters and very complex yakuza politics. I saw Cops vs. Thugs in 35mm a few years ago. Two days later Bunta Sugawara died. Sadly, I never had a chance to see him live. If I was to rank my Top 10 favourite Fukasaku films, let's see... 1. Battle Royale (2000) 2. Graveyard of Honor (1975) 3. Yakuza Graveyard (1976) 4. Hokuriku Proxy War (1977) 5. Virus (1980) 6. Violent Panic: The Big Crash (1976) 7. Legend of the Eight Samurai (1983) 8. Cops vs. Thugs (1975) 9. Samurai Reincarnation (1981) 10. Under the Flag of the Rising Sun (1972) Oh well, might just as well continue the list... 11. Battles without Honor and Humanity: Hiroshima Death Match (1973) 12. Gang vs. G-Men (1962) 13. Sympathy for the Underdog (1971) 14. Swords of Vengeance (1978) 15. Gambling Den Heist (1975) 16. Shogun's Samurai (1978) 17. Street Mobster (1972) 18. Outlaw Killers: Three Mad Dog Brothers (1972) 19. New Battles Without Honor and Humanity 3: Boss's Last Days (1976) 20. Battles without Honor and Humanity (1973) 21. Hepcat in the Funky Hat (1961) 22. Doberman Cop (1977) 23. Black Lizard (1968) 24. Battles without Honor and Humanity: Police Tactics (1974) 25. Battles without Honor and Humanity: Final Episode (1974) 26. Kamikaze Man: Duel at Noon (1966) 27. Hepcat in the Funky Hat: Case of the 2,000,000 Yen Arm (1961) 28. Battles without Honor and Humanity: Proxy War (1973) 29. The Triple Cross (1992) 30. New Battles Without Honor and Humanity 2 (1974) 31. The Fall Guy (1983) 32. The Proud Challenge (1962) 33. New Battles Without Honor and Humanity 2: Boss's Head (1975) 34. Sure Death: Revenge (1987) 35. Drifting Detective: Black Wind in the Harbour (1961) 36. Drifting Detective: Tragedy in the Red Valley (1961) 37. Message from Space (1978) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member mpm74 Posted June 8, 2017 Member Share Posted June 8, 2017 Just posted Kyle's review for COPS VS THUGS. Check it out here... http://cityonfire.com/cops-vs-thugs-1975-review-kinji-fukasaku/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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