Blood of Revenge Blu-ray Review

Radiance Films

Blu-ray Release: January 27, 2026

Video: 2.35:1/1080p/Color

Audio: Japanese LPCM 1.0 Mono

Subtitles: English

Run Time: 89:36

Director: Tai Katô

Osaka, 1907. The upstart Hoshino gang tries to assassinate the boss of the Kiyatatsu syndicate, who are in charge of the construction business. The attempt fails, but sets in motion a spiral of violence, as the Hoshino sabotage building sites and kill a junior Kiyatatsu member. When the old boss dies of his wounds, senior lieutenant Kikuchi (Kôji Tsuruta) decides to take on the Hoshino gang alone. (From Radiance’s official synopsis)

During the ‘50s and early ‘60s, director Tai Katô was a journeyman for Toei Studios, churning out respectable, influential jidaigeki dramas, such as Warrior of the Wind (Japanese: Kaze no Bushi, 1961) and Cruelty Of The Shogunate’s Downfall (Japanese: Bakamatsu Zankoku Monogatari, 1964). Katô’s films were remembered for their grit, realism, and stylishness, all of which he also brought to a series of crime pictures, including psycho-thriller I, the Executioner (Japanese: Minagoroshi no reika, 1968), three films in the yakuza-themed Red Peony Gambler franchise (1969, ‘70, ‘71), and jailhouse drama Eighteen Years in Prison (Japanese: Choueki juhachi-nen, 1967). 

Katô’s first yakuza film, Blood of Revenge (Japanese: Meiji kyokyakuden - sandaime shumei, 1965), takes place at the turn of the previous century, well before the yakuza’s post-WWII peak, offering a contrast to the rough-and-tumble, modern-set Japanese gangster films Kinji Fukasaku made during the 1970s. The result is a jidaigeki style gangster tale with an industrial revolution twist. It’s not an entirely unique fusion of narrative conventions, as there are plenty of other Japanese crime movies that take place during the time period, but Katô’s practiced direction brings the eras together with a mix of poetic and frenetic visual styles, telling the story of a country in transition on multiple levels.

The screenplay, credited to Gohei Kamiya (story), Akira Murao, and Norifumi Suzuki, is simple and efficient, avoiding the overly complicated schemes of later Toei jitsuroku hits. The focus on a tighter group of characters leaves room for Katô and the actors to indulge in melodrama without drawing out the runtime or stifling the momentum. Blood of Revenge might be low on action, but it’s also never mired in unnecessary contemplation and it eventually rewards its audience’s patience with a rousing, tragic, and spectacularly violent final showdown.

Katô’s efforts aside, the entire film rests on a deeply sympathetic lead performance from Kôji Tsuruta. Tsuruta began acting in the late ‘40s, including roles in Tatsuo Ôsone’s 47 Ronin (1954) and Hiroshi Inagaki’s Samurai II and III (1955), alongside a number of pre-Blood of Revenge chivalrous yakuza parts, like Kihachi Okamoto’s The Big Boss (1959) and Teruo Ishii’s Gang vs. Gang (1962). He’s joined by other storied veterans, including Tetsurô Tanba of Three Outlaw Samurai (1964) and The Happiness of the Katakuris (2001), Shôwa Zankyôden series regular Masahiko Tsugawa, Cops vs. Thugs’ (1975) Tôru Abe, Black Lizards’ (1962) Minoru Ôki, and Red Peony Gambler series starlet Junko (aka: Sumiko) Fuji.

Video

Blood of Revenge appears to have never been released officially on North American home video. I found evidence of a French DVD, but can’t connect it to a release date or company name. Radiance Films’ Blu-ray debut is sourced from a digital transfer supplied directly by Toei, as has been the case with (I believe) all of their Toei discs.

This 1080p, 2.35:1 transfer is clean, richly detailed, and textures seem accurate, if not slightly softer than a full 4K remaster might produce. Cinematographer ​​Motoya Washio’s busy widescreen compositions feature neat edges where needed and any focus issues are clearly inherent in the material. Colors are largely muted, but there are some lively red highlights throughout. Headroom seems a little tight, but I’ve never seen the film before, so I have to just assume that this is the intended framing.

Audio

Blood of Revenge is presented in its original mono Japanese and uncompressed LPCM. This is another simple, natural mix that sometimes sees background noise overwhelming dialogue, though that shouldn’t be a problem for non-Japanese speakers watching with subtitles. Volume levels are soft, but consistent. High end distortion and other aural artifacts are practically nonexistent. Shunsuke Kikuchi’s moody score is one of the elements that ends up tying Blood of Revenge to an early era of jidaigeki drama and a nice contrast to the modern, rock-infused soundtracks of Kinji Fukasaku’s yakuza classics (aside from a couple of electric guitar-assisted narration songs).

Extras

• Lice Are Scary (14:01, HD) – A partially animated 1943 Ministry of Public Welfare educational short film directed by Tai Katô on the dangers of disease-carrying lice.

• Junko Fuji: Flower and Storm (14:39, HD) – A 2025 visual essay by Mark Schilling, the author of The Yakuza Movie Book: A Guide to Japanese Gangster Films (Stone Bridge, 2003), who explores the genesis of chivalrous yakuza movies at Toei and the life & career of actress Junko Fuji.

The images on this page are taken from the Blu-ray and sized for the page. Larger versions can be viewed by clicking the images. Note that there will be some JPG compression.