QUICK SCHLOCK: THE SONNY CHIBA COLLECTION
A nice surprise at the end of last year was Shout! Factory releasing The Sonny Chiba Collection, a nifty four blu-ray set that collects seven Chiba titles made between 1972 and 1989. Boasting nice transfers and offering excellent value for money, it served as a prelude to their recent run of Asian action-themed box sets, which include two box sets devoted to Jackie Chan and no less than three boxes devoted to Shaw Brothers fare.
Back to The Sonny Chiba Collection: it offers two Chiba duologies from the early '70s, the Yakuza Wolf and Bodyguard Kiba series. In an interesting twist, the first Bodyguard Kiba film is presented in its original Japanese cut, which is longer than the version released to U.S. grindhouses. You also get a trio of samurai films, including two helmed by the great Kinji Fukasaku and Shogun's Shadow, which boasts a nice ensemble that also includes legendary Japanese actors Ken Ogata and Tetsuro Tamba.
YAKUZA WOLF (1972): "...it's got the brutal violence and dollops of sleaze he'd become known for but Chiba actually plays against type..." https://boxd.it/3t9J41
YAKUZA WOLF 2 (1972): "...a nice vehicle for Chiba, allowing him to show his physical skills in shootouts and brawls while also allowing him to flex both dramatic chops and his roughneck charisma..." https://boxd.it/3t9JZV
BODYGUARD KIBA (1973): "...has some crowd-pleaser grindhouse bits in there, like a henchman getting his arm ripped off so it can be thrown so it can be thrown at another henchman..." https://boxd.it/3tFIUp
BODYGUARD KIBA 2 (1973): "It's second tier stuff as far as Chiba flicks go but a solid potboiler for the fans." https://boxd.it/3tFJDz
SHOGUN'S SHADOW (1989): "...Chiba fans will want to see this for his climactic swordfight with Ogata, which trashes walls, ceilings and doors along the way." https://boxd.it/3rWJ4F
SAMURAI REINCARNATION (1981): "A must for fans of offbeat Japanese cult fare, one that they will thrill to because of its deluxe-scale production scope." https://boxd.it/3rWJDZ
SWORDS OF VENGEANCE (1978): "...an epic 40 minute third act... delivers an intense, epic swordplay scene with dozens of fighters..." https://boxd.it/3sbpIl