Cops vs Thugs

Where does Arrow Video unearth such obscure and long-lost movies from? "Cops vs. Thugs", a most generic film title if ever there was one, comes out of the Japanese movie vaults; it also isn't a bad crime thriller to boot.

"Cops vs. Thugs" was directed by Kinji Fukasaku, a renowned Japanese filmmaker and many consider this film to be his greatest achievement. You can see why on Arrow's lovingly restored Blu-ray, giving the 1975 movie a modern look but keeping intact the grit of the storyline.

Like many great crime thrillers that have come before and after it, "Cops vs. Thugs" shows how the lines between those two factions can get severely blurred. Fukasaku's presentation is unflinching and most of the 101-minute running time gets shot documentary-style. These are the days before severe editing tinkers with the action. Fukasuka's camera-work shows pristine style...it makes the viewer seem like they're actually part of the action.

Even for 1975, the violence depicted in "Cops vs. Thugs" can be quite shocking. This and a few other topics get discussed in the 12-minute featurette "Beyond the Film: Cops vs. Thugs". The brief documentary gets narrated by Sadao Yamane.

Elsewhere on this Special Edition Blu-ray are a new essay by film scholar Tom Mes examining the theme of cops and criminals in Fukasaku's films, "Cops vs. Thugs" original theatrical trailer, and reversible sleeve artwork both new and original.

"Cops vs. Thugs"
Blu-ray
$39.95
www.arrowvideo.co.uk