In 1989, legendary Japanese studio Toei launched their V-Cinema line of direct-to-video genre features. V-Cinema Essentials: Bullets & Betrayal presents nine explosive titles representing some of the best the Japanese crime film has to offer.

Fast-paced and action-packed, Crime Hunter: Bullets of Rage sees 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. Next up, Neo Chinpira: Zoom Goes the Bullet sees 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. Meanwhile, in Shunichi Nagasaki’s unbearably tense thriller Stranger, 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. In Carlos, 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 is 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.

Filled with action, thrills and double-crosses, V-Cinema Essentials: Bullets & Betrayal is an electrifying compendium of gems from the Japanese video underworld.

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

• High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentations of all films 

• Original lossless Japanese mono audio on Crime Hunter: Bullets of Rage and original lossless Japanese stereo audio for all other films 

• Optional newly translated English subtitles for all films 

• Nine postcard-sized artcards 

• Limited edition packaging with reversible sleeves featuring newly commissioned artwork by Chris Malbon 

• Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Earl Jackson, Daisuke Miyao, and Hayley Scanlon

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