The Kinji Fukasaku Collection

Street Mobster (1972)

Out of prison after a five-year stretch, unrepentant thug Isamu Okita (Bunta Sugawara) decides to head up a pack of local hoods left leaderless when the local yakuza clan went legit. He finds all too soon, however, that his new gang isn’t the only one trying to fill the power vacuum, and they might not be the ones left standing when the gunsmoke clears. Kinji Fukasaku’s gritty and influential underworld saga co-stars Noboru Ando, Mayumi Nagisa, Nobuo Yana. 92 min. In Japanese with English subtitles. C/Rtg: NR

Cops vs. Thugs (1975)

This earlier, blood-soaked opus from "Battle Royale" helmer Kinji Fukasaku finds two warring Yakuza clans attempting to claim Kurashima City as their own by influencing police and politicians to take their respective sides in battle. The clans’ corrupt maneuvers bring inevitable chaos and carnage to the city, captured with Fukasaku’s customary high style. Bunta Sugawara, Hiroki Matsukata, and Tatsuo Umemiya star. 100 min. In Japanese with English subtitles. C/Rtg: NR

Doberman Cop (1977)

When rural policeman Joji Kano (Sonny Chiba) came to the meanest streets of Tokyo on a missing-person pursuit, the dismissive local cops were quick to conclude that the woman he sought was a hooker recently found burned beyond recognition. The canny detective doesn’t buy it, though, and his pursuit leads to a mysterious young singer (Janet Hatta) whose yakuza-tied management doesn’t like questions. Gritty effort from Kinji Fukasaku, based on a popular manga, co-stars Hiroki Matsukata, Eiko Matsuda. 90 min. In Japanese with English subtitles. C/Rtg: NR

Widescreen; Soundtracks: Japanese; Subtitles: English; audio commentary; featurettes; theatrical trailers; more. In Japanese with English subtitles.