Cast: Yusaku Matsuda, Toby Kadoguchi, and Tatsuo Yamada Yoshio
Region: AB
Label: Radiance Films
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YOKOHAMA BJ BLUES (1981) directed by Eiichi Kudo is a loose remake of Robert Altman’s The Long Goodbye and stars Yusaku Matsuda (THE GAME TRILOGY) as a part-time blues singer framed for the killing of his police detective best friend.
He must start his own investigation to clear his name, but what he uncovers is a tangled web involving crooked cops, drug-dealing gangsters, the city’s underground gay and biker scenes, and even his own past.
Drawing also from Visconti’s Death in Venice, this was Matsuda’s break with his action hero image. Samurai movie veteran Eiichi Kudo (The Fort of Death) relishes his chance at directing a neo-noir that captures urban Japan at the height of 1980s decadence.
Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings with limited edition booklet.
High-Definition digital transfer, world premiere on Blu-ray
Interview with star Mari Hemmi
Interview with screenwriter Shoichi Maruyama
Interview with writer and Yokohama expert Toru Sano on the film and a look at the locations
Trailer
Newly translated English subtitles
Reversible sleeve featuring designs based on original posters
Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Dimitri Ianni on Toei Central Film, a subsidiary of Toei studios famed for releasing Pink Films and independent productions such as Yokohama BJ Blues and an archival review of the film
