Sympathy for the Underdog Kinji Fukasaku Limited Edition Blu-ray Radiance

Kinji Fukasaku's streak of yakuza masterpieces started here!

Introducing Radiance Film's Limited Edition Blu-ray for Sympathy for the Underdog, a 1971 yakuza thriller directed by Kinji Fukasaku (Battle Royale). Returning from a ten-year prison sentence, former gang leader Gunji (Koji Tsuruta, Big Time Gambling Boss) finds that his turf has been taken over by his former enemy, now a large crime syndicate with a legal corporate front. Looking for new opportunities, he gathers his old crew and heads for the island of Okinawa, a legal grey zone ripe for the taking.

Made just before Kinji (Yakuza Graveyard) Fukasaku’s 1970s streak of yakuza movie masterpieces, Sympathy for the Underdog is a key film in the development of this director’s unique style and themes.

Limited Edition Features: 

• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow
• Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Bastian Meiresonne and an archival review of the film
• Limited Edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings

Features: 

• High-Definition digital transfer
• Uncompressed mono PCM audio
• Audio commentary by yakuza film expert Nathan Stuart (2024)
• Interview with Fukasaku biographer Olivier Hadouchi (2024)
• Visual essay on Okinawa on screen by film historian and author Aaron Gerow (2024)
• Trailer
• New and improved English subtitle translation

Technical Specs:

• Year: 1971
• Region Code: ABC
• Audio: Mono
• Picture: 2.35:1
• Runtime: 93
• Language: Japanese
• Subtitles: English