Eureka Video UK Blu-ray Synopsis: The first film adaptation of the long-running manga series by Takao Saito, director Junya Sato cast Ken Takakura (who was the original inspiration for the character) as the mysterious and stoic killer-for-hire who always completes his assignment (usually with his signature scoped M16 rifle). Golgo 13 is hired to eliminate Max Boa, the head of a Middle Eastern crime syndicate specialising in kidnapping and forced prostitution. Filmed entirely in pre-revolution Iran, Golgo13 was a huge success across Asia but was rarely seen in the West until now. Eureka Classics is proud to present Golgo 13 in its UK home video debut from a new restoration. (104 Mins)

 

Views: Just 5 years before this production began, Takao Saito launched his new manga that quickly took the comic world by storm. With millions of copies sold, Golgo 13 inspired no less than 2 feature films, some anime films and popular television series, and 6 video games, among many other things. Still going strong today, it is one of the oldest continuing manga series and the second best selling overall. So it would make sense that one of Japan's leading film studios, the Toei Company, would produce the first live-action adaptation casting the wonderful Ken Takakura as the hitman known as Duke Togo. This must have been an incredible win for artist and creator Saito, as he had initially based the design of his character on the popular actor, and it's quite clear that Takahura pays respect to him with his performance as Golgo 13. The film went on to be one of the top ten highest-grossing Japanese films of 1974, with its release coming out just towards the end of December '73, and was shot almost entirely in Tehran, in a pre-revolution Iran, which gives it a very unique setting that come across much like that of an early James Bond flick from the same era. This live-action adaptation of Golgo 13 sees the hitman sent on a mission to the middle east, where he is assigned to assassinate a criminal boss who has been kidnapping woman and forcing them into prostitution. It's a pretty simple storyline, but one that director Junya Sato manages to stretch out to almost 2 hours with plenty of tense drama, some slick action, and tidy direction!

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With over 200 credits to his name, the wonderful Ken Takakura made his debut in the acting world way back in the mid-50s. Throughout his career, the star worked with most of Japan's finest directors as well as Hollywood directors Robert Aldrich in Too Late The Hero, Sidney Pollack's The Yakuza, and Ridley Scott's thriller Black Rain alongside Michael Douglas, as well as Chinese director Zhang Yimou in his family drama, Riding Alone For Thousands Of Miles. This wouldn't be the first time either that Ken had worked with director Sato, with The Drifting Avenger (from 1968) being their first project together. Interestingly enough, this film was also filmed away from home – often described as a Japanese Western shot in Australia. Ken would appear in Sato's horse-racing drama, Nippon Dabi Katsukyu, before Golgo 13 came about – and probably being their biggest joint project to date. Of course, the wonderful Bullet Train would soon follow quickly followed by The Last Kamikaze, Manhunt and Never Give Up in 1978, which would be their last film together. For the most part, Ken is supported by a talented Persian cast which helps make his appearance and presence even more prominent.

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The late Junya Sato, who only passed in February 2019 at the ripe old age of 86, was one of Japan's finest directors going on to make 40 titles since his debut in 1963. He would cover a wide range of genres from the aforementioned films with Ken Takakura to others such as Thirst For Love, The Private Police, The Last Kamikaze, Proof Of The Man, The Go Masters, Tonko, and Sakurada Gate Incident in 2010 which would also be his final movie. I love what he has done here with Golgo 13, with many of the scenes looking like they were pulled right from the pages. This is also due to the fantastic cinematography captured by Masahiko Iimura – a man who captured almost 80 feature films since his debut in 1959 with Prince Of Space. This cinematographer lensed titles for almost every major director between the 1960s and 90s, including movies such as Drifting Detective, Toseinin, Quick Draw Okatsu, A Haunted Turkish Bathhouse, Return Of The Sister Street Fighter, The Battle Of Port Arthur, and many other titles for Junya Sato. I must also note the wonderful score produced by Chuji Kinoshita – a busy and talented man who composed music for over 300 film and television productions. Amazingly, and although he had practically retired in the late 80s, his final projects came about in 2017 which was just a year before his passing at 102 years of age. As I've said over and over again, this kind of movie comes from an ear of film-making that we rarely see today. Golgo 13 may not be perfect, but it stands tall in amongst this classic period of Japanese cinema, and still proves to be as entertaining to watch over 50 years later...

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Overall: Slick direction, neat action, and great performances make Golgo 13 a film well worth checking out, and is one of Ken Takakura's most memorable moments!

 

Eureka Video Blu-ray Extras: 2K Restoration, Audio Commentary by Mike Leeder & Arne Venema, Lucky 13: Interview with Junya Sato's Biographers, Trailer

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Watch my unboxing video for this Eureka Video release HERE