Arrow Video UK Blu-ray Synopsis: Most famous for his role as the stoic Ogami Itto in the legendary Lone Wolf and Cub series, Tomisaburo Wakayama shows a different side in the ebullient martial arts comedy series Wicked Priest, where a devout man of the cloth doesn't let a little thing like his vows keep him away from women, booze and brawls! Wakayama plays Shinkai, a Budhist monk with a penchant for drinking and gambling, setting sinners straight with judo throws rather than sermons. In the first film, he's placed on probation for fighting off a gang of thugs, but when he hears of rogue priests in his order consorting with yakuza, he returns to punch them towards enlightenment. The first sequel sees Shinkai run afoul of local mobsters who then hire his nemesis, the Zatoichi-inspired fighting monk Ryotatsu (Bunta Sugawara, Battles Without Honor and Humanity), hellbent on revenge against Shinkai for blinding him. In the third film, Shinkai joins the fight to defend a coastal village against pirate revolutionaries, whilst still finding the time for bawdy misadventures and fighting off the tenacious Ryotatsu. Shinkai returns to his snowy hometown for his mother's memorial in the fourth film and is shocked to discover his childhood friend has become a ruthless yakuza, and must encourage the local community to fight back against his gang. Finally, Shinkai must face off against the vengeful Ryotatsu one last time in the series' thrilling concluding instalment. Wakayama shines as the rascally Shinkai whose roguish ways attract the ire of his superiors before they're won over by his righteousness and affinity for roundhouse-kicking ruffians. A thrilling blend of raunchy humour and explosive karate fights, the Wicked Priest series is the nirvana of Japanese 60s action comedy!

 

Views: Produced by Toei between 1968 and 1971, the popular Gokuaku Bozu film series tells the tale of a morally complex Buddhist priest called Shinkai who loves to gamble, drink and sleep with women, yet steps up to the mark to fight injustice whenever it's called for! Spanning five movies, we follow Shinkai from his banning of the temple and his journey that sees him go up against rival monks, gangs of criminals, hired killers, prostitution rings, and his deadly rival Ryotatsu – another skilled monk who, after losing his eyesight to Shinkai in an earlier fight, returns for a rematch time after time. Set during the Taisho period of Japan, the films effortlessly blend melodrama, martial arts-action, comedy, romance, and moral ambiguity through each story as Shinkai becomes a formidable force against injustice! Recently restored and released in a gorgeous box set by Arrow Video, the Wicked Priest Collection has never looked better and is accompanied by a collectors booklet, newly commissioned artwork by Chris Malbon, and a host of extra features. Of course, the big draw for many with this series, is it's star – the wonderful Tomisaburo Wakayama, who would later go on to find legendary status as the star of the much loved Lone Wolf & Cub (1972) film series. But he was impressing long before that, and the Wicked Priest Collection is the perfect example of that with Wakayama delivering a great performance as the titular character, bringing comedy and great physicality, emotion and charm, and plenty of eye-gouging moves along the way!

 

The first film, Wicked Priest, plays as a great introduction to the burly, tattooed, lecherous but loveable priest. Put on probation after breaking up a fight, Shinkai soon learns of some corrupt priests who are doing dirty dealings with the local gangsters. Expelled from the temple, he takes matters into his own hands and also uses them to bring a stop to the corruption – breaking up a prostitution ring along the way. With some fun action scenes, plenty of laughs, and some surprises along the way, this debut film is the perfect introduction to the titular hero. The film is directed by the prolific Kiyoshi Saeki who started making films in the mid-1940s, going onto deliver titles such as The Young Boss (1958), The Sand City in Manchuria (1960), Brutal Tales of Chivalry (1965) and Toseinin (1967) prior to this. In Wicked Priest 2: Ballad of Murder, Shinkai comes across a young Yakuza man, Rentaro, who has fled his hometown for safety. Now a father, he asks the priest to take his son back to his town to live with the grandfather. Shinkai agrees and leaves, but soon finds that the stubborn old martial arts master wants nothing to do with him. Trying to figure things out with the boy, while making himself comfortable as a local convent and dealing with the same Yakuza gang that caused Rentaro to run, Shinkai soon finds himself face-to-face once again with Ryotatsu. With a faster pace and a lot more action than the first, Wicked Priest 2: Ballad of Murder was the directorial debut for Takashi Harada who would continue to deliver the next two chapters of the series as well as films like A Boss with the Samurai Spirit (1971), Bohachi Bushido: The Villain (1974) and more. Wicked Priest 3: A Killer's Pilgrimage takes place 3 years after the last, with Shinkai finding peace in a seaside village. But that doesn't last for long, as a gang of revolutionary pirates attack; blowing everything up with dynamite and using guns against the locals. Of course, Shinkai dare not turn a blind eye – especially when a beautiful young woman needs saved. Exposing fake religions and taking don't bad boys along the way, the priest does what he can to send the pirates to their death, but soon, his old friend Ryotatsu returns once again for yet another rematch! In Wicked Priest 4: The Killer Priest Comes Back, Shinkai returns to his hometown to give his mum a proper send-off. But while there, he learns that a close friend is now part of the Yakuza and finds himself in trouble with his gang after demanding some righteous changes. This time though, he finds himself outnumbered and Shinkai is left temporally blinded by the gang during a fight. Trained by a feisty nun and aided by his equally blind nemesis Ryotatsu, Shinkai takes his blade to town as he slices through the Yakuza who attacked him. Interestingly, this one played like a wonderful homage to the legendary Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman (1962) that was played (in 26 films) by Wakayama's brother himself, the equally talented Shintaro Katsu. And then we have Wicked Priest 5: Blood on the Commandments, which was one of my favourite of the lot. Having gotten his sight back, Shinkai wastes no time in exhausting several prostitutes. He finds a place to stay with some new squatter friends, but soon gets pulled into their schemes which then reveals some bigger problems. Learning that their home and some local businesses are in the sights of a corrupt businessman, whose intention is to flatten them, Shinkai steps up to the mark once again as protector to the people and sets out to find the evil doer. Of course, once he is done, the wicked priest has one more score to settle – the blistering final showdown between him and Ryotatsu! Seeing out this final chapter is Buichi Saito, the director behind films like Tokyo Mighty Guy (1960), Diamonds of the Andes (1968), The Boss's Wife (1969), Yakuza Wolf 2: Extend My Condolences (1972), and would go onto direct Wakayama in Lone Wolf & Cub: Baby Cart in Peril (1972) before later directing many episodes of the Lone Wolf & Cub television series in the mid-1970s.

 

What a fantastic series! Tomisaburo Wakayama is just brilliant as the troubled, funny and feisty priest Shinkai and also sings all of the great the songs from each of the movies! Here, Wakayama is joined by the much loved Bunta Sugawara – prolific actor of classics such as Battles Without Honour & Humanity (1973), Proxy War (1973), Violent Streets (1974), The Boxer (1977), the Japanese Godfather Trilogy (1977) and more – turning in a great performance here as the blind killer priest, Ryotatsu. While both stars shine, they are joined by a wonderful cast throughout the series including Kenjiro Ishiyama, Hiroshi Nawa, Asao Koike, Eitaro Ozawa, Toru Abe, Minoru Oki, Tatsuo Endo, Shinichi Mikami, Takashi Shimura, and Kyosuke Machid. Although worked by three different directors, each film is beautifully shot and scored, oozing that typical Toei style and just a joy to watch. Sharing the films on this 3 disc set is a number of bonus features. The first of these is a 20 minute video essay by James Balmont that sees him discuss the life and work of composer Isao Tomita. It makes for an interesting watch, and comes across as a well written piece. Next, Jonathan Clements delivers his 20 minute video essay on the depictions of Japanese history throughout the Wicked Priest films. Again, it's certainly worth checking out and sees Clements make some interesting points as he dives deep into the series. Following that we have James Mudge delivering his piece to cam/video essay on the series, but also where Japanese cinema was during this period. As usual, he provides plenty of interesting points which makes for a good watch, and dons his usual red chequered shirt that has now become the 'James Mudge Uniform' to me. Martial Arts & Super Mario Brothers sees adult film nerds Patrick Macias and Matt Alt (from the TokyoScope Podcast) discuss leading man Tomisaburo Wakayama. Aside from the fact that it looks like the first time they've ever done this kind of thing, with terrible camera angel and living-room setting, they still make for a fun watch which lasts 35 minutes! The pair return for a second piece called Priest or Monk, this time discussing Buddhism in the Wicked Priest films. Running just over 15 minutes, it basically plays like a continuation of their previous piece but delivers some interesting points. And finally, we get the original theatrical trailers for all five movies – all restored and all just a joy to watch!

 

Overall: A classic series of films and fantastic piece to have, the Wicked Priest Collection is worth checking out and hugely entertaining!

 

Arrow Video Blu-ray Extras: Video Essay on Composer Isao Tomita, Video Essay on Historical Japan, Interview with James Mudge, Interview with Patrick Macias and Matt Alt, Original Trailers