Product Description

Beautifully restored in HD, this classic film is now released for the first time in North America on Blu Ray.

In his explosive directorial debut Japanese renaissance man-cum-comedian-extraordinaire Takeshi "Beat" Kitano plays vicious rogue homicide Detective Azuma who takes on a sadistic crime syndicate only to discover widespread internal corruption in the police force. Facing criminal charges for his unorthodox "Dirty Harry" type methods, Azuma finds … mehrhimself caught in a web of betrayal and intrigue that sends him on a bloody trail of vengeance. But when his sister is kidnapped by a sadistic drug lord, Azuma's tactics escalate towards an apocalyptic climax.

New Collector's Edition art by Benjamin Marra, the influential comic creator and artist, commissioned exclusively for retrospective screenings and the Blu Ray/DVD re-release.

Bonus Features, include: 20-minute featurette, That Man Is Dangerous: The Birth of Takeshi Kitano; original Violent Cop trailer; new Violent Cop HD re-release trailer.

Package, includes: Collector's Booklet, featuring film essay by Tom Vick, the Asian film Curator for the Freer and Sackler Galleries (The Smithsonian's Museums of Asian Art); cast and crew credits; chapter breaks; stills.
Review

WINNER - Best Director - Yokohama Film Festival
OFFICIAL SELECTION - Karlovy Vary Int'l Film Festival
OFFICIAL SELECTION - Taormina Film Festival
OFFICIAL SELECTION - San Sebastian Int'l Film Festival ---

[F]or fans of unsentimental police action rooted in commentary on a society, Violent Cop packs a punch. - Lawrence van Gelder, The New York Times

Exhilarating.... --Bob Graham, San Francisco Chronicle

...Takeshi displays an eye for unique, viscerally affecting ways to stage action scenes. --Keith Phipps, The A.V. Club weniger