Cops Vs Thugs: Technical Notes

Video:
This 2.35.1 anamorphic widescreen transfer of Cops Vs. Thugs is miles above the R2 PAL release from Eureka Video that come out in the UK a few years back, but it's still not perfect and it exhibits some of the same flaws as Yakuza Graveyard does. The main problem is that there's some mild motion blurring and trailing on the feature whenever anyone moves really fast. Other than that, the movie looks quite good. There isn't much to complain about in terms of print damage, in fact, aside from some very natural looking film grain the print used for this transfer is more or less pristine. Colors are bold and well-reproduced and black levels are pretty strong as well. Flesh tones look lifelike and natural while detail remains pretty strong from start to finish save for a few of the slightly darker scenes where some of the really fine detail does get a bit lost in the shadows. Not a perfect transfer but a huge step up from the aforementioned PAL release…

Sound:
The Japanese Dolby Digital Mono soundtrack is clean, clear and free of any hiss or distortion. Optional white colored English subtitles are included that are easy to read and free of any typographical errors. The score comes through with enough emotive strength that it perfectly accentuates the more intense scenes of the film, but it never buries the performers and neither does the foley, nor do the sound effects. As far as older mono tracks go, there's nothing to complain about here. Cops Vs. Thugs sounds fine.

Extras:
Extras are slim but include original Japanese theatrical trailers for Yakuza Graveyard (3:01) and for Cops Vs. Thugs (3:12), both available on the same release date from Kino Video. Unfortunately neither of these trailers are subtitled in English but boy are they ever action packed! Each of the two trailers are also presented in Dolby Digital Mono tracks, 2.35.1 anamorphic widescreen presentations.

Aside from that we also get a gallery of publicity photos, animated menus, and chapter stops.

Final Thoughts:
While this release isn't perfect and there definitely could and should have been more extras on the disc, Cops Vs. Thugs is a fantastic slice of tough and gritty Yakuza action. Highly recommended for fans of the genre, and recommended for everyone else with even a remote interest in crime movies or Japanese cinema.