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Fists flurry and blood flows as legendary cult director Teruo Ishii (Shogun's Joy of Torture, Horrors of Malformed Men) joins forces with martial arts legend Shin'ichi 'Sonny' Chiba in this bone-crunching double whammy of classic karate exploitation from Toei. Ryuichi Koga (Chiba) is a descendent of the Koga Ninja school, now earning his living through more nefarious means as a gun for hire. When he is enlisted to take down a drug cartel alongside Hayabusa (Makoto Sato), a disgraced former narcotics detective now operating within the criminal underworld, and renegade Aikido master Sakura (Eiji Gō), tensions grow among this three-man team of ne'er-do-wells as each come to question each other's motives. Koga returns in the even more gung-ho follow up, Karate Inferno, as the ringmaster of a gang of thieves plotting to steal a priceless jewel from a master criminal. Making its High Definition home-video debut, The Executioner is presented in both its original Japanese-language version and with the English dub track from the 1970s North American release. Fans of the Street Fighter star will delight as Chiba pitches himself into a succession of freewheeling action and feisty fight scenes in this double dish of martial arts mayhem, all served up in director Ishii's characteristically lurid style.

Media

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Bonus Materials

• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
• Original uncompressed Japanese mono audio for both films
• Original uncompressed English mono audio track for The Executioner
• Optional English subtitles
• Brand new audio commentary by Chris Poggiali and Marc Walkow
• Sonny Chiba, Karate King, a 30-minute featurette on the legendary Sonny Chiba, featuring Grady Hendrix, Tom Mes, Chris Poggiali, Marco Joachim and Seiji Anno, from the band Guitar Wolf
• Original trailers
• Image galleries for The Executioner and The Executioner II: Karate Inferno
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Lucas Peverill
• FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the films by by Mark Schilling

Sales Points

• Sonny Chiba has been called the Japanese Bruce Lee - but more brutal
• Potent combo of Sonny Chiba, star of the Street Fighter series, and director Teruo Ishii, the Godfather of Japanese Grindhouse Cinema
• Sonny Chiba was name-checked in Quentin Tarantino's True Romance, starred in Kill Bill, and cited by Keanu Reeves as inspiration for the John Wick films

Press Quotes

Sonny Chiba is number one, the Maestro... [he] brought together character and action and passion

     —Keanu Reeves

Sonny Chiba was to me in the 70s right there with Charles Bronson and Clint Eastwood as one of the greatest action stars ever

     —Quentin Tarantino

Comparisons to famed Hong Kong American martial artist Bruce Lee were inevitable. But Chiba's distinct fighting style was unlike anything Lee attempted. Chiba went ballistic on his enemies and appeared to use more force to land his blows

     —Scottie Andrew, CNN

Chiba's presence alone is something to behold. His concentration is so fierce, his stare so pitiless... so menacing

     —Ryan Gilbey, The Guardian

Chiba was able to demonstrate his advanced martial arts capabilities (which would inspire films for decades) while also showcasing his thoughtful approach to character acting

     —Ryan Northrup, Screenrant

Chiba is excellent as a highly trained martial arts master, demonstrating his fighting skills and choreography to the max... [Executioner is] easy to follow, making it a great viewing for audiences craving senseless punching and a satisfying ending

     —Charlotte Christie, CBR

The Executioner has personality to spare... juvenile in the best sense, full of lowbrow humor and sight gags that Bruce Lee would never have been able to pull off.

     —GREG WALTON, Movieline Online

The Executioner Collection is a great way to see [Sonny Chiba] on top of his game

     —BRANDON A. DUHAMEL, Theater Byte

The Executioner Collection really delivers with this double dose of Sonny Chiba showing off his mad Ninja skills.

     —JOE COREY, Inside Pulse

really fun assortment of characters, and Chiba is both appealingly athletic and kind of self deprecatingly funny.

     —JEFFREY KAUFFMAN, Blu-ray.com

With The Executioner, Shin’ichi ‘Sonny’ Chiba’s talents as one of cinema’s badasses are on full display.

     —MICHAEL DEN BOER, 10k Bullets