Village of Doom (1983) (BLU-RAY REVIEW)
Director: Noboru Tanaka
Starring: Izumi Hara, Renji Ishibashi, Akira Hamada
RATED: UR/REGION A/1:85/1080P/NUMBER OF DISCS 1
AVAILABLE FROM Unearthed Films
If you wasn’t aware, The Tsuyama massacre was a revenge spree killing that occurred on the night of 21 May 1938 in the rural village of Kamo close to Tsuyama in Okayama, Empire of Japan. Mutsuo Toi, who was a 21-year-old man, killed 30 people, including his grandmother, with a Browning shotgun, katana, and axe, and seriously injured three others before killing himself with the shotgun. It is the deadliest shooting by a lone gunman in Japanese history. I wasn’t aware of this event before this release, but this was a pretty big deal in Japan. Think of it along the lines of if someone released a movie based on a mass killing here. Only this movie was made in 1983 and we now have it here thanks to Unearthed Films. It seems like an odd release for the label, but then again, when you hit certain points of the movie you can see where it fits.
The movie has a great look. I’ll give it those props upfront and center. The set of the film has an overall vibe that sets a eerie tone. And I don’t think it even tries hard to do so, but it still works. I don’t think you could say much for the score of it overall, but as far as the setting and such it does look very nice in 1080p and I was impressed with the transfer because I didn’t know what to expect from a Japanese film from 42 years ago. I’m not very knowledgeable of the company and such that originally released it, so we’ll just say that if you are here pondering how this one looks from a technical side, it looks good.
The main thing I do have issues with is the pace. Outside of some sexual based stuff, the movie comes across more like a drama for the majority of its running time. Which is OKAY, when you take into consideration the subject matter and the massacre portion of the movie can’t be the whole movie, but there are times when you kind of just wish this thing would get going. And you get a lingering feeling of regret for feeling that way when you take into consideration that this was based on a true event.
When the last act of the movie starts and the violence kicks in, that is clearly when this one gets at its most interesting. That is probably the portion of this movie Unearthed loyalist will like the most. The movie is a characters study at heart and build towards our main character snapping and when that happens we are at our best with Village of Doom. I don’t know if this one will stay with you too long after the credits roll, but it isn’t bad for what it is while you are in the process of watching it. It is certainly a movie I’d have never seen had it not been for Unearthed Films and we can all at least thank them for that.
Extras
- Audio commentary by Asian film experts Arne Venema and Mike Leeder
- Dark Asia with Megan: Case #57 Japan’s Darkest Night, Tsuyama Massacre
- Promotional Gallery
- Theatrical Trailer
- In Japanese, with English subtitles
