Eureka Blu-ray Film Review

Wolves, Pigs, and Men (1964) • Limited Edition Blu-ray [Eureka! Masters of Cinema] — brotherly bonds break in brutal thriller

A lonely gangster tries recruiting men to plunder a respected and powerful gang.

Wolves, Pigs, and Men / 狼と豚と人間 / Ōkami to buta to ningen is cited as one of the more important Japanese post-war films, but its initial release had even less impact than director Kinji Fukasaku’s nine previous movies. It’s said that it screened to mostly empty theatres. In retrospect, both the film and its director are recognised for revitalising the Japanese crime genre with the radical, edgy, ultraviolent energy it is now associated with. So, this 60th-anniversary presentation from Eureka Entertainment is a most welcome addition to their prestigious ‘Masters of Cinema’ marque. Restored from the original film elements, supplied by Toei, this new Blu-ray also constitutes the movie’s much belated UK debut.

A significant factor in its poor public reception was its time of release, in August 1964, during the run-up to the historic Tokyo…