Earlier this year Arrow Video released Nikkatsu Diamond Guys Vol. 1, a Blu-ray/DVD combo set featuring three films. The set was fantastic (read my review) and because we knew it was volume 1 we knew there was still more yet to come. In early March they announced Nikkatsu Diamond Guys Vol. 2 for a June 14th release date. Arrow has now released the official artwork and the pre-order links.
The artwork, which, you can see below comes courtesy of Graham Humphreys and it looks fantastic. It’s much inline with what Arrow typically has for artwork and goes nicely with the first volume.
If you’re in the UK you can pre-order directly from Arrow and if you’re in the US you can do so from DiabolikDVD.
Nikkatsu, the oldest film studio in Japan, inaugurated a star system in the late 1950s, finding talent and contracting them to a series of wild genre pictures. This collection celebrates these “Diamond Guys” with three classic films from directors Buichi Saito (Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril), Ko Nakahira (Crazed Fruit), and Haruyasu Noguchi, who is a new discovery for the West.
TOKYO MIGHTY GUY
In Saito’s Tokyo Mighty Guy, mega star Akira Kobayashi stars as Jiro in the rambunctious tale of a chef who opens a restaurant in the busy Ginza district. His culinary skills and dashing good looks bring in the women as well as unwanted trouble, while an explosive political scandal builds around his girlfriend’s business…DANGER PAYS
Next, Jo Shishido (Massacre Gun, Retaliation), one of the most popular Diamond Guys in the West, stars in Danger Pays, a crime caper from Ko Nakahira about counterfeiting. When one billion yen goes AWOL, “Joe the Ace” (Shishido) spies an opportunity to get rich quick, but things soon go wrong as it turns out he isn’t the only one who’ll stop at nothing to get his hands on the missing cash…MURDER UNINCORPORATED
Finally, Shishido stars once again in Noguchi’s screwball classic Murder Unincorporated. When the mysterious “Joe of Spades” executes one of the bosses of a powerful syndicate, his colleagues, fearing for their own lives, call on the services of assassin agency Murder Unincorporated to take care of the problem. This unique entry showcases some of the most peculiar killing tactics to ever hit Japanese cinema! Presented on DVD and Blu-ray for the first time in the West, these thrilling genre films feature some of Nikkatsu’s leading talent at the top of their game.Bonus Materials
•Limited Edition Blu-ray collection (3000 copies)
•High Definition digital transfers of all three films in this collection, from original film elements by Nikkatsu Corporation
•High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation
•Original uncompressed mono audio
•Newly translated English subtitles
•Specially recorded video discussions with Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp on Diamond Guys Jo Shishido and Akira Kobayashi
•Original trailers for all three films
•Extensive promotional image galleries for all films
•Reversible sleeve featuring brand new artwork by Graham Humphreys
•Booklet featuring new writing on all the films and director profiles by Stuart Galbraith IV, Tom Mes and Mark Schilling
