Wicked Priest Collection LE (Blu-ray) ***Preorder*** 9/14

Most famous for his role as the stoic Ogami Itto in the legendary Lone Wolf and Cub series, Tomisaburo Wakayama shows a different side in the ebullient martial arts comedy series Wicked Priest, where a devout man of the cloth doesn't let a little thing like his vows keep him away from women, booze and brawls!

Wakayama plays Shinkai, a Buddhist monk with a penchant for drinking and gambling, setting sinners straight with judo throws rather than sermons. In the first film, he's placed on probation for fighting off a gang of thugs, but when he hears of rogue priests in his order consorting with yakuza, he returns to punch them towards enlightenment. The first sequel sees Shinkai run afoul of local mobsters who then hire his nemesis, the Zatoichi-inspired fighting monk Ryotatsu (Bunta Sugawara, Battles Without Honor and Humanity), hellbent on revenge against Shinkai for blinding him. In the third film, Shinkai joins the fight to defend a coastal village against pirate revolutionaries, whilst still finding the time for bawdy misadventures and fighting off the tenacious Ryotatsu. Shinkai returns to his snowy hometown for his mother's memorial in the fourth film and is shocked to discover his childhood friend has become a ruthless yakuza, and must encourage the local community to fight back against his gang. Finally, Shinkai must face off against the vengeful Ryotatsu one last time in the series' thrilling concluding instalment.

Wakayama shines as the rascally Shinkai whose roguish ways attract the ire of his superiors before they're won over by his righteousness and affinity for roundhouse-kicking ruffians. A thrilling blend of raunchy humor and explosive karate fights, the Wicked Priest series is the nirvana of Japanese 60s action comedy!

Product Features

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

• Brand new restorations of all five films in the series: Wicked Priest, Wicked Priest 2: Ballad of Murder, Wicked Priest 3: A Killer's Pilgrimage, Wicked Priest 4: The Killer Priest Comes Back and Wicked Priest 5: Blood on the Commandments
• High-Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentations of all five films
• Original lossless Japanese mono audio on all five films
• Optional English subtitles on all five films
• Composing the Gospel, a brand new video essay on Wicked Priest composer and electronic music pioneer Isao Tomita by music supervisor and Japanese cinema expert James Balmont
• Taisho Troubles, a brand new video essay on Wicked Priest's depictions of historical Japan by Japanese cinema expert Jonathan Clements
• Offscreen Battles, a brand interview with Asian cinema expert James Mudge on the tumultuous landscape of 1960s Japanese cinema
• Martial Arts and Super Mario Brothers, a brand new interview with Japanese cinema experts Patrick Macias and Matt Alt on Wicked Priest star and Japanese screen icon Tomisaburo Wakayama
• Priest or Monk, a brand new primer on Buddhism and pop culture as depicted in the Wicked Priest films by Patrick Macias and Matt Alt
• Original theatrical trailers for all five films
• Reversible sleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork by Chris Malbon
• Collectors' booklet featuring new writing on the films by Camille Zaurin