Takashi Ishii’s grim yakuza film has been distributed in three different versions. The original theatrical cut runs 109 minutes. The Director’s Cut aka Real Edition adds new scenes, but also deletes to existing footage. There are also differences in color timing. Both versions are included in Shochiku’s remastered 3 Disc set, which is unfortunately long out of print and going for very high prices (around 12 000 yen).
An edited Director’s Cut is available on old Japanese laserdisc. This versions cuts footage from the ending, apparently due to laserdisc space limitations.
The following comparison features spoilers. As a spoiler free summary, the Director’s Cut features some more characterization, adds one more violent scene, and changes color scheme in a flashback scene. Some of the extra scenes improve the film, some of them slow it down by bit. All in all, I would rate the Director’s Cut slightly above the Theatrical cut although technically speaking the Director’s Cut is not notably better or worse than the Theatrical Cut.
Theatrical Cut: 109 min
Director’s Cut: 121 min
Comparison (Main differences that I could spot by a quick look. The times are approximate figures)
- Removed scene: The Director’s cut removes most of the disco footage in the opening (Mitsuya dancing and kissing a girl). (- 30 seconds)
- The Director’s cut has the flashback scene in full colors rather than faded close to black and white like the Theatrical Cut (+- 0 seconds)
- New / extended scene: The Director’s cut inserts the previously missing disco footage back into the film half an hour later. This scene is then extended with new footage where Mitsuya meets the young gay assassin in disco and dances with him before the two have become enemies. No dialogue, but homoerotic dancing. (+ 90 seconds)
- Extended scene: before the heist, Ogiwara is going nuts trying different masks in the car. (+ 30 seconds)
- New scene: before Jimmy and Nami are caught, the Theatrical Cut shows them together in Nami’s apartment. Audio of them being captured is them played against freeze frames. The director’s cut omits the latter, and inserts a new scene showing Nami and Jimmy discussing on the bed. Another new scene follows, showing Jimmy and Nami attempting to escape by train. The gangsters capture them at the train station. (+ 4min)
- Extended scene: after Jimmy finds Nami dead, a yakuza appears in the parking hall. Jimmy kills him with his bare hands. (+30 seconds)
- Extended scene: Ogiwara’s house scene features a new part where he is shaving in front of the mirror before taking a bath with his dead wife. (+40 seconds)
- New scene: Bandai and Mitsuya walking on the railway and chatting (+40 seconds)
- New scene: Bandai goes to bathroom and takes a piss just before the fatal encounter with the assassins. (+40 seconds)
- According to the DVD booklet the revenge scene at the end and the ending scene both feature some differences. These should be small differences as I could not notice them. Some other small differences in other scenes may also exists.
Transfers
The DVD transfers for both edits look identical. The only difference is that the Theatrical Cut features a thin black bar on the bottom.
