On April 18, 2026, Umbrella (AU) is releasing the Blu-ray (Region B) for the Shadow Wars: The Elusive Kinji Fukasaku Collection, which includes 1975’s Cops vs. Thugs, 1975’s Cross the Rubicon! and 1977’s Hokuriku Proxy War.
Read the full details below:
From the master of postwar chaos comes a blistering triptych of crime, corruption, and collapse.
After the success of Battles Without Honor and Humanity (1973–74), Fukasaku continued to refine his “jitsuroku” (true record) approach; a semi-documentary style of yakuza film inspired by real events, police files, and newspaper reportage.
These three titles, Cops vs. Thugs, Cross the Rubicon!, and Hokuriku Proxy War, all extend that gritty realism: handheld camerawork, frenetic editing, overlapping dialogue, and moral murk. They turn away from romanticized gangsters toward a chaotic, corrupt Japan of the 1960s-70s where cops, crooks, and politicians are virtually indistinguishable.
Features:
- 48-page book of behind-the-scenes material and essays by Brian Streussnig, Mark Schilling and David Michael Brown
- Custom illustration rigid case by Colin Murdoch
- 8 replica lobby cards
- X2 A3 reversible posters featuring original art
- Limited edition numbered release
Cops vs. Thugs:
- NEW! Audio Commentary with Critic & Author Jasper Sharp
- NEW! Cops, Thugs and Proxy Wars: James Balmont on the Revolutionary Yakuza Cinema of Kinji Fukasaku
- Archival Behind the Scenes Footage
- Beyond the Film: Cops vs. Thugs – a Video Appreciation by Fukasaku Biographer Sadao Yamane
- Theatrical Trailer
Cross the Rubicon!:
- NEW! Audio Commentary with Writer and Critic Tom Mes
- NEW! Funny Money: Screenwriter Koji Takada Discusses Cross the Rubicon!
- NEW! Shadows of War: Kenta Fukasaku on His Fathers’ Yakuza Films
Hokuriku Proxy War:
- NEW! Audio Commentary with Japanese cinema expert Frankie Balboa
- NEW! Loyalty for Sale: Matthew Carter on Power, Masculinity and Corruption in the World of Kinji Fukasaku
- NEW! Deadly Coincidence: Screenwriter Koji Takada discusses Hokuriku Proxy War
- Theatrical Trailer
Watch the Trailers (Cross the Rubicon not available):
