Eclipse Series 17 Nikkatsu Noir I Am Waiting Rusty Knife Take Aim at the Police Van Cruel Gun

From the mid-1950s to the early 1970s, wild, idiosyncratic crime movies were the brutal and boisterous business of Nikkatsu, the oldest film studio in Japan. In an effort to attract youthful audiences growing increasingly accustomed to American and French big-screen imports, Nikkatsu began producing action potboilers (mukokuseki akushun, or "borderless action") modeled on the western, comedy, gangster, and teen-rebel genres. This bruised and bloody collection represents a standout cross section of the nimble nasties Nikkatsu had to offer, from such prominent, stylistically daring directors as Seijun Suzuki, Toshio Masuda, and Takashi Nomura. I Am Waiting (1957): In Koreyoshi Kurahara's directorial debut, rebel matinee idol Yujiro Ishihara (fresh off the sensational Crazed Fruit) stars a restaurant manager and former boxer who saves a beautiful, suicidal club hostess (Mie Kitahara) trying to escape the clutches of her gangster employer. Featuring expressionist lighting and bold camera work, this was one of Nikkatsu's early successes. Rusty Knife (1958): Rusty Knife was the first smash for director Toshio Masuda, who would go on to become one of Japanese cinema's major hit makers. In the film, Yujiro Ishihara and fellow top Nikkatsu star Akira Kobayashi play former hoodlums trying to leave behind a life of crime, but their past comes back to haunt them when the authorities seek them out as murder witnesses. Take Aim at

Key details: Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1, 2.35:1 | Is Discontinued By Manufacturer: No | MPAA rating: NR (Not Rated) | Product Dimensions: 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 4 ounces | Director: Koreyoshi Kurahara, Seijun Suzuki, Takashi Nomura, Takumi Furukawa, Toshio Masuda | Media Format: Black & White, Box set, Full Screen, Multiple Formats, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen | Run time: 7 hours and 22 minutes | Release date: August 25, 2009 | Actors: Isamu Kosugi, Ken Hatano, Kjir Kusanagi, Mie Kitahara, Yjir Ishihara | Subtitles: : English

Customer feedback: 4.8/5 average rating.

Customers say: Customers find the TV series entertaining, with one describing it as a collection of highly entertaining B-movies. The DVD receives positive feedback for its quality, with one customer noting it's the best Eclipse box set.

Review snippets: Having seen most of the films in the traveling Nikkatsu noir retrospective last year when it hit New York and Boston, I was initially disappointed with the choice of titles in this collection, because the only film from that retrospective / My colt is my Passport is a great movie. Saw it on TCM one night and had to make this purchase. Read more