Rent Cruel Tales of the Bohachi (1973)
3.5 of 5 from 45 ratings
2h 44min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
Based on the popular manga by Lone Wolf and Cub creators Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima, Bohachi Bushido: Code of the Forgotten Eight is one of the standout films in the career of Teruo Ishii (Shogun's Joy of Torture), known in Japan as the King of Cult. A bloody and erotic samurai tale starring an assassin with a death wish, it paved the way for Takashi Harada's spiritual successor Bohachi Bushido: The Villain. 'Code of the Forgotten Eight' sees a nihilistic ronin, Shino Ashita (Tetsuro Tanba, Three Outlaw Samurai), join the sadistic Bohachi clan, a group of corrupt samurai who operate a prostitution ring. With nothing else to live for, he acts as their assassin in a war with a rival clan that poses a threat to their business. Then, in 'The Villain', the condemned criminal Kyushi Issho (Goro Ibuki, Hokuriku Proxy War) falls in with the infamous Bohachi samurai - and he too is drawn into a world of wanton violence and sexual sadism. Prime examples of the ero guro jidaigeki (or, in other words, period films with a focus on eroticism and the grotesque), 'Code of the Forgotten Eight' and 'The Villain' are perfect portraits of the shifting depictions of sex and violence in Japanese cinema of the 1970s. - Actors:
- Tetsurô Tanba, Gorô Ibuki, Tatsuo Endô, Ryôhei Uchida, Yuriko Hishimi, Keiko Aikawa, Rena Ichinose, Emi Jô, Ruriko Ikejima, Shiro Hisano, Kyôichi Satô, Keishiro Kojima, Ryota Tamagawa, Kiyoshi Hitomi, Shôki Fukae, Kei Dana, Maki Kitagawa, Chie Kobayashi, Rie Yuki, Seizô Fukumoto
- Directors:
- Teruo Ishii
- Producers:
- Keiichi Hashimoto, Keizo Mimura, Kôji Shundô
- Writers:
- San Kaji, Kazuo Koike, Goseki Kojima
- Aka:
- Boachi Bushido: Code of the Forgotten Eight (Poruno jidaigeki: Bôhachi bushidô) / Bohachi Bushido: The Villain (Bôhachi bushidô: Sa burai)
- Genres:
- Action & Adventure, Drama, Thrillers
- Countries:
- Japan
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 21/09/2026
- Run Time:
- 164 minutes
- Languages:
- Japanese LPCM Mono
- Subtitles:
- English
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 2.35:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- (0) All
- Bonus:
- Includes: 'Code of the Forgotten Eight' and 'The Villain'
- Audio commentary on 'Code of the Forgotten Eight' by East Asian film expert and Midnight Eye co-founder Tom Mes
- New audio commentary on 'The Villain' by genre cinema expert Arne Venema and film writer Stefan Hammond
- From Codes to Chaos – new video essay on the Bohachi Bushido films and Toei's evolving production strategies in the 1970s by Japanese cinema expert Joe Hickinbottom
- Remembering Teruo Ishii – interview with director Shinya Tsukamoto (Testsuo: The Iron Man) about working with director Teruo Ishii
- Archival interview with actress Yuriko Hishimi
- Archival audio interview with Japanese filmmakers J-Taro Sugisaki and Takao Nakano
- Original theatrical trailer for Code of the Forgotten Eight
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 21/09/2026
- Run Time:
- 164 minutes
- Languages:
- Japanese LPCM Mono
- Subtitles:
- English
- DVD Regions:
- Region 0 (All)
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 2.35:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- (0) All
- Bonus:
- Audio commentary on Code of the Forgotten Eight by East Asian film expert and Midnight Eye co-founder Tom Mes
- New audio commentary on The Villain by genre cinema expert Arne Venema and film writer Stefan Hammond
- From Codes to Chaos – new video essay on the Bohachi Bushido films and Toei's evolving production strategies in the 1970s by Japanese cinema expert Joe Hickinbottom
- Remembering Teruo Ishii – interview with director Shinya Tsukamoto (Testsuo: The Iron Man) about working with director Teruo Ishii
- Archival interview with actress Yuriko Hishimi
- Archival audio interview with Japanese filmmakers J-Taro Sugisaki and Takao Nakano
- Original theatrical trailer for Code of the Forgotten Eight
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