Yusaku Matsuda and director Eiichi Kudo create a minor key masterpiece in Yokohama BJ Blues a detective noir set in the seedy alleys and corners of late 1980s Japan. New to Blu-ray from Radiance Films!
The Film
You know you’re in for something different when a film opens with your main character on the toilet while eating. Yokohama BJ Blues is both an ode/reimagining of Altman’s adaptation of The Long Goodbye but done with enough Japanese 1980s Yakuza decadence and malaise to be something entirely new.
BJ (Yûsaku Matsuda) divides his time between singing at a Jazz bar and being a private eye. When his best friend and police detective is murdered right in front of him, he’s going to take the fall unless he figures out the why of it all. The why takes him deep into who wanted his friend dead. Was it the Yakuza who had him on the take? Was it his girl – whom both had relationships with? Or was it someone else? BJ begins to see the clearer picture he needs to find a way out with his life – a possibility that continues to shrink.
Yokohama BJ Blues is as relaxed a mystery as the Altman film but done in a way that’s entirely different. Director Eiichi Kudô creates a vibe of a film that’s more a feeling and a look of a place and time than an actual narrative. That isn’t to say the film’s script by Shoichi Maruyama doesn’t have a tightly constructed mystery – the way that Kudô handles it is antithetical to what we are normally used to. Even the gun fights are not the kind of propulsive standard issue in the genre. Kudô creates a film that’s more about the vibe of the character himself, a man of inaction – suffering from an inability to do anything about the amoral sludge he finds himself in.
Yûsaku Matsuda mostly known for action films is wonderful as the inactive BJ. BJ is as sloppy a detective as he is in his life moping along from one scene to another. The only place that the pseudo detective appears to be happy is belting out songs at the local club he’s paid in “drink and food”. No matter the challenge that BJ comes up against, Matsuda imbues everything with a world-weariness that makes his inaction understandable. BJ has lost and continues to lose at every turn in life. Even going with the flow, the detective singer finds that life continues to bump and bruise him. It’s a masterful performance to watch unfold. The final moment is one of the most subtly devastating acts in a detective film.
Yokohama BJ Blues is not going to be for everyone. Even fans of detective noirs may find it a challenge. Those that vibe with this special film will find a new obsession to fawn over.
The Transfer
The High-Definition digital transfer, world premiere on Blu-ray, is decent. The problem with the transfer is that the print is a fairly dirty one with specks running throughout. Thankfully there are no scratches or true blemishes. A full restoration would have to have been implemented to resolve the issues. That being said the oversaturated look of the 35mm shot film is lovely in its grit and grime adding to the splendor of this Japanese Noir. There is a wonderful patina of active grain, which may be too much for some but for this reviewer, it added to the experience. All in all, Yokohama BJ Blues is a solid transfer with some minor imperfections.
The Extras
They include the following;
Interview with star Mari Hemmi
Interview with screenwriter Shoichi Maruyama
Interview with writer and Yokohama expert Toru Sano on the film and a look at the locations
Trailer
Mari Hemmi on Yokohama BJ Blues (13:48) – in this all-new interview with star Mari Hemmi begins with getting married and leaving the industry at the time before coming back and changing from being a singer to being a musical actress in musicals – but needed more training as an actress – and finding Yokohama BJ Blues, accepting it immediately. Some of the other discussion points include how different an experience the film was as opposed to the stage for her; a detailed discussion of her first meeting Yusaku; working with Yusaku and how he differed from other actors and his on-screen persona; how many of the cast were musicians or singers themselves; seeing Yusaku on stage performing after the film’s production; and much more. In Japanese with English Subtitles.
Shoichi Maruyama on Yusaku Matsuda and Yokohama BJ Blues (22:13) – in this all-new interview with screenwriter Shoichi Maruyama begins with the origins of Yokohama BJ Blues – that began with his connection as the screenwriter of many Yusaku’s films (including two of the Game Trilogy films). Some of the discussion points included how William Friedkin’s Cruising and Philip Marlowe stories inspired Yusaku’s coming to the writer with an idea of doing a very different detective story; how Altman’s The Long Goodbyefactored into the mix; the reasons why they chose Yokohama to set the film; and much more. In Japanese with English Subtitles.
Yokohama BJ Blues location tour with Toru Sano (18:04) – in this all-new interview, writer and Yokohama expert Toru Sano we go on a tour of the various locations used by the production back in 1981. The featurette cleverly edits together maps, Toru, and scenes from the film to give us a look at the modern-day locations and how they’ve changed or disappeared. Toru is great at giving his thoughts on the film itself including culturally relevant details and critiques/commentary about the film. In Japanese with English Subtitles.
Trailer (2:09) – Japanese with English Subtitles
The Final Thought
Radiance Films continues to find underseen gems from around the work. Yokohama BJ Blues is a prime example of this. Highest recommendations!
Yusaku Matsuda and director Eiichi Kudo create a minor key masterpiece in Yokohama BJ Blues a detective noir set in the seedy alleys and corners of late 1980s Japan. New to Blu-ray from Radiance Films!
The Film
You know you’re in for something different when a film opens with your main character on the toilet while eating. Yokohama BJ Blues is both an ode/reimagining of Altman’s adaptation of The Long Goodbye but done with enough Japanese 1980s Yakuza decadence and malaise to be something entirely new.
BJ (Yûsaku Matsuda) divides his time between singing at a Jazz bar and being a private eye. When his best friend and police detective is murdered right in front of him, he’s going to take the fall unless he figures out the why of it all. The why takes him deep into who wanted his friend dead. Was it the Yakuza who had him on the take? Was it his girl – whom both had relationships with? Or was it someone else? BJ begins to see the clearer picture he needs to find a way out with his life – a possibility that continues to shrink.
Yokohama BJ Blues is as relaxed a mystery as the Altman film but done in a way that’s entirely different. Director Eiichi Kudô creates a vibe of a film that’s more a feeling and a look of a place and time than an actual narrative. That isn’t to say the film’s script by Shoichi Maruyama doesn’t have a tightly constructed mystery – the way that Kudô handles it is antithetical to what we are normally used to. Even the gun fights are not the kind of propulsive standard issue in the genre. Kudô creates a film that’s more about the vibe of the character himself, a man of inaction – suffering from an inability to do anything about the amoral sludge he finds himself in.
Yûsaku Matsuda mostly known for action films is wonderful as the inactive BJ. BJ is as sloppy a detective as he is in his life moping along from one scene to another. The only place that the pseudo detective appears to be happy is belting out songs at the local club he’s paid in “drink and food”. No matter the challenge that BJ comes up against, Matsuda imbues everything with a world-weariness that makes his inaction understandable. BJ has lost and continues to lose at every turn in life. Even going with the flow, the detective singer finds that life continues to bump and bruise him. It’s a masterful performance to watch unfold. The final moment is one of the most subtly devastating acts in a detective film.
Yokohama BJ Blues is not going to be for everyone. Even fans of detective noirs may find it a challenge. Those that vibe with this special film will find a new obsession to fawn over.
The Transfer
The High-Definition digital transfer, world premiere on Blu-ray, is decent. The problem with the transfer is that the print is a fairly dirty one with specks running throughout. Thankfully there are no scratches or true blemishes. A full restoration would have to have been implemented to resolve the issues. That being said the oversaturated look of the 35mm shot film is lovely in its grit and grime adding to the splendor of this Japanese Noir. There is a wonderful patina of active grain, which may be too much for some but for this reviewer, it added to the experience. All in all, Yokohama BJ Blues is a solid transfer with some minor imperfections.
The Extras
They include the following;
Mari Hemmi on Yokohama BJ Blues (13:48) – in this all-new interview with star Mari Hemmi begins with getting married and leaving the industry at the time before coming back and changing from being a singer to being a musical actress in musicals – but needed more training as an actress – and finding Yokohama BJ Blues, accepting it immediately. Some of the other discussion points include how different an experience the film was as opposed to the stage for her; a detailed discussion of her first meeting Yusaku; working with Yusaku and how he differed from other actors and his on-screen persona; how many of the cast were musicians or singers themselves; seeing Yusaku on stage performing after the film’s production; and much more. In Japanese with English Subtitles.
Shoichi Maruyama on Yusaku Matsuda and Yokohama BJ Blues (22:13) – in this all-new interview with screenwriter Shoichi Maruyama begins with the origins of Yokohama BJ Blues – that began with his connection as the screenwriter of many Yusaku’s films (including two of the Game Trilogy films). Some of the discussion points included how William Friedkin’s Cruising and Philip Marlowe stories inspired Yusaku’s coming to the writer with an idea of doing a very different detective story; how Altman’s The Long Goodbye factored into the mix; the reasons why they chose Yokohama to set the film; and much more. In Japanese with English Subtitles.
Yokohama BJ Blues location tour with Toru Sano (18:04) – in this all-new interview, writer and Yokohama expert Toru Sano we go on a tour of the various locations used by the production back in 1981. The featurette cleverly edits together maps, Toru, and scenes from the film to give us a look at the modern-day locations and how they’ve changed or disappeared. Toru is great at giving his thoughts on the film itself including culturally relevant details and critiques/commentary about the film. In Japanese with English Subtitles.
Trailer (2:09) – Japanese with English Subtitles
The Final Thought
Radiance Films continues to find underseen gems from around the work. Yokohama BJ Blues is a prime example of this. Highest recommendations!
Radiance Films’ Blu-Ray edition of Yokohama BJ Blues is out December 17th
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