Product Details

• Actors: Michirou Endo, Shigeru Izumiya, Takanori Jinnai, Kou Machida, Shigeru Muroi
• Directors: Sogo Ishii
• Writers: Jugatsu Toi
• Producers: Hiroshi Kobayashi
• Format: Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: Unrated
• Studio: Discotek Media
• DVD Release Date: June 27, 2006
• Run Time: 115 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000FI8MLG
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #100,702 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Burst City" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Original Japanese Language Optional English Subtitles Dolby Digital 16 x 9 Anamorphic Widescreen Original 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio Theatrical Trailer Rare B/W Stills Gallery Special Insert written by Japanese cinema expert Tom Mes From the Soundtrack Story of "See Saw" Song Lyrics

Set in a barren, futuristic Tokyo of highways and wastelands, a rowdy group of punk bands and their fans gather to protest the construction of a nuclear power plant. Riot police and the factory owner’s yakuza friends soon move in to break it up. However, the arrival of a pair of mysterious, metal-clad bikers and a revolt among the disgruntled construction crew makes for a situation that spirals dangerously out of control...

Directed by Sogo Ishii (Electric Dragon 80,000V, Gojoe, Angel Dust), Burst City boasts an impressive lineup of early 80's Japanese punk bands, including The Stalin, Battle Rockers, The Roosters, and Inu. An eclectic mix of Mad Max-style imagery with yakuza elements, filtered though a punk sensibility, Burst City reveals the seeds of many of the developments in contemporary Japanese cinema and beyond. Brimming with incredible energy and first-rate rock ‘n’ roll, Burst City is a lost masterpiece of extreme cinema that has influenced everyone from Takashi Miike to Shinya Tsukamoto.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Essential punk viewing., July 3, 2006

By	Johnny Landmine (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

First off, anyone expecting a rich, straightforward narrative, be warned. This is a document - not a documentary - of the Japanese punk scene in the early '80s, and director Shogo Ishii captures that punk spirit in every aspect of his filmmaking: it's gritty, chaotic, and occasionally disorienting. It's also fantastic.

The story itself - a tale of protest against the nuclear exploitation of a slum city - is interesting enough, but ultimately secondary to the atmosphere and spectacle of the bands and fans that make up the cast of Burst City. Ishii brings the feel of a great punk show to the many crowd scenes, and the feeling bleeds through to the entire film. Ishii's a capable and original director who's inspired countless cult favorites like Tsukamoto and Miike, and watching Burst City, it's easy to see why.

The central band's performances, brought to life by members of seminal Japanese punk acts The Rockers and The Roosters, are thrilling to watch. The real highlights for me, though, were the (literally) show-stealing antics of Michiro Endo and his band The Stalin, who essentially cameo as themselves - a violent, messy, profane and captivating rival band. It's an absolute must-see film for any fans of The Stalin.

The DVD itself is nice enough, with video quality as good as you could reasonably expect from a 1982 punk film. The extras have a good bit of written history on the film and its roots, and a decent photo gallery. Also included is a handful of theatrical trailers, including one for Burst City itself and another for Shogo Ishii's also-excellent Electric Dragon 80000V. There's a little leaflet insert with an interesting extended blurb about Ishii and Burst City, too.

I had to take off a star because, curiously, not all of the dialogue and lyrics are subtitled. There's no real loss to the story or the experience, but it's noticeable; an unfortunate drawback, but it's nice to see this film released stateside at all.

4.0 out of 5 stars the purest punk film ever, March 8, 2009

By	happycustomers "happycustomers" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

I can't believe I'm just now seeing this film. It's pure punk anarchy. Chaos reigns throughout the film. The plot barely holds the thing together; the movie is mostly a post-apocalyptic (sorta) excuse for punk bands to fight against each other and against the cops, and for random work gangs to fight against some sort of yakuza gang. Watching this film is like listening to noise industrial music with segments of punk rawk. It's an assault on the senses, and a beautiful statement of mindless anarchy.

0 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars "Look we're punk rock!!!" OH LA LA!, October 13, 2007

By	D. Brown (Oakland, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've read about this film in Jack Hunter's "Eros in Hell" a book about the crazy films of Japan. Of course, it peaked my curiosity and led to my eventual purchase. What a mistake. I've tried to watch this film three times and fell asleep each time. It begins with as an interesting punk musical of sorts and morphs into a third rate Mad Max. If you are familiar with the Italian knock offs of Mad Max of the 1980s and think you can handle this film, think again. The only redeeming factor of this film is that it chronicles the early punk scene of Japan and that's it. If only I could finish it.