Matsuda Yusaku 20th Memorial Blu-ray Box (Blu-ray) (Japan Version) Blu-ray Region A

The Resurrection of the Golden Wolf (1979 / 131 min)
Directed by Murakawa Toru, this quintessential 70s action noir has all the hardboiled chemistry, romanticized exploitation, flamboyant wardrobe, and campy background music one could possibly ask from the genre. Matsuda Yusaku plays a ruthless Afro-sporting salaryman-cum-criminal who is more than willing to lie, cheat, and kill to get his fortune. Based on an Oyabu Haruhiko novel, The Resurrection of the Golden Wolf provides a free-wheeling ride with more than enough criminally cool action and intense energy to entertain the whole way through.

The Beast To Die (1980 / 118 min)
After a police officer gets killed in a back alley, his gun is used in a series of armed robberies. With bodies piling and a large amount of money missing, the police are at a lost to find the culprit. Based on a strange lead, detective Kashiwagi (Murota Hideo) closes in on former war reporter Date (Matsuda Yusaku), a reclusive who rarely leaves his home and often listens to classical music. In his demeanor and presence, Kashiwagi finds an inexplicable feeling of coldness, like that of a dead man. Departing from his slick action personae, Matsuda went to great lengths to prepare himself for the dark and complex role in A Beast to Die, his final collaboration with director Murakawa Toru.

Proof of the Man (1977 / 132 min)
Based on the best-selling Morimura Seiichi novel, this classic murder mystery directed by Sato Junya (Yamato) chronicles the investigation into the dead body of a young African-American man (Yamanaka Joe) discovered in a Japanese hotel. Matsuda Yusaku stars as the detective whose investigation leads him to New York City. There he teams up with an American detective (Broderick Crawford) to uncover the dead youth's tragic past.

Story of the Detective (1983 / 111 min)
Naomi (top 80s actress Yakushimaru Hiroko) is a college student set to leave for the States in a week, and Shuichi (Matsuda Yusaku) is a private detective hired to be her bodyguard. When the two accidentally get pulled into a murder case involving a gang leader's son, they work together to investigate the mystery. But this unlikely duo seems to have gotten way in over their heads. Based on an Akagawa Jiro novel, director Negishi Kichitaro's Story of the Detective was a huge blockbuster during its release, winning audiences over with its charming mix of youth tropes and detective drama.