The Boxer (Limited Edition) [Blu-ray]

The Boxer Blu-ray delivers a striking and unconventional take on the sports drama, where redemption is forged not just in the ring, but through the fractured lives of those chasing it. A former champion on the decline (Bunta Sugawara) finds renewed purpose training a troubled young fighter (Kentaro Shimizu) dismissed by everyone around him, setting the stage for a story that blends grit with something far more surreal.

The Boxer Blu-ray stands apart from traditional boxing films through the singular vision of Shuji Terayama, who transforms a familiar underdog narrative into something dreamlike and unpredictable. Set against the raw backdrop of 1970s Japan, the film fuses Toei’s grounded realism with Terayama’s carnivalesque sensibilities, creating a hypnotic atmosphere where sport, identity and transformation collide. The result is a deeply personal and visually distinct entry in both the boxing genre and Terayama’s filmography.

Presented here for the first time on Blu-ray, this limited edition release offers a new high-definition transfer alongside a curated selection of newly produced extras that explore the film’s context, themes and legacy.

directed by: Shuji Terayama
starring: Bunta Sugawara, Kentaro Shimizu, Masumi Harukawa
1977 / 94 min / Japanese