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Rating: 
Summary: Viva Chiba!
Review: Sonny Chiba, who became a major kung-fu star shortly after Bruce Lee's death, is one of the few martial artists to show the gritty aftermath of a kung-fu battle. In his most famous movie, "The Street Fighter," he ripped out a man's throat and another man's testicles on screen, earning it the first (now defunct) "X" rating for violence. In this collection, we have three films from the hight of his popularity in the 1970s -"Golgo 13," "The Bullet Train," and "The Executioner.""Golgo 13" is perhaps the weakest of the three films, although Chiba, playing the title assassin, is in fine form. The plot never makes much sense, but at least there are some good action scenes.
"The Bullet Train" (later remade as "Speed"!) is perhaps the best of the three movies, although Chiba is limited to the role of the train conductor and his screentime is limited. Still, there are some genuinely suspensful moments.
"The Executioner" is the one that is most likely to please Sonny Chiba fans. It's a wacky and ridiculous movie, with some very graphic violence (a man's eye pops out early on), an insane plot, and some incredibly butt-ugly nudity. It's fun, fun, fun.
This set, titled "Kill Chiba" to capitalise on Chiba's role in "Kill Bill," has the three films presented in 2.35:1 widescreen. The colours are washed out and the picture is extremely scratchy, but at least they're widescreen. The sound is strictly English dubbed, but that hardly matters. The biggest disappointment, though, is the lack of any extra features whatsoever. Could a poster gallery, a trailer, or even a biography and production notes been too much to ask for?
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