I saw this for the first time recently.

I thot only Bollywood movies has heroes who jumps from huge heights n land on the concrete road without breaking the shin bones.

Meet Doberman Cop (Sonny Chibba) who not only jumps from heights but is able to stop a moving car by precisely shooting the tire via a pistol.

Our Doberman Cop shoots three fellas via one bullet.

Our Doberman Cop ties a bullet around his neck like an amulet that is supposed to protect his life and guess what, he uses that bullet when his pistol is empty during a gunfight.

Chuck that aside. He shoots that final/only bullet through a door without confirming the target's position.

Sonny Chiba is back in action and this time he has brought along his pet pig! I kid you not, Okinawa country-cop Chiba arrives in Tokyo looking to rescue an attractive island girl gone wild in the big bad city, carrying with him an adolescent pig in a duffle bag (to be eaten or released in order to create confusion as required). He also gets to wield the mighty S&W Mangum .44 and deliver the line "It's a .44 Magnum, the biggest handgun in the world" which he later puts to good use, wasting numerous bad guys along the way. Some people criticize the camera work in this one (and in Japanese action movies in general); however, apart from some dodgy hand held camera work from the back of a motorcycle at one point, I found it to be fine. In fact, I disagree with those who praise Hong Kong movies over these, as I think the techniques used here are much closer how modern movies film action than the more "TV style" efforts of Hong Kong. The Japanese are trying to create impactful cinematic experience for the audience, not a documentary of martial artists showing off their technical prowess. Some suggest there is not enough action, but again this is a "police procedural" not a pure "kung-fu" film, and there is as much action in this as in any Clint Eastwood or Charles Bronson movie from the same time-period. This one has a more complex emotional story than some Chiba vehicles, but the action, a mix of fights and shoot 'em ups, is plentiful and well filmed in my opinion. If you love Chiba you'll like "Doberman Cop".

A tough-as-nails cop from Okinawa investigates a savage murder in Tokyo's nightlife district. Originally dismissed as a bumpkin, he soon proves more savvy than the local police.

As with many Japanese films, this one began its life as a manga series. By 1977, the mass-production of original movies slowed down in Japan, and the trend switched to converting manga to film. Because film audiences were decreasing, the industry thought it could boost attendance by converting already popular properties. This had proved popular with both "Lady Snowblood" (1973) and "Karate Bear Fighter" (1977) among others.

Some will argue that "manga" is not strictly accurate and the original source was "gekiga", a more serious, dramatic form of manga. For western audiences not well-versed in Japanese comic art, the difference is somewhat analogous to the American distinction between "comic books" and "graphic novels". While the latter are still comics, they tend to be aimed at more mature audiences and have more serious, literary themes. Yoshiyuki Okamura, the writer of the "Doberman Cop" books, is probably best known today for the series "Fist of the North Star" (1983-1988).

Kōji Takada ("The Street Fighter") then wrote a script, and the wildly popular director Kinji Fukasaku ("Battle Royale") took it from there. Fukasaku took the source material and adapted it "broadly". According to Takada, in those days writers were happy to be adapted because it would cause book sales to soar. Today such loose interpretations are harder to do because the writers want more control of their material. Takada does concede that beyond the title, the film kept very little from the comic. (Examples of changes: Fukasaku moved the character's origin to Okinawa and changed the officer's dog into a pig because it was funnier to him, even though that sort of defeats the purpose of the title.)

Cast in the title role was none other than international star Sonny Chiba. While the 1970s may have been Chiba's decade, it is interesting to note his long history with the director -- both Chiba and Fukasaku had taken part in each other's first four films, including the little-seen "Man with the Funky Hat" (1961). According to Chiba, the two interacted more as friends than as a director and actor. And when Chiba made his directorial debut with "Yellow Fangs" (1990), he essentially borrowed the rhythm of his mentor. (Chiba also believes Quentin Tarantino borrowed Fukasaku's rhythm, which is probably correct.)

Again, Chiba was at his peak in the 1970s, and this is no exception. While he has been referred to as a martial artist, that may be a stretch. He is not graceful like Bruce Lee or other martial artists. He really acts more like a bar brawler, which makes perfect sense for a cop in the big city. Maybe Japan is different than the United States, but one doubts that most police there are black belts in anything.

Despite being based on a popular story and starring a popular actor, the box office performance was underwhelming and what should have been a series of films never happened. Years later, following this film were both a second film and a short-lived television series, though neither had Chiba and from what can be determined, had relatively little to do with the manga, or the earlier film either. Japanese media... such a strange thing.

Never before released on video outside of Japan, Arrow Video brings us the Blu-ray we never knew we wanted (but we do). And while not as packed full as some releases, it still has some great extras. There is a new video appreciation by Fukasaku biographer Sadao Yamane. A new video interview with actor Shinichi "Sonny" Chiba (the second in an ongoing series from Arrow). And a new video interview with screenwriter Koji Takada. It is beyond time that these films and their creators are getting their due in the west.