New on Blu-ray: G.I. SAMURAI / SENGOKU JIEITAI (1979) Starring Sonny Chiba

Product Description: G.I. Samurai sees action superstar Sonny Chiba (The Street Fighter) heading the cast in a rip-roaring time-slip action blockbuster in which guns, tanks and helicopters come up against katana-wielding warriors on horseback!

During a routine military exercise, modern-day soldiers led by Second Lieutenant Iba (Chiba) find themselves transported back in time four hundred years to war-torn feudal Japan. Facing attack by samurai warriors from rival clans, frictions rapidly emerge among these modern-day soldiers, whisked from a time of peace, freed from the strictures of a higher authority and stranded in one of the bloodiest and most decisive periods in Japan's history.

Based on a novel by Ryo Hanmura and directed by Kosei Saito (Ninja Wars), G.I. Samurai's epic battle scenes wowed Japanese audiences upon release in 1979 and are now more awe-inspiring than ever in a new 4K restoration by Kadokawa Pictures.

Find out more about this DVD/Blu-ray release after the jump.

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Movie Details

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Video

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Special Features & Extras

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MOVIE DETAILS

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Director: Kôsei Saitô

Starring: Shin'ichi Chiba, Jun Etô, Moeko Ezawa, Hitoshi Ômae, Noriko Honma, Shin Kishida

Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Runtime: 85 min

Rating: Not Rated

Language: Japanese

Studio: Arrow

Home Video Release Date: May 5, 2026

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Blu-ray - Amazon

VIDEO

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Blu-ray

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Resolution: 1080p
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Region: Region A/1

AUDIO

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Dubbed:

Blu-ray: None

Audio Formats:

Blu-ray: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, LPCM Mono

SUBTITLES

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Blu-ray: English

SPECIAL FEATURES & EXTRAS

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High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
Original lossless Japanese mono and 4.0 stereo surround audio, and remixed 5.1 surround audio
Optional newly translated English subtitles
Two optional viewing modes via seamless branching: the original Japanese version or the uncut English-language version titled Time Slip, with lossless English mono audio
Brand new audio commentary by Samm Deighan and Tom Mes
The Good Fight, an introduction by Japanese film specialist Mark Schilling
Acting in Self Defence, an appreciation by Matt Alt, author of Pure Invention: How Japan’s Pop Culture Conquered the World
Back in Time, a discussion of the film by authors and film critics Masaaki Nomura and Tatsuya Masuto
Cast and crew interviews from 2005 with Sonny Chiba, Isao Natsuyagi, Hiromitsu Suzuki, Kamayatsu Monsieur, Jun Eto and Isao Kuraishi
Original theatrical trailers
Image gallery
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Ilan Sheady
Collectors’ booklet featuring new writing on the film by Josh Slater-Williams