In a significant development for fans of classic samurai cinema, Radiance Films has announced the upcoming Blu-ray release of The Betrayal (Daisatsujin Orochi), scheduled for September 15, 2025. This marks the first time the film will be available in high-definition, offering audiences a pristine viewing experience of Tokuzō Tanaka’s 1966 masterpiece. Known for its stark portrayal of honor and vengeance, the film stars Raizō Ichikawa in one of his most intense performances.

The Blu-ray edition promises a wealth of special features, including a high-definition digital transfer, uncompressed mono PCM audio, and insightful commentary by Japanese film historian Tom Mes. Additionally, a visual essay by film critic Philip Kemp will delve into the film’s connection with Daisuke Itō’s 1925 silent classic Orochi, providing a comprehensive look at its place within the samurai genre.

This release is a timely opportunity for cinephiles to experience The Betrayal in its most definitive form, shedding light on its enduring legacy in samurai cinema.

What is The Betrayal About?

Originally released in 1966 under the title Daisatsujin Orochi (大殺陣 雄呂血), Tokuzō Tanaka’s The Betrayal is a searing exploration of misplaced loyalty and moral collapse within the rigid world of samurai duty. Raizō Ichikawa stars as a principled swordsman who takes the blame for a murder committed by a fellow clansman in order to protect his lord’s honour. He is promised safe return after a year of exile, but that vow is broken — and instead, he finds himself marked for death by those he served. Betrayed and pursued by his own clan, the once-loyal samurai becomes a fugitive, gradually shedding his belief in the bushidō code. Produced and released by Daiei Studio, the film is beautifully shot in black-and-white ‘scope and culminates in a breathtaking, blood-soaked finale. The Betrayal is a masterclass in samurai storytelling — austere, haunting, and emotionally charged.

A Cruel Jidaigeki in the Chanbara Tradition

While rooted in the sword-fighting thrills of classic chanbara cinema, The Betrayal stands out for its bleak psychological tone and emotional restraint. Part of a wave of so-called “cruel jidaigeki” that emerged in the 1960s, the film moves away from romanticized heroism and toward a more fatalistic vision of the samurai world — one where betrayal, corruption, and moral ambiguity reign. Unlike the straightforward tales of honor and duty that defined earlier genre entries, this film belongs to the same lineage as Harakiri and Samurai Rebellion, where the samurai code is not glorified but interrogated. The violence is sudden and shocking, but never gratuitous; instead, it underscores the emotional toll of loyalty pushed to its breaking point. Tanaka crafts a stark, slow-burning tragedy that weaponizes silence, stillness, and repression just as effectively as it does swords.

What Audiences Are Saying About The Betrayal (Daisatsujin Orochi)

The Betrayal enjoys a respected status among chanbara aficionados, holding a solid 7.3/10 on IMDb and praised for its unflinching portrayal of conflicted samurai duty. On Letterboxd and blog reviews, viewers celebrate the film’s climactic battle as “one of the best in the genre,” citing its “detailed, well-planned and well-executed” choreography and visceral emotional impact. One review notes how Raizō Ichikawa’s exhaustion—his hair in disarray and hands trembling during the fight—lends the scene a haunting realism. Reddit threads glorify it as a “masterpiece,” lamenting its relative obscurity even as users hail its intense atmosphere. Criticker users also rate it highly, highlighting its raw depiction of a samurai crushed by betrayal rather than glorified in heroic lore. Meanwhile, cinephile blogs like “Make Mine Criterion!” commend it as “the high-water mark of Tokuzō Tanaka’s career” and a standout example of the “cruel jidai-geki” subgenre. Overall, audiences appreciate its emotional depth, stark visual style, and brutal reflection on bushidō—even if a few note the pacing may lag slightly before the explosive finale.

A Remake of a Silent Classic: Daisuke Itō’s Orochi

The Betrayal is not just a standalone samurai drama — it also functions as a modern reinterpretation of Orochi (1925), the legendary silent film by Daisuke Itō. That earlier film starred Tsumasaburō Bandō and broke new ground with its kinetic camerawork and sympathetic portrayal of a ronin crushed by social injustice. Tokuzō Tanaka’s 1966 version retains the basic premise — a loyal swordsman driven to the edge by betrayal and hypocrisy — but reworks it through the more violent, disillusioned lens of postwar jidaigeki. The title “Orochi” (meaning “serpent”) is preserved as a nod to its spiritual predecessor, though Tanaka’s adaptation trades the silent film’s stylized pathos for a bleaker, bloodier vision. In many ways, The Betrayal reflects how the genre evolved: from the expressive melodrama of the 1920s to the moral nihilism of the 1960s.

If you liked those films, you should watch The Betrayal:

• (1962) Harakiri – Masaki Kobayashi
• (1967) Samurai Rebellion – Masaki Kobayashi
• (1960) Sword of Doom – Kihachi Okamoto
• (1961) The Sword – Kenji Misumi
• (1964) Ghost Story of Yotsuya – Nobuo Nakagawa