Death row convicts Kawanishi and Sabu escape from prison and kidnap the grandson of cancer authority Dr. Sakata.

They break into the house of Mr. Misawa and take his family hostage, forcing him to be their go-between to collect the ransom.

[3] Sarah Morgan of On: Yorkshire Magazine called The Threat a gripping crime thriller "that immediately grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go until the closing credits have rolled" and gave it a 7.8 out of 10 rating.

Despite writing that the plot develops as one would expect, she found the film to have plenty of unforeseen twists and turns and said Fukasaku directs with such skill that viewers will be on the edge of their seats throughout.

[4] In a four out of five star review for Slant Magazine, Derek Smith wrote that Fukasaku's The Threat provides "an essential glimpse into the early work of a genre master already fully in control of his craft.