Spliced together from a couple of early '70s movies in the manga-inspired LONE WOLF & CUB series, SHOGUN ASSASSIN enjoys a bit of a cult reputation in the UK after it made its way onto the banned list when it first came out. It's a reputation that precedes it, with tales of spraying arterial blood and gore all over the place, and despite the hype the movie does live up to expectations. Despite the dodgy idea of editing movies together, it actually works in this instance, thanks to the simple narrative which essentially sees a lone samurai warrior pushing his kid along in a cart and tackling a series of assassins and ninjas along the way. It's as easy as that.
The film has a very distinctive feel to it and anyone who's at all familiar with early '70s Japanese cinema will recognise the kind of cinematography and acting you see. It's all very cold, with minimal dialogue and stern expressions, and there are some quite beautiful moments in places thanks to the camera-work. The idea of having the boy narrate the tale is a clever one and the father-son relationship makes things more than watchable. Of course, we're all here for the action, and it doesn't disappoint as there are tons of inventive battles and skirmishes, each different from the last. Our hero, Lone Wolf, must battle all kinds of people, from gangs of ninjas to female assassins, lords and heroes and finally a trio of masters with some truly nasty weaponry in store.
It's pretty sadistic, and expect severed limbs and plenty of blood geysers all over the place. Tarantino sure as heck got a lot of inspiration from this film when he went on to make his KILL BILL flicks. I really enjoyed SHOGUN ASSASSIN, which didn't flag for a moment; it's sometimes weird, sometimes different, always watchable, with an unconventional pair of heroes, humour in places, and a ton of well-staged action to recommend it. It's certainly left me with a longing to watch the original six-film series and see the full story...
The film has a very distinctive feel to it and anyone who's at all familiar with early '70s Japanese cinema will recognise the kind of cinematography and acting you see. It's all very cold, with minimal dialogue and stern expressions, and there are some quite beautiful moments in places thanks to the camera-work. The idea of having the boy narrate the tale is a clever one and the father-son relationship makes things more than watchable. Of course, we're all here for the action, and it doesn't disappoint as there are tons of inventive battles and skirmishes, each different from the last. Our hero, Lone Wolf, must battle all kinds of people, from gangs of ninjas to female assassins, lords and heroes and finally a trio of masters with some truly nasty weaponry in store.
It's pretty sadistic, and expect severed limbs and plenty of blood geysers all over the place. Tarantino sure as heck got a lot of inspiration from this film when he went on to make his KILL BILL flicks. I really enjoyed SHOGUN ASSASSIN, which didn't flag for a moment; it's sometimes weird, sometimes different, always watchable, with an unconventional pair of heroes, humour in places, and a ton of well-staged action to recommend it. It's certainly left me with a longing to watch the original six-film series and see the full story...