| SWORD OF VENGEANCE (1972) |
| DIRECTED BY KENJI MISUMI. STARRING TOMISA BURO, AKAHIRO TOMIKAWA, and TOMOKO MAYAMA. |
| As an impressionable kid growing up in the eighties, Shogun Assassin was a pretty frequent rental for me. It was an adrenaline pumping samurai flick that was much more intelligent, stylish, and bloodsoaked than most martial arts movies of the day. I found out years later that Shogun Assassin was a cut of two Japanese samurai movies made by the legendary Toho studios. American cult film icon Roger Corman blended Sword of Vengeance and Babycart at the River Styx together, added new dialogue, and no-one was any the wiser. I waited years to see the movies that formed the basis of Shogun Assassin , until SBS screened Sword of Vengeance here recently. |
| The story begins by introducing us to the films anti-hero, Ogami Itto (better known as Lone Wolf). Itto is the Shoguns head executioner... he not only executes enemies of the Shogun , but destroys their bloodline by beheading their children as well. Lone Wolf's position is envied by many, and he is framed by the evil Yagyu clan who want the position of head executioner for a clanmember. They plant evidence of disloyalty on Itto's property, and kill his wife (at least they didn't go for the old 'You killed my brother!' cliche). |
| The Yagyu controlled police arrive and find the evidence. Instead of going down to the station quietly, Ogami Itto promptly slashes the swordsmen to pieces. As a reprisal, the Shogun demands that he commit harikiri with his infant son Daigoro (also known as cub). Lone Wolf similarly ignores this order, slashing his way out of his compound and hitting the road with his son in tow. He roams Japan as a mercenary for hire, pushing his son in a wooden cart. |
| The rest of the movie is mainly concerned with a job that Itto is hired to do. He tracks a group of evil mercenaries to a bathhouse, and the movie builds to a classic western style climax as he clashes with the mercenary swordsmen and gunmen. The whole movie was satisfyingly bloodsoaked, with countless amputations, disembowellings, and headslashings. If you're used to the frenetic pace of Shogun Assassin, you may find that this drags in places , but being the first movie in a projected series it really does require a good deal of characterisation. |
| Even if you're not a huge fan of samurai or martial arts films , but like plenty of action and grue in your movies, this is definitely one to track down. It's way ahead of its time, and like Jos'e Mojica Marins' films, possibly shocked and revolted the average cinemagoer. The Lone Wolf and Cub series (whether in their original state, or as Shogun Assassin ) have probably turned more people onto the samurai genre than Akira Kurosawa's films have. Hard to get, but a must see ! |
| Entertainment : 3.5 out of 4 |
| Watchability : 3 out of 4 |
| Overall : 3.25 out of 4 |
| Reviewed by Blake |