Review of Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance (1972) by Edgar C — 31 Dec 2012

Part 1 of the Lone Wolf and Cub series, known as "Sword of Vengeance", which literal translation reads: "Child and Expertise for Rent".

A sublime masterpiece! Yojimbo (1961) left a tremendous legacy behind and it was precisely in the brutal 70s where exploitation grindhouse flicks were at their peak, slicing every human being in feudal Japan. Grabbing influence from Sword of Doom (1966) and completely forgotten action-oriented samurai movies like Tokuzô Tanaka's The Betrayal (1966), the first entry into a prolific and long-running samurai saga is a bold feast to watch, with western elements, gorgeous shots and Wakayama as a tremendous future star whose looks are definitely not what they seem. Amazing storytelling.

98/100.