Review of Shogun Assassin (1980) by Raji K — 21 Oct 2016

Tomisaburo Wakayama stars as the Lone Wolf in Shogun Assassin. The Lone Wolf is a lone samurai who travels the countryside with his son killing everyone who tries to get in the way of him or son. The Lone Wolf started off as Shogun decapitator. When his wife is killed in an attempt to kill him, he decides to go on a rampage killing everyone to get his revenge. He is tremendously skilled and demonstrates this time and time again. The son narrates the film and speaks of his father's multiple victories, which total over 300. The son is less than 5 years old, so he has no ability to defend himself.

As the Lone Wolf reputation goes, he is considered to be a demon by many. Samurai, a band of ninja women and several others do not even come close to slaying him. The only that seem to have a chance are three brothers known as the masters of death. Each one of them fights with a different ability, and the showdown between them and the Lone Wolf seems inevitable. The Lone Wolf is so accepting of his fate, that he does not even let the threating of his son's life sway him. The fights between the Lone Wolf and his victims are all short and to the point, and are hardly drawn out to any degree. Although this highly demonstrates the Lone Wolf's skills, a few of the fights could have used a bit more of a dramatic effect, particularly with the final showdown.

Shogun Assassin is not a great movie, but it is a cult classic. The Lone Wolf's dark and faceless demeanor throughout the film was fun to watch. The violence is over the top as blood is sprayed everywhere upon his cuts with the sword. The film really does not stray far from him simply killing people that attack him as he travels across the country. One of the best scenes is when he spares the supreme ninja's (Kayo Matsuo) life and the 3 huddle together naked to stay warm. This demonstrates that he is not a ruthless savage, but merely trying to survive his circumstances. The film influenced Tarantino to make the movies Kill Bill 1 and 2. The fact the film was narrated by the son, was quite unique, and really keep the film going. The music of the film is quite stylish and ahead of its time. The movie is certainly for samurai film enthusiasts and nobody else.

- 10.23.2016.