Shogun Assassin

Shogun Assassin (1980)

Runtime: 85 minutes

Directed by: Kenji Misumi... and Robert Houston

Starring: Tomisaburo Wakayama, Kayo Matsuo, Akiji Kobayashi, Minoru Oki, Shin Kishida

From: Toho... and Baby Cart and Katsu Productions

It took longer than expected, but I finally rewatched this film; I talk all about it below:

This is another case where I am watching something I have seen before, but the last viewing was my pre-Letterboxd days (i.e. early 2013). If I wanted to be a smartass I'd repost much of my Lone Wolf & Cart: Baby Cart at the River Styx review and a little bit of Lone Wolf & Cub: Sword of Vengeance, as this film has 12 minutes of the latter and the rest is the former. I say River Styx is great and this is only very good, but that's no shame as the dubbing acts some camp value and the synth-heavy score was of course something that I would dig.

Actually, I will be a smartass and include part of my review for River Styx:

“ The plot is simple enough: ronin Ogami Itto still is carrying around his toddler son (w/ unfortunate haircut) in a wooden baby cart (or baby buggy if you're reading this in some parts of Europe), and he still has various people after him. This time he has to deal with female assassins-who early on show they are a worthy challenge to Itto-while trying to complete a job where he has to kill a turncoat who will sell the critical secret of a clan that makes indigo dye. The villains don't just use swords but also have some over the to weaponry.

Those that know the cult classic Shogun Assassin, much of the movie is taken from this film; thus, you should know how awesome it is. Plenty of claret is spilled as often you see blood spraying out of just-deceased bodies. There are plenty of action scenes where Itto mows down people and it's all a gas seeing that graphic violence and a bucketful of badass moments.

There is a moment about 2/3 in where it turns into Hanzo the Razor for a few minutes, as Itto forces himself on a woman and it's entirely uncomfortable; what the scene is all about is not what you'd expect, although it still may make some want to hit the button to speed up the movie past that moment, and I wouldn't fault anyone for doing so.”

The little bit of Sword of Vengeance adds a backstory so the audience has an explanation of who Itto is and why he is roamin' the countryside as a ronin with his son in a wooden baby cart. There is goofy narration from what is supposed to be from the toddler son-Daigoro-and that adds more camp value. Still, even though this is an edited version of River Styx, all that ultraviolence and badass moments are left in so you get to see gallons of blood spraying out and each over the top brutal moment. Not a shock that it's been a cult favorite since 1980. Both this and River Styx should be seen.


I'll always be amused that the guy who brought us Shogun Assassin was Robert Houston, who is best known for his wacky as hell performance as the brother Bobby in the original The Hills Have Eyes.