Shogun Assassin (1980)

 

The tale of Ogami Itto and his son (the Lone Wolf and Cub) begins here in this movie.  Itto is the Shogun’s executioner and with that position holds much power.  Because of the power and respect Itto holds the Shogun decides to send his ninjas to kill him.  But the ninjas fail and only kill Itto’s wife.  This sets him onto the path of vengeance as both he and his son start walking the road to hell.  The Shogun sends his best ninjas after them, but they all fall beneath Itto’s superior sword technique.  Even the Shogun’s own son falls victim to his blades.  But when Itto accepts a job to kill an important official he runs up against the Brotherhood of Death.  These three brothers have slaughtered all that have opposed them.  Can Itto best them and fulfill his contract?  You will have to watch to find out.

 

In the interest of full disclosure I must admit that I love these Shogun Assassin movies.  Now if you are going into these movies expecting a sophisticated plot with deep characters then you might be disappointed.  These movies are ninety or so minutes of swordplay tied together with a simple plot about revenge.  There is some development of Ogami Itto and his young son, but none of the villains or other characters are given much more screen time that it takes to get killed off.  But in no way is this a detriment to the movie, which is paced incredibly well and is never boring.   There are a couple of times where you will get a breather from the fight sequences, but then the movie jumps right back to the mayhem.  This makes for a really fun movie filled with all the action anyone could possibly ask for.  I also wanted to mention the villains of Shogun Assassin.  The Shogun and his son aren’t all that interesting, but the second half of the movie features the Supreme Ninja and her female ninja army, which is very cool.  And if that weren’t enough I thought the three brothers of the Brotherhood of Death who all fight with different types of weapons and styles.    

 

Ironically for me the best actor in the movie is the child who plays Itto’s son.  There is a voice over, but I don’t think the child actually speaks more than a word or two.  But there is a scene where he is trying to get water for his father, who has been hurt, that is amazing and fascinating to watch.  Tomisaburo Wakayama, who plays Itto, does a fine job in the role.  But honestly the role doesn’t require much acting.  Though he is really good with the physically challenging action sequences.  

 

The special effects in Shogun Assassin are a blast and fun to watch.  The arms and legs come off quite a bit followed by showers of blood.  There are also a couple of swords thru the necks, a neat split head, and one unfortunate samurai that tests out the power of the female ninjas who literally take him apart.  These effects aren’t terribly realistic, but are just the sort of stylized take on bloodshed that I expect and look forward to from a samurai movie.  The dubbing is pretty decent and with the music/sound effects give just the right feel to the movie.  

 

 

3 ½ out of 4

 

reviewed by John Shatzer

 

© Copyright 2008 John Shatzer