Shogun Assassin

I had heard a lot about this movie for quite some time but was never able to get my hands on it. If you have ever listened to The Gza/Genius album "Liquid Swords", it contains several soundbites from the film including the opening commentary by Daigoro(Cub). SHOGUN ASSASSIN is actually a re-released, dubbed version of the first two "Lone Wolf and Cub" films that came out from Japan in the Seventies. When I finally attained a copy of it and watched it, I was comepletely blown away. This has got to be hands down the best samurai/ninja film ever to grace the United States.

Enter Ogami Itto, aka Lone Wolf, a man who served his shogun well as the royal executioner. Until one day when the Shogun killed his wife and framed him, which sent him on a dark path of vengeance. So begins the story of Lone Wolf and Cub, a father and his little boy who travel from place to place as assassins for hire and are always watching out for the Shogun and his ninja army. Anyone who gets in their way are quickly sliced and diced by Lone Wolf's sword and a wooden baby cart rigged with all sorts of crazy weapons.

The action sequences are breathtaking, much like Kurasawa's but with ten times more blood. Blood that doesn't just pour, but spurts everywhere like a hose. Ultimately I couldn't help being moved by the story: a father and his son and their eternal bond in vengeance. This is just one of those cult films that you pray at night about, hoping that someday they re-release it in theaters or make a new film just like it. There are six films total in the "Lone Wolf and Cub" series that are avaible uncut on VHS and hopefully soon, on DVD.