Shogun Assassin

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Kill Bill thriller, 2008-12-09
This was a gift for my brother because he heard the title on Kill Bill 2. He made everyone watch it. He is a martial arts movie fan and this is now one of his favorites.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

Non stop action and loads of gore!, 2008-06-21
Shogun Assassin is a visual treat of stylish battles and mass killings. The over the top action does an excellent job of covering the simple story and plot. I only wish there was a bit more depth to the characters. br / br /A samurai warrior named Lone Wolf angers a shogun. Together with his very young son, he evades the shoguns deadly forces. The action scenes are the bread and butter. They consist of lots of sword play. The gore is highly exaggerated with spraying streams of blood. The battles are fierce but not overly long. The soundtrack definitly had its moments. br / br /Fans of action and gore are mostly going to appreciate this the most. The transfer is very good. The picture and sound are on point. Pick this up if you're feeling blood thirsty.

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Very stylish, surrealistic shogun, samurai mythical tale, 2008-02-10
Shogun Assassin (1980) is a remarkable movie that hasn't aged a br /single day, since its release, amazingly. Starring ( the late) br /Tomisaburo Wakayama, playing a samurai with the intriguing actress br /Kayo Matsuo, the action unfolds in a paradoxical mix of tranquility / br /love with brutality / horror. br / br /First, Ogami the samurai begins a long trek with his 5 year old son br /in a baby carriage, across rivers, forests, crop fields, and deserts br /to an unknown destination, showing extraordinary endurance and br /determination all that time. br / br /Next, over the course of many miles, Ogami "Lone Wolf" has to defend br /himself against wicked platoons sent to finish him off, fighting off br /as well, Ninjas, on a mission to kill for which failing is not an br /option, under the penalty of Hara Kiri. br / br /The film is very stylish, the music professional, perhaps slightly br /overdoing it with the synth numbers reminiscent of "Safety Dance" br /from Men Without Hats, back in 1982, apparently using the same brand br /music instrument. The presentation is a great wide-screen. br / br /The surrealism of this picture, in some ways in the tradition of br /Salvador Dali, is the case, and somewhat reminsicent of "The Passion br /of Darkly Noon"- another work that contains frequent, intense horror. br /The only difference are the lethal scenes with blood packs going off br /as a result of samurai hand to hand combats. br / br /The benefit of a DVD release, is that the viewers won't have to hear br /gasps, screams, shock, yelling that otherwise would apply in a public br /theatre, such is the graphic nature of the special effects and the br /overall "Mad Max" feel to it. br / br /The action is apparently set circa 1300 to 1500, when gun powder br /still wasn't widely used, perhaps set even earlier than that, due to br /the lack of crossbows and arrows. br / br /The actors chosen are intentionally ethnic Japanese in order to br /better represent accurately the microcosm of this story to the br /viewers. br / br /The overall impact of this movie, is that it does constitute a dream br /of sorts, a superb surrealism taking spectators in another space and br /time, with a crystal clear film to DVD transfer. The downside is that br /more than 1 viewer may ahbor the graphic combat scenes. The sets are br /very credible, admirably chosen from a stylish, appealing aspect. br / br /It should be noted that the work has 3 sequels to it.

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

I think Monty Python stole the Black Knight scene from this movie!, 2008-01-27
I actually saw this in a theater when it was originally released to the US. It is apparently a kid show from Japan. It is amazingly bloody and violent! But heck, It is hilarious. The guy and his kid in the cart kill people so good they can't even fall down without a shove. Plus, the woman ninjas proving their abilities cuts up a warrior like a vege-matic. This movie is an honest to gosh classic. I am ordering a DVD immediately! Watch it and tell me Monty Python didn't steal (in a nice way)the Black Knight scene in Holy Grail from this movie.

3 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

What a travesty , 2008-01-18
I must blame myself for not noticing the disk details indicated the only language listed was English, and no sub-titles. If you truly love Japanese cinema you probably watch it with the english sub-titles on and listening to the original Japanese dialog. It's a simple matter of wanting to hear the sound track the original director created, the actors voices, and all the sounds he put there. br /This starts out with a American child's voice doing a voice-over that attempts to bridge the massive cuts this American release inflicted on the story. br /To painful to watch I stopped it after the first 15 minutes. Now to decide, to chuck it, or donate to the thrift store?