Goyôkiba (1972)

Hanzo is an incorruptible and unorthodox officer in Edo, as famous for his self-discipline and his love shaft as his sword. Against the backdrop of his magistrate's occasional rounding up ... See full summary »

Director:

Kenji Misumi

Writers:

Kazuo Koike (story), Takeshi Kanda (story),

Stars:

Shintarô Katsu, Yukiji Asaoka, Mari Atsumi

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Shintarô Katsu	...	Hanzo 'The Razor' Itami
Yukiji Asaoka
Mari Atsumi
Kô Nishimura	...	Magobei 'Snake' Onishi
Kamatari Fujiwara
Akira Yamauchi
Kôji Kobayashi
Zenpei Saga
Daigo Kusano
Keizô Kani'e
Yuuji Hamada
Renji Ishibashi
Teruo Matsuyama
Jûkei Fujioka
Jun Katsumura

Storyline

Hanzo is an incorruptible and unorthodox officer in Edo, as famous for his self-discipline and his love shaft as his sword. Against the backdrop of his magistrate's occasional rounding up of vagrants, Hanzo learns that an infamous killer is no longer on his island prison: did he escape or was he never there? Hanzo's investigation leads him to the magistrate's mistress, the killer's former lover. Hanzo pursues political questions that suggest complicity at the highest levels. Using sexual assault, he interrogates the mistress and later the favorite of Edo's most powerful woman. Can he get to the bottom of what's going on before powerful forces get him fired or killed?

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Plot Keywords:

investigation | sword | first of series | large penis | torture | 

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Genres:

Action

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Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

22 July 2006 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Hanzo the Razor: Sword of Justice

Company Credits

Production Co:

Katsu Production Co. Ltd., Toho Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Followed by Razor 2: The Snare (1973)

User Reviews

The trilogy summed up.

Dirtier than Harry, shaftier than Shaft, at least that's what the box claims. Hanzo (the great Shintarô Katsu) is a renegade samurai officer (from hell!) in feudal Japan, dealing with crimes in his own unique way. Not only does he use a variety of bladed weapons with razor skill, he has a mammoth dork; the long arm of the law, if you get what I'm saying. For example, he forces himself on any woman that may have information until they beg him not to stop, willingly spilling all their secrets in the process. One woman (actually, he uses this technique in all three movies) he puts in a net on a pulley and his men raise and lower it onto him…then Hanzo spins it to the left and right! Anyway, I think you get the idea! The combat is bloody but only average in quality when compared to the Zatoichi or Lone Wolf series. The plots are pretty much what you'd expect; corrupt officers, officials, and thieves all commit interweaving crimes that Hanzo refuses to turn his back to. All three have some parts that drag but with the un-PC humor, gory violence, funky 70's style and music, and jaw-dropping content, Hanzo the Razor is quite a curious and amusing trilogy. I believe The Snare was my favorite, closely followed by Sword of Justice.