Shogun Assassin (1980)

Long ago there was a great samurai warrior who served his Shogun honorably. The Shogun however grew paranoid as he became more and more senile. The Shogun sought to destroy all those who ... See full summary »

Director:

Robert Houston

Writers:

Robert Houston, Kazuo Koike (screenplay),

Stars:

Tomisaburô Wakayama, Kayo Matsuo, Minoru Oki

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tomisaburô Wakayama	...	Ogami Itto
Kayo Matsuo	...	Supreme Ninja
Minoru Oki	...	Master of Death (as Minoru Ohki)
Akiji Kobayashi	...	Master of Death (as Shoji Kobayashi)
Shin Kishida	...	Master of Death
Akihiro Tomikawa	...	Daigoro (as Masahiro Tomikawa)
Lamont Johnson	...	Voice (voice)
Marshall Efron	...	Voice (voice)
Sandra Bernhard	...	Voice (voice)
Vic Davis	...	Voice (voice)
Lennie Weinrib	...	Voice (voice)
Lainie Cooke	...	Voice (voice) (as Lainie Cook)
Sam Weisman	...	Voice (voice)
Mark Lindsay	...	Voice (voice)
Robert Houston	...	Voice (voice)

Storyline

Long ago there was a great samurai warrior who served his Shogun honorably. The Shogun however grew paranoid as he became more and more senile. The Shogun sought to destroy all those who might stand to oppose his rule, and so he sent his ninja spies to the samurai's home. The ninjas failed to kill the samurai, but did kill his beloved wife. From then on, the samurai swore on his honor to seek out the Shogun and avenge the death of his love. The samurai roams the countryside with his toddler son taking on mercenary work for money until the final battle with the Shogun's three Masters of Death.

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Plot Keywords:

samurai | lone wolf | ninja | death | honor | 

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Taglines:

The legend of lone wolf and cub continues!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Japan USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 November 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

A sógun orgyilkosa

Company Credits

Production Co:

Baby Cart, Katsu Production Co. Ltd., Toho Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mark Lindsay (former lead singer for Paul Revere and the Raiders) co-wrote the music with W. Michael Lewis. The performing credit is listed as "The Wonderland Philharmonic." "Wonderland" refers to the house that Lindsay lived in at one time. However, music cues from the original "Kozure Ôkami" films are also used.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Voice of Daigoro: I guess I wish it was different. But a wish is only a wish.

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Connections

Referenced in The Spoony Experiment: D.O.A: Dead or Alive (2011)

User Reviews

Surrealistic voyage into bloodletting

This film is not for the faint of heart. It's also not extremely realistic, what with blood spurting in all directions at almost every turn. However, it's not intended to be realistic. It's a fantasy ride. It's intended to be entertaining to those who enjoy film making of this genre, and to serve as a vehicle for a hero. And Lone Wolf is a hero of grand stature with a talent for defending himself and his own. And throughout the film, as he's pursued by hired assassins he defends himself and his child with style and brutal grace. Throughout the film, the glorious examples of extreme bloodshed are observed by his young son who accompanies his father... the son narrates the film in a manner that's almost mesmerizing in its effectiveness as events unfold.

This film has some of the most stylish and expressive swordsmanship you're ever likely to see. And throughout the bloody brutality and edged weaponry action there are some examples of the kindest and most humane exchanges you could ever imagine, particularly between father and son... some profound, some humorous, some just simply ordinary.

This film is hard to find and it's almost never seen on pay cable anymore, although Cinemax used to run it on occasion some years ago. However, it's still around in some video rental stores and on some of the auction sites now and then, so if you spot this film somewhere grab it. It's an amazing way to spend an evening, watching Lone Wolf and child take on the world. I looked a long time before I found my copy in an older video rental store that was going out of business and was selling off tapes. I bought it for four dollars... I'd have paid MUCH more for this obscure little gem of a film that was actually edited together from episodes of a Japanese TV series that aired in the early 1970s.

Watch this film with an open mind and with acceptance. It's a journey into furious bloodletting, subtle glory, and profound dignity.