Shôrinji kenpô (1975)

Director:

Norifumi Suzuki

Writer:

Takeshi Matsumoto (writer)

Release Date:

February 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama

Plot:

Sonny Chiba plays the character referred to as "Mr Soh", who is based on the true life founder of [i]Shorinji Kempo[/i]...

Plot Keywords:

Martial Arts

Cast

Sonny Chiba	...	Doshin So
Yutaka Nakajima	...	Kiku Sakamoto
Makoto Satô	...	Kentaro Otaki
Naoya Makoto	...	Hiroshi Tomoda
Sanae Kitabayashi	...	So Kino
Akiko Mori	...	Masako
Akira Oizumi
Hôsei Komatsu	...	Sakai Osa
Kyôichi Satô	...	Kaga
Genji Kawai	...	Murayama Senzo
Junichi Tatsu	...	Miyoshi Bungo
Kazuhide Haruta	...	Doshin - as a boy
Kinji Takinami
Rikiya Yasuoka	...	Takehara
Joya Sato

Also Known As:

The Killing Machine

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | USA:R | UK:18

Company:

Toei Company

Trivia:

The character Tomoda, who loses an arm, is a work of fiction, not related to the true-life one-armed practitioner who can be seen on historic clips of Shorinji Kempo.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Martial Arts Mayhem Vol. 3 (2007) (V)

classic Chiba!!

"The Killing Machine" undoubtedly did not make the short list for foreign films up for Oscars in 1975, but for Chiba fans, this is pure gold.

It's 1945, and Chiba is a spy in the Japanese Imperial Army, one of the many "disillusioned" young men after Japan's unconditional surrender. The story takes him from the poor streets of post-war Japan, taking care of homeless kids, to founding a karate school which provides a bulwark of purity against corrupt drug traffickers.

The campy hokeyness is best exemplified in the first scene, when Chiba is spying on Chinese commanders in a nondescript house at the front. He is discovered, fights his way out, and in the split second change in scene, stumbles into a Japanese office, like it was located in the very next room (hey, do you think the two sets were side by side????).

But this film contains some great fight scenes. Back kicks, devastating punches, spurting limbs, and genitalia severed with scissors and fed to the local stray dogs abounds. In my fav scene which really exemplifies Chiba's style, he lays waste to an opponent by bending his arm back and breaking it, and it flops backwards at a grotesque angle. Then, as though this wasn't enough, he takes the time to turn the guy over and break his other arm! Classic!!! who can argue with this type of genius!!

Definitely, definitely see this, if possible with some beers and a bunch of friends with the same taste in campy 1970's martial arts films.