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Shogun Assassin (1980)

★★★★ — Shogun Assassin (1980)

Shogun Assassin is an American re-edit of the first two entries in the Japanese Lone Wolf and Cub series, specifically Sword of Vengeance (1972) and Baby Cart at the River Styx (1972), both directed by Kenji Misumi for Toho and Katsu Production. Robert Houston, who later directed the 1984 comedy Runaway Train precursor The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai, recut the footage, added Western dubbing and a new electronic score (partly composed by W. Michael Lewis and Mark Lindsay), and repositioned the material for American grindhouse distribution. The original films were based on a hugely popular manga series by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima. Tomisaburō Wakayama, a legitimate Japanese action star and brother of actor Shintaro Katsu, headlines as the wandering ronin, with his real-life son providing the voice of the toddler in the Japanese original.

"It sounds... ridiculous" said the samurai as his throat geysers with blood This is grindhouse. Two movies (Wolf and Cub 1 and 2) sliced together with a new soundtrack, new story and western dubbing. It's so good though. The soundtrack is incredible. The voice over is haunting. The fight scenes are cool af. I loved this fucking film so much. The only reason I didn't mark it a 5* is there are a couple of fight scenes that have absolutely zero reason lol

Rating: ★★★★ | Year: 1980 | Watched: 2025-05-18

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Where to watch (UK)

Rent: Amazon Video
Buy: Amazon Video
Physical: Amazon UK

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