Shogun Assassin (1980)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Robert Houston

Writers:

Robert Houston (writer)
Kazuo Koike (screenplay)

Release Date:

11 November 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure

Tagline:

The legend of lone wolf and cub continues!

Plot:

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...

Plot Keywords:

Samurai | Ninja | Death | Japan | Splatter

Cast

Tomisaburo Wakayama	...	Ogami Itto
Kayo Matsuo	...	Supreme Ninja
Minoru Ohki	...	Master of Death
Akiji Kobayashi	...	Master of Death
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)
Sam Weisman	...	Voice (voice)
Mark Lindsay	...	Voice (voice)
Robert Houston	...	Voice (voice)

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

Japan | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:R | Singapore:R21 | UK:(Banned) (1984-1992) | UK:18 (video rating) (1992) | UK:X (original rating) (cut) | USA:R | Norway:18 (video rating) (1984) | Norway:(Banned) (video) (1986) | New Zealand:(Banned) (1982-2003) (cinema release) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Company:

Baby Cart

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.

Quotes:

Voice of Daigoro: When we're on a mission, I keep count of how many ninja my father kills. He says not to keep count, only to pray for their souls. But if I don't keep count, I don't know how many souls to pray for. So I keep count. So far it's three hundred and forty-two.
[three ninja women ambush Lone Wolf. He swiftly kills them]
Voice of Daigoro: Three hundred and forty... five.

Movie Connections:

Edited from Kozure Ôkami: Kowokashi udekashi tsukamatsuru (1972)

One of the most entertaining action movies of all time. Lone Wolf is a relentless one man killing machine!

'Shogun Assassin' is actually re-edited footage from two of the early 1970s Japanese Lone Wolf and Cub movies, dubbed into English. The brains behind this idea were Robert Houston, one of the stars of Wes Craven's horror classic 'The Hills Have Eyes', and David Weisman, the writer/director of the Edie Sedgwick cult classic 'Ciao Manhattan'. On paper this really shouldn't have worked, but it does. It not only "works", it's one of the greatest action movies ever made, and a source of inspiration for both John Carpenter and Quentin Tarantino. I only hope that Tarantino's references to 'Shogun Assassin' in 'Kill Bill' introduce it to a whole new audience. Martial arts veteran Tomisaburo Wakayama plays Ogami Itto, aka "Lone Wolf", a samurai who refuses to serve the evil Shogun. After the murder of his wife he hits the road with his young son, who he pushes along in a souped up baby cart. Lone Wolf has one thing on his mind - vengeance. Along the way many assassins and Ninja try to stop him, but he is a relentless one man killing machine. His journey finally leads him to a confrontation with the three Masters Of Death, who are escorting the Shogun's brother. Lone Wolf is one of the coolest figures in action movie history, and the baby cart gimmick really works, especially as his infant son narrates the story. The frequent fight sequences are exciting and very brutal, and there isn't a dull moment in the whole movie. I can't recommend 'Shogun Assassin' highly enough. For me it stands alongside 'Mad Max', 'The Driver', 'For A Few Dollars More' and (the original version of) 'The Getaway' as one of the most entertaining action movies of all time.