Shogun Assassin (The Officially Authorized Widescreen Collector's Edition) 1980 (1972) AnimEigo   Buy It Now

American producers and director’s are always trying to find “the next big thing” for audiences, and if that thing comes from abroad, they will do whatever it takes to grab movie goers attention. You might think that I’m referring to the heinous remakes of Asian cinema that are coming out in droves these days, but while this has been going on for quite some time, there is yet another approach that has been used. If you can’t remake it, simply buy what rights you can, edit it, and dub it. It will certainly make money.

Shogun Assassin is the result of attentive producers here in the United States realizing that Japan’s Lone Wolf and Cub had become a hit. Instead of simply picking the films up for distribution however, there was another approach that was used. Shogun Assassin might very well feature the familiar Ogami Ito and his young son Daigoro, but it’s not quite the same film, though all the violence is certainly present and accounted for. 1980 it seems was a good year for the shogun. In September, television viewers were exposed to the Shogun mini series and two months later, Shogun Assassin brought Lone Wolf and Cub to theaters.

Lone Wolf and Cub however is a film and manga series that I know only by name and have never actually seen even a second of, so at first Shogun Assassin seemed as though it was going to be a disappointment because of the fact that it’s dubbed. Remember, this is the AMERICAN version of the film, but even so, the any chance of being dismayed by the film subsided. The first 15 minutes or so of the first film, Sword of Vengeance, start the movie off to fill in the important details as Ogami returns home to find his wife and staff dead and only his newborn son, Daigoro, has survived.

From here, Shogun Assassin continues with the second film in the series, Baby Cart at the River Styx. The transition ultimately works quite well as Ogami now seeks to avenge the death of his wife and keep Daigoro by his side. Their journey is one filled with danger and the Yagyu clan has hired a female ninja to track down and kill Ogami and he is also faced with an even greater threat, the three Masters of Death.

Shogun Assassin may not have the best dubbing, but the first thing that is noticeable is that if you put it up against a Godzilla film, there Shogun Assassin quickly wins that battle. There are certainly moments where the script was poorly translated, and some of the lines are laughable, but yet it also lacks the bad acting that is generally found in dubbed version, and it also outdoes just about any anime product on the market (an industry that is full of bad dubs and cheesy voice actors.)

Had I simply entered into watching this without watching extra features or doing research, the fact that this is two films combined into one really would never have occurred to me, and it is done brilliantly. Shogun Assassin also shows how far the movie industry has come, or rather, how much it has regressed. This is a movie that I believe would not get released theatrically today as it is, and there are a number of reasons why. Although the nudity it very minimal, Shogun Assassin is incredibly graphic, violent, and bloody . . . . and that’s part of what makes it such a brilliant film. It remains very true, from what I have studied at least, to the way of life during this time, the Edo period (1603 – 1867.)

Shogun Assassin doesn’t try and hide the results of sword battles, and some of these end up being rather quick. Ogami has but one goal, and that is revenge. We find all who face him meeting his blade, and the results include graphic decapitations, heads being split in half, and when the need arises, even little Daigoro has his cart equipped with blades that will slice through legs as easily as his fathers sword will cut a man down. The blood spray at times is a bit over the top, but that really makes it that much more appealing. Graphic, yes, fun, even more so, and Shogun Assassin lacks the more realistic gore look that you might find in other film, giving it something of a comic book approach. There’s no real sense of irony in that because as many know, it did in fact come from a comic book, or manga, and it has remained popular across the world since it originally debuted.

The problem that is found with a number of older films is that companies generally don’t want to take the time to improve them. They’d rather get the product out on the market and make money as quickly as possible from fans that fondly remember the title, but AnimEigo has taken time and care with this release. The picture has been restored, enhanced and even reconstructed, so even if you’ve seen the movie many times in the past, this new release of the classic film is going to be an all-new experience. The DVD contains a restoration gallery that will show you how the scenes looked prior to being treated, and the differences are extremely dramatic.

The extra features continue beyond this however. If you’re not familiar with Japan’s history, there is a section that contains liner note information regarding everything you would need to know regarding Samurai Assassin and the real life Japan during the era (which goes far beyond the brief overlay of things I’ve touched on here.) There is also a collection of notes that gives definitions to some of the terminology found in the film (and some Japanese terms have remained unchanged) as well as more information about the movie itself. This really will come in helpful for those that aren’t only new to the series, but even those that may have a long affection for Samurai Assassin but have often wondered about some of the content in the movie.

Being new to the world of Lone Wolf and Cub, seeing Shogun Assassin really has pushed me into wanted to sit down and watch the Japanese versions of the film. This is actually the prefect introduction I think for anyone who has been just a little curious, but I know there are fans that have embraced this film for a number of years. This collector’s edition isn’t something that you must own; it’s something that if you fail to purchase, you really couldn’t call yourself a fan. Seppuku might even be required, but we here at Underland Online right now will take no responsibility in these actions. Nevertheless, if you miss out on Shogun Assassin you shall pay . . . rivers of blood.

-mike-