Shogun Assassin 3: Slashing Blades of Carnage (1972) – DVD Review

Shogun Assassin 3: Slashing Blades of Carnage sure as hell lives up to its name. From the opening sequence, to the finale, Shogun Assassin 3 is the most brutal of the first three Shogun Assassin films, as well as the fastest paced. Ogami’s honor is put to the test and his son is used as a tool to lure the great swordsman into a battle bigger then anything he could have ever imagined, and what a visual treat it is!

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Shogun Assassin: Lightning Swords of Death (1972) – DVD Review

Once again, Ogami and Daigoro are back on the road, and this time things are getting a bit more complicated. When we last left the father and son team they had defeated ‘The Masters of Death” and now a proposition has been made. What follows is another round of blood, swordfights, nudity and double-crossing that only a film in the Shogun Assassin series could bring. It rocks!

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Shogun Assassin (1980) – DVD Review

I’ve heard a lot about a little film called Shogun Assassin (and even some about the sequels in the series), but until now I hadn’t had a chance to give it a watch, and I’m kicking myself for not watching it sooner. If you want a straight-ahead samurai revenge flick with almost nonstop action, adventure and violence, then this may just be the flick you’ve been waiting for. Blood, sweat and a few boobs thrown in for good measure, Shogun Assassin may have been made way back in 1980, but it sure as hell looks great.

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Zatoichi: The Fugitive (1963) – DVD Review

You’d think that after four films, the Zatoichi series would be slowing down. You’d be wrong. Heck, this bitch is just getting fired up. We’ve watched Zatoichi grow from just a random, wandering blind swordsman to an honor-driven defender of the weak, and he’s not done yet. Zatoichi: The Fugitive, or Zatoichi kyojo tabi, brings to light an entirely different side of Zatoichi that we hadn’t seen before, and, it’s actually a pretty scary thing to witness.

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New Tale of Zatoichi (1963) – DVD Review

Zatoichi’s back, in his third big screen adventure, New Tale of Zatoichi. And, guess what, kids? He’s in color. The third film in the series sees our blind masseur hero in full color, ready to kick some butt and take names. This film is different from the first two as we see Zatoichi returning to his roots, but he’s going to learn that sometimes you can’t run from your past.

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The Tale of Zatoichi Continues (1962) – DVD Review

The Tale of Zatoichi Continues (which is actually the name of the second film in the Zatoichi series) is pretty much a continuation of the first film (as is stated in the title). The blind swordsman is back and this time at action is amped up. Shintarô Katsu is back as the title character, and in this sequel secrets are about to come out regarding his past and it may just come back to haunt him.

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Not a trailer, but one of the many beat-downs Zatoichi hands out.

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The Tale of Zatoichi (1962) – DVD Review

The Tale of Zatoichi, aka Zatôichi monogatari, is one of many samurai films to come out of Japan. Only this one was a little different. It inspired over 25 sequels and “upwards of 100 TV episodes” (says the back of Zatoichi box set I have). That’s pretty impressive for any genre. Enough about everything that followed it, the focus here is on the first film in the series, and, what a great way to open it. We’re basically treated to a different version of the Yojimbo story where a wandering swordsman (Zatoichi) enters a village and finds himself in the middle of a feud between two rival gangs. What makes this so different? Zatoichi is blind and kicks more ass than most men with sight ever could.

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Yes, it’s subtitled in Spanish. Sorry about that.

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