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Film: Shogun Assassin
Release date: 29th November 2010
Certificate: 18
Running time: 85 mins
Director: Robert Houston
Starring: Tomisaburo Wakayama, Kayo Matsuo, Minoru Oki, Akiji Kobayashi, Shin Kishida
Genre: Action/Adventure/Drama
Studio: Eureka!
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Country: Japan/USA
The early-80s. Britain’s video shops are a savage, lawless frontier. Cassettes are exempt from BBFC classification and, unless legally deemed “obscene”, anything goes. Illicit imports such as Mario Bava’s Bay Of Blood (refused release in 1972) are exhumed and unleashed for the first time. A slew of exploitation titles cascade into the marketplace, as distributors ransack back catalogues for product. Mining the exotic, outlandish and sanguinary, outfits like Vipco sought to deliver amoral sleaze to front rooms across the nation. Synthesising this unholy trinity into an intense, borderline surreal concentrate, Shogun Assassin is an exemplar of video nastiness.
Alongside it, nefarious foreign titles such as Possession, Inferno and The Beyond jostled for shelf space, their lurid cover art enticing wide-eyed renters with the promise of deviant thrills a-gogo. It couldn’t last. A self appointed outfit of moral sheriffs – with Mary Whitehouse at their fore – decided to clean up the tide of clamshell-encased filth. Many of the most outrageous titles from this ephemeral boom were withdrawn, denied certification, and cast into exile. But their repression was pyrrhic - since being classified as likely to “corrupt or deprave” was always going to imbue them with malign cool. Thus, a subgenre of forbidden cinema was defined; and, rather than slip disgracefully back into obscurity, the elusiveness of the movies enhanced their aura. And so the repute of Shogun Assassin was born.
Adapted from famed manga serial Lone Wolf and Cub, the film traces the bloodstained flight of the shogun’s decapitator and his infant son, Daigoro.
Wary of his martial prestige, the slightly loopy overlord commands his ninja minions to execute the executioner. And fails. Finding his wife slain, Lone Wolf vows that the perps “will pay. . . with rivers of blood!”
Exile from empire, the disgraced samurai realises that vengeance may be incompatible with single parenthood. Finding his young son unscathed, he places two symbolic props before him, and compels Daigoro to make a choice. Either from intuition or instinct, the barely crawling babe must decide to “choose the sword and join me...or choose the ball and join your mother.” Drawn to the gleaming blade, he lives - and sets off on the road to hell with his father…
Capitalising on James Clavell’s namesake novel, Shogun, the movie dubs and merges two Japanese Lone Wolf and Cub films from the early-70s. Conceived by Japanese culture fiends Robert Houston and David Weisman, the visceral reversioning showcases kick-ass aesthetics whilst effacing cultural differences. In a bold change, Daigoro acts as narrator, providing a humanising counterpoint to the bloodshed with his cutesy expository. Eschewing the original soundtrack, a contemporary minimal synth score is installed. Think John Carpenter channelling orientalist cliché, circa Halloween. As producer Weisman states, “We took out all the material that had generically Japanese historical stuff…and just pared it down to ‘Conan the Barbarian walks the earth.’”
The result: streamlined, relentless spectacle. Diluting context and pruning plot, the recuts inevitably compromise texture. American accented voiceovers – hailing from the venerable “you killed my master!” school of dubbing – consolidate this crude absorption. Like a chicken teriyaki sub, Shogun Assassin envelops the exotic within a palatably occidental framework.
An all-action emphasis radically affects the pacing of the film, which often feels stuttering and episodic. Structurally, Lone Wolf’s quest resembles a side-scrolling hack-em-up video game of yore. Walk. Stop. Kill. Walk (continue for 82 minutes, then roll credits). A succession of baroque and brutal vignettes, the film’s gory flamboyance is its fundamental attraction – and greatest liability.
Shogun Assassin never quite entered the BBFC’s banned list, but, in the fervour of the era, copies were seized and its distributors (unsuccessfully) prosecuted. So – just how nasty is this nasty-by-association? Superlatively billed as “the greatest team in mass slaughter!” during its trailer, the film’s protagonists are murderously prolific. Resembling the grotesquerie of ukiyo-e prints, Lone Wolf’s lethal grace is formalised with morbid reverence. Rotating around him - cynosure of a Danse Macabre (Dance of Death) - foes are inventively decapitated, severed and maimed. Blood assumes the pallor of poster paint. A katana sword is the brush with which he executes frenzied, splattered tableaux; the Jackson Pollock of snuff. Crimson eruptions gush, geyser and spurt with pornographic vigour, as hordes of opponents succumb to the sword.
Ironically, the movie’s visual style evidences an east-west fusion far before any swingeing American edits were inflicted. Original helmer Kenji Misumi’s framing is clearly indebted to Sergio Leone – who, of course, ‘borrowed’ liberally from Kurosawa’s Yojimbo. Misumi shoots in ultra-widescreen 2:35-1 ratio, frequently alternating between expansive long shots and extreme close-ups. Punctuating combat with instants of bucolic lyricism – swaying grass, scenic waterfalls – Misumi’s action choreography recreates Leone’s famously tense pauses. Stillness, serenity. Then slaughter.
With dialogue pared to a minimum, intimate portraits of his characters’ grimy, haggard faces communicate their emotions. Sharing the spaghetti western’s obsession with gadgetry, Daigoro’s pram becomes a wheeled arsenal, and ingenious ninjas wield a variety of disguised weapons (including daggers concealed in giant daikon carrots!). Like Eastwood’s ‘bounty killer’, Lone Wolf is an ignoble mercenary in a world bereft of honour, who oft plays dirty. Unexpectedly throwing his sword at an opponent in an unthinkable breach of samurai etiquette, archaic codes are clearly redundant for this man become demon. Morality is a luxury. Ultimately, only survival matters. Bestial, lupine logic prevails.
If unlikely to “deprave or corrupt” – as all good video nasties ought - Shogun Assassin may be charged with perverting its sources. No critique can besmirch its cult credibility, but Robert Houston’s (commercially imperative) re-write wreaks havoc with the integrity of the original works. Nonetheless, expedient butchery renders this an often jaw-dropping, incessant action extravaganza. Who needs formalities like character development when you’re mere minutes from the next bout of artful carnage? A vital grindhouse artefact, Shogun Assassin will irk those in search of coherence, but should more than appease audiences receptive to the glory of the gory. DJO
Film: Shogun Assassin
Release date: 29th November 2010
Certificate: 18
Running time: 85 mins
Director: Robert Houston
Starring: Tomisaburo Wakayama, Kayo Matsuo, Minoru Oki, Akiji Kobayashi, Shin Kishida
Genre: Action/Adventure/Drama
Studio: Eureka!
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Country: Japan/USA
Banned in the UK for over a decade, Shogun Assassin is the film which re-invented the martial arts movie in the west during the ‘80s. Inventive, artistic and violently beautiful, Shogun Assassin’s influence is almost as far reaching as the death toll contained in its unique 83 minutes.
As told through the voiceover provided by his toddler son Daigoro (Akihiro Tomikawa – voiced by Gibran Evans), Ogami Itto (Tomisaburo Wakayama) is the shogun’s decapitator, but the Shogun has gone mad and is inflicting terrible suffering on his people through impossible taxes and endless killings. Although Itto carries out his master’s wishes, he goes home to his wife and young son every night, and prays for peace to fall on the kingdom.
Unfortunately for Itto and his family, the mad Shogun is frightened by his decapitator and decides to kill him. He sends his ninjas to carry out the orders but they mistakenly kill Itto’s wife instead. A furious Ogami Itto swears revenge and promises there will be “rivers of blood” as he is exiled with his young son. Itto becomes Lone Wolf; a masterless samurai for hire whose ultimate goal is to destroy the shogun and anyone who stands in his way…
Shogun Assassin is a movie which has been cut from the longer Lone Wolf and Cub series of films. There are six films in total, and Shogun Assassin is made from parts of the first two movies in the series. The fact any semblance of narrative coherence has been maintained is a miracle in itself, and the finished product has many flaws, but there are many positives, too.
As with the originals, Shogun Assassin has a beautifully dated look. The whole film has been shot in the style of a spaghetti western; the camera closes in on eyes squinting in the sun, or sweeps slowly past implacable faces with emotions of stone, and the violence, when it comes, erupts from the stillness. There are many examples where there is no action at all; the atmosphere of impending violence is built through the eyes of the actors and the atonal hum from the soundtrack. Shogun Assassin is full of atmosphere, drama, and at all times the threat of impending violence - all of which is underpinned by the incredible sound design and startling, but brilliantly over the top soundtrack.
Indeed it is hard not to escape the genius of the sound design of the film; doors creak and snap, the wind howls with voices floating on the breeze, and the cart carrying Lone Wolf’s ‘cub’ slowly trundles along seemingly deserted roads, with the wheels creaking over broken stones. The garish synths and programmed drums could be a distraction, and they are intrusive at times, but for the most part, they provide a harmonious bedrock upon which the atmosphere can safely lay its foundations, subtly working its magic.
The new score was recorded in its entirety using a Moog Modular synthesizer system; cutting edge studio equipment at the time, and although some of the music may seem out of step with the on screen action, the aural landscape is beautifully crafted - it is easy to see why so many musicians have fallen under its spell, most notably Wu-Tang Clan (GZA uses wholesale sections of music and dialogue from Shogun Assassin on his seminal album Liquid Swords).
The violence is perhaps the most captivating of Shogun Assassin’s many facets, and it is easy to see why the film gained such a cult following upon release. It is so different from any accepted western ideal of what action cinema should be; cartoon violence married to dialogue which has a strange, almost poetic beauty. It is also easy to see why the film was banned under the UK’s ‘video nasty’ laws during the 1980s as arms, legs, ears, and even the tip of someone’s nose are all sliced off. Men and women are chopped, diced, sliced, stabbed and, of course, decapitated, in a series of increasingly inventive action sequences. In one memorable scene where Lone Wolf takes on the deadly ‘Masters Of Death’, a trio of seemingly indestructible assassin’s - each with their own unique weapon - one of the masters has his head sliced in two from his hat to shoulders. The camera lingers for what seems like an eternity until the head slowly peels apart like pieces of fruit, before pausing as the blood gushes toward the sky! It is an iconic moment, as is the moment where Lone Wolf decapitates the shogun’s son during a duel to win his freedom. As the camera pulls back, Lone Wolf is silhouetted beside the headless figure, the sun setting behind him as the two figures stand in the long grass; one figure has no head, one figure has a baby strapped to his back.
Of course, all of this beauty comes at a price, and although using such stunning original material to create a new film may have seemed like a good idea, it clearly wreaks havoc with narrative and indeed Shogun Assassin’s many flaws are all directly attributable to the unusual way in which the film was made.
Despite the obvious lengths the makers of the new version went to keep some of the original dialogue intact (hiring deaf Japanese lip readers to interpret the original dialogue, using professional voice actors for the new dialogue), they have sacrificed lyrical integrity for narrative sense. Whole sections of dialogue at the beginning of the film do not make sense when taken in the wider context of the new storyline. Indeed, the final third of the film clearly has nothing to do with the beginning. It is as if, having created the back story for Lone Wolf, they realised it was going to be too difficult to tie in an ending with the footage they were using. Instead, the film changes tack after the first third and a new story is introduced. Maybe the makers were hoping Shogun Assassin would be the first of two, or possibly three films. Or maybe they just ran out of time or inclination, or money?
No matter what, Shogun Assassin is an essential part of any martial arts fans collection, and it also compliments the longer Lone Wolf and Cub series. Eerily magnificent, this is an oddity that will repay attention and stands up to repeated viewings, despite the flaws inherent in a project with such an unusual genesis. As an aperitif for the full series, it is the most tantalising of hints at what is to come. SM
Film: Shogun Assassin
Release date: 29th November 2010
Certificate: 18
Running time: 85 mins
Director: Robert Houston
Starring: Tomisaburo Wakayama, Kayo Matsuo, Minoru Oki, Akiji Kobayashi, Shin Kishida
Genre: Action/Adventure/Drama
Studio: Eureka!
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Country: Japan/USA
After the long running success of the Lone Wolf and Cub manga series, Shogun Assassin marks the cinematic opening chapter of this tale of a samurai warrior and his infant son taking bloody revenge against an evil Shogun. Daddy Day Care this is not.
The old Shogun becomes paranoid about being overthrown by his soldiers, so orders assassins to kill Ogami Itto; one of his best samurai warriors.
Whilst Ogami - and his young son, Deigoro - manages to survive the attack, his wife is killed. Brutally striking down the rest of the assassins who come after him; Ogami vows revenge on the Shogun and sets off on the road to destroy his enemy, bringing little Deigoro with him in a wooden baby cart.
Ogami and Deigoro wander the land, the samurai taking assassination jobs for money along the way, whilst constantly fighting off the Shogun’s ninja...
Whilst a film of this genre trades heavily on its gore and violent content – the film was previously banned – the violence is rather run of the mill. Yes there is blood, guts and people’s limbs flying here and there but it’s all really been done before in Japanese thrillers similar to this – and, crucially, better than this.
Thankfully, the film just about saves itself by having more depth to it than just than being another hack and slash revenge thriller. Instead, the story focuses heavily on the themes of revenge, damnation and the bond between parent and child. Maternity and paternity are some of the strongest themes running throughout this film, and it is from the latter that Ogami gains much of his power. The task of protecting Deigoro creates a focused demeanour for the protagonist, and also a sense of loose purpose, besides seeking revenge on the Shogun. However, maternal instincts are strongly portrayed. A fine example is shown as a master female ninja relinquishes her attack on the duo when Deigoro’s life is placed in danger. Despite facing death for failing to kill Ogami and Deigoro, she cannot bring herself to end the young boy’s life.
Kenji Misumi, the director, also does well to make some of the scenes sublimely atmospheric. This is achieved from interesting directorial tricks, such as framing characters against spectacular background visuals or using close up shots of the characters’ eyes to create insightful gazes into the minds of the key players. Misumi also uses the scenery and the mise-en- scène to create extra emphasis, such as displaying shots of cut bamboo lacerated by Ogami’s sword as he kills one of the shogun’s soldiers.
Whilst the cinematography is well realised, the narrative path suffers from a lack of direction. The story, at times, feels aimless, and seems to have no point to it aside from documenting the torture and betrayal felt by Ogami and his son, as well to show as how they are struggling to survive on a daily basis. Whilst this is interesting, it is not as exciting as the hype surrounding the film would suggest. Additionally, a few sub plots are added on, but ultimately the film doesn’t feel like it’s going anywhere until it is long past the midway point. It is possible the pointlessness of the plot symbolises Ogami’s own sense of pointlessness in life, after having his world torn apart. Unfortunately, if true, this doesn’t make for good entertainment.
Some moments do compensate for the brooding gaps in Shogun Assassin’s plot but these, by contrast, are incredibly silly and absurd. Luckily, these don’t detract from the enjoyment of the more serious scenes - Deigoro operating booby traps from his cart, ejecting knives into the enemies attacking him, or when ninja assassins start firing bladed parsnips at Ogami.
Whilst Shogun Assassin is no epic yarn, it is mightily enjoyable. The premise is refreshingly different to other samurai films in that Deigoro actually assists his father, despite his very young age. This film manages to strike a good balance between humour and drama, whilst keeping the action compelling enough to follow. Also the idea that Deigoro and his father are actually damned by their outlaw status adds a sense of tragedy to the proceedings. DJ
Unquestionably the most popular samurai film in the West since the days of Akira Kurosawa, this chanbara classic was lifted from a hugely popular comic book saga and, still wet, transferred glistening to the screen.
After being framed for disloyalty to his clan lord, disgraced ronin Itto Ogami (with 3-year-old son Daigoro in tow) travels medieval Japan as the most skilled samurai-for-hire bar none. But as the treachery and obstacles in his latest mission quickly pile up, Ogami is forced to handle it the only way he knows how.
A re-scored, re-dubbed reassembly of the first two films in the Lone Wolf & Cub series, the result has become an ageless cult sensation in its own right: a crazed thrill-ride in a booby-trapped baby cart, propelled on arterial spray, hurtling gleefully to nowhere.
Ltd Ed Dual Format Steelbook (Blu-ray & DVD) edition, with stunning, fully-restored 1080p presentation of the uncut film in its original aspect ratio.
Film: Shogun AssassinRelease date: 29th November 2010
Certificate: 18
Running time: 85 mins
Director: Robert Houston
Starring: Tomisaburo Wakayama, Kayo Matsuo, Minoru Oki, Akiji Kobayashi, Shin Kishida
Genre: Action/Adventure/Drama
Studio: Eureka!
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Country: Japan/USA
Special Features:
•
New video appreciation of the film by actor Samuel L. Jackson
•
Two
• commentary tracks: one featuring producer David Weisman, illustrator Jim Evans and actor Gibran Evans (the voice of Daigoro); the second with film scholar Ric Meyers and martial arts expert Steve Watson
•
Original HD theatrical trailer for Shogun Assassin
•
Original Japanese trailers for all six of the original Lone Wolf and Cub films
