Shogun Assassin 2 - Lightning Swords of Death

Just think if you were that kid. That's what I do...I like the entire series!

This remastered edition is a replacement for my original copy. So much cleaner video and better audio than the copy I bought at least 20 years ago. A classic movie done before all the wirework fights in the modern martial arts movies.

This 3rd entry in the Series is one of the best. There are several plots involved, more or less revolving around the Bushido code and what are the correct actions and responsibilities of the true Warrior, the true Samurai.Ogami states that he and his young son, Daigoro, "live the life of Demons, without rules" but in truth, Ogami Itto is a true warrior and, although an implacable and remorseless assassin, he strictly follows the Warrior's code of behavior.This is demonstrated in this film when he, at the outset, declines to duel with another honorable, though disgraced, Samurai; and later, when Itto saves a farm girl from servitude as a prostitute and indures the Water & Buri Buri torture (don't ask) in her place.Very stylized and as bloody and violent as the rest, I found the six-gun packing villain a bit incongruous (six guns in the 17th Century?), and the series steps far into the fantastic with Itto literally slaying an army of opponents with a trickier than we supposed Baby Cart and a two-sword frenzy of slashing and stabbing, chopping and skewering dozens of enemies (with the by now familiar gushes and sprays of blood).But, what the hell, James Bond can kill em by the dozen, so why not our Master of the Suiouryu Horse-Slaying Technique, Ogami Itto? And in the end, there is an elegant duel with the disgraced Samurai and we learn the true Way of the Warrior is to "live to die". Great liner notes, and good subtitles help to explain what you need to know as background to the story.

Picked this film up after watching a old vhs movie called "Kung-Fu Mania", which is itself a feature film of nothing but old kung-fu movie trailers. Pretty entertaining, but after a while I wanted to see some of the movies it highlighted, and I chose this one. Simply spectacular. The movie picture is great (way better than vhs!) and the sound is exceptable. The incredible thing about this movie though, is the way Ogami tears through his opponents. To actually see someone who is obvoiously MASTERED in the art of iaito, (drawing, striking, killing, and resheathing the blade in one fluid movement) is absolutely a wonder to behold. I mean this guy is FAST..... in the opening scene he does some kind of sword twirl over his head and resheathes so fast it's stupid. Incredible skill with a blade demonstrated by the main character Ogami,in fact I've never seen any film with actual iaito and sword skills like this demonstrated.You will not see action like this in Kill Bill (even though those movies are great too). Story is not bad, price not bad( you will not find this movie at blockbuster), overall happy with purchase. Any and all who have an interest in fuedal Japan, Japanese swords, watching cool old-school style samurai movies, or just want to see how iaito works should definitely pick this up. I'm not kidding, buy it now! Note- Do not attempt to imitate Ogami after watching this film; I have no doubt that the man has trained FOR YEARS at doing what he does, and he is SCARY fast!

Best movie that I've ever seen. BLOOD BLOOD BLOOD and no screwing with the kud in the CART...

It's in Japanese with English Subtitles. , I hate subtitles, which could be the reason I don't watch any foreign movies. No, really I have Shogun assassin and they dub in English, Better to have their lips not synchronized with the words. Did I mention I hate Subtitles? If your going to buy one of these movies get Shogun assassin. I hate those movies where the guy is kicked in the head 15 time and he gets up as if nothing happened. Try getting kicked in the head just once and your not getting up, well your not getting up knowing who you are and where the heck am I. I Know from Past experience. Anywho This guy a samurai who is betrayed by his Shogun and they try to kill him./But this guy is not any ordinary samurai. oh no. This guy cut them down like wheat in a grain field. he stacks the bodies up like cordwood none of the sword fighting for 15 minutes with the same person.

Nic

Alas, it is downhill from here. It was way overdone, too many deaths, too many guns, and it was all too much to keep me in the story. That said, the character Ogami Itto still had swag in this third film. Tomisaburo Wakayama's swordplay improved. I still loved the one on ones, one on twos, one on threes, and one on fours. It was just the one on armies and machine gun baby carts that I had a problem with. Still I say, Bravo! They just don't make'em like this anymore.