“Listen, my son — trust no one!”
|
Synopsis:
A mercenary martial artist (Shin’ichi “Sonny” Chiba) violently kills or harms nearly everyone who enters into his path of destruction.
|
|
Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:
- Japanese Films
- Kidnapping
- Martial Arts
Review:
Perhaps best known by modern film fanatics as the swordsmith Hattori Hanzō in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill Volume 1 (2003), Shin’ichi “Sonny” Chiba had his breakthrough role in this ultra-violent martial arts film — the first to receive an X for this designation — produced by Japan’s Toei Studios and released by New Line Cinema in the United States. It’s challenging and perhaps pointless to follow the storyline, which involves Yakuza gangsters, the kidnapping of a business magnate’s daughter, and numerous highly unrealistic sudden deaths by karate blows. (The stats below are from Grindhouse Review’s laudatory video overview.)
This film is primarily worth a cursory look simply to see Chiba (considered the “anti-hero” Bruce Lee) hamming it up on screen.
Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:
- Shin’ichi Chiba as Terry
Must See?
No; this one is only must-see for martial arts fans.
Links:
|
