I imagine that many Japanese cinema purists look down on Shogun Assassin, viewing it as bastardised art, the film consisting of the juiciest bits from the first two classic Lone Wolf and Cub films edited together and re-dubbed for the US market. I, however, see the film as a fond reminder of the video nasty era when, against the wishes of the BBFC, I proudly owned an ex-rental, big box VIPCO VHS copy of the movie; it was one of the highlights of my collection, a gloriously violent saga that introduced me to the world of unflappable samurais and arterial spray, for which I will be ever grateful.

Of course these days the censors have seen sense and all of the Lone Wolf and Cub movies are available in their entirety on DVD (pristine prints in their original language with English subtitles, no less); but while it's great to see the movies as the filmmakers intended, I still get a kick out of Shogun Assassin's incongruous American voice-over, grimy 80s synth score and erratic editing, elements that take me back to a time when collecting banned movies was a challenge and the viewing seemed more rewarding as a result. As soon as Daigoro's narration kicks in, I'm back in the darkened bedroom of my youth, revelling in all the stylish blood and violence wreaked by super cool rōnin for hire Ogami Itto (Tomisaburô Wakayama),enjoying the fact that I'm sampling forbidden fruit, and it tastes good.

Spliced together from a couple of early '70s movies in the manga-inspired LONE WOLF & CUB series, SHOGUN ASSASSIN enjoys a bit of a cult reputation in the UK after it made its way onto the banned list when it first came out. It's a reputation that precedes it, with tales of spraying arterial blood and gore all over the place, and despite the hype the movie does live up to expectations. Despite the dodgy idea of editing movies together, it actually works in this instance, thanks to the simple narrative which essentially sees a lone samurai warrior pushing his kid along in a cart and tackling a series of assassins and ninjas along the way. It's as easy as that.

The film has a very distinctive feel to it and anyone who's at all familiar with early '70s Japanese cinema will recognise the kind of cinematography and acting you see. It's all very cold, with minimal dialogue and stern expressions, and there are some quite beautiful moments in places thanks to the camera-work. The idea of having the boy narrate the tale is a clever one and the father-son relationship makes things more than watchable. Of course, we're all here for the action, and it doesn't disappoint as there are tons of inventive battles and skirmishes, each different from the last. Our hero, Lone Wolf, must battle all kinds of people, from gangs of ninjas to female assassins, lords and heroes and finally a trio of masters with some truly nasty weaponry in store.

It's pretty sadistic, and expect severed limbs and plenty of blood geysers all over the place. Tarantino sure as heck got a lot of inspiration from this film when he went on to make his KILL BILL flicks. I really enjoyed SHOGUN ASSASSIN, which didn't flag for a moment; it's sometimes weird, sometimes different, always watchable, with an unconventional pair of heroes, humour in places, and a ton of well-staged action to recommend it. It's certainly left me with a longing to watch the original six-film series and see the full story...

When the wife of the Shogun's Decapitator is murdered and he is ordered to commit suicide by the paranoid Shogun, he and his four-year-old son escape and become assassins for hire, embarking on a journey of blood and violent death.

"Shogun Assassin" was edited and compiled from the first two films in the Lone Wolf and Cub series, using 12 minutes of the first film, "Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance", and most of "Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx". Both were originally released in 1972.

The project was directed by Robert Houston and his partner David Weisman, a protégé of Andy Warhol and director of Ciao! Manhattan (1972). A fan of the original Kozure Ōkami films, Weisman had obtained the rights for $50,000 from the American office of Toho Studios. The film was distributed by Roger Corman's New World Pictures to the grindhouse movie circuit in the United States.

Reviews at the time of American release (1980) were not all positive, with Vincent Canby commenting on the mix and match of editing and how this is something like "What's Up, Tigerlily?" I would disagree with that, but I see where he is coming from. Canby also remarks that the samurai is "tubby", which is true, but I think that is part of his charm.

For me, this is a fun film ,and perfect for distribution by Corman. It may have been better as the original two films (I have no idea),but like this it makes a quick action thriller that drive-in fans will love. And it still maintains some of the great visuals, especially a desert scene that is quite clever.