Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

One of my all time favorites.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

Reading an article in the UK film mag The Dark Side about the Video Nasty titles,I spotted a mention about an infamous Japanese samurai movie called Shogun Assassin.Searching round online,I was surprised to find out that Shogun was a composite of two films in a series.Whilst looking round for info on the series,I discovered that a Region 1 version of the first film in the series was being sold on Ebay,which led to me getting ready to meet the lone wolf and the cub for the first time.The plot:Vowing to get revenge on those who murdered his wife after he killed a Daimyo,Itto takes his young son Daigoro along with him,as they travel from one clan controlled village to the other.Getting into contact with a clan leader,Itto is hired to assassinate a rival clan leader's gang.Taking on the job, (even after facing two hidden would-be assassins!)Daigoro and Itto travel to the destination,where they discover that the clan leader is allowing all of his gang to murder the villagers,which leads to Itto setting his sights on getting revenge for himself and the villagers. View on the film:Based on Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima's Manga series,director Kenji Misumi & cinematographer Chikashi Makiura keep a strong root to the movies comic book origins,with Misumi covering Itto in deep shadows which give the title a striking depth of field.Closely working with editor Toshio Taniguchi,Misumi displays a razor sharp ear for silence which gives the red mist sprays and exposure of female flesh an unexpected poetic atmosphere,as Misumi's long, stilted wide shots cast the action against a warm, earthy backdrop,which is cut with the slashing of Itto's sword.Adapting their Manga series,the screenplay by Kazuo Koike & Goseki Kojima disappointingly fails to give each of the clans and ronin gangs clear distinctive features,with the mad Yagyū Retsudo being the only samurai to stand out from the blended in crowd. Bringing their creation to life,the writers give Itto and Daigoro on the road adventures a wry sense of humour,as the duo run into everything from a Norse-God looking ronin,to a desperate to breastfeed mad women.Spending most of the film acting with a child who does not speak any dialogue, Tomisaburô Wakayama gives an excellent performance as Itto,thanks to Wakayama keeping the death of Itto's wife pressing down on his sombre shoulders during stylised ronin battles,as the lone wolf sets out to protect his cub.

I first heard about these movie after one of my friend's recommended me to watch it.so I purchased the DVD off amazon and I have to say I am not disappointed, I love action movies especially those of die hard and terminator 2. the kill count in these movies make die hard look like a Disney film lol. the gore is over the top but when I say that over the top with brilliance. the story is easy to understand and well written also brilliantly executed.overall this movie deserves 10 out of 10 this movie should have more reviews because it is awesome!!!!

I absolutely knew from the beginning that I would love this film especially when the main character started swinging his sword resulting in blood rushing out of his enemy bodies like a sprinkler. also the scene where his infant child plays a part in defeating his enemy he had challenged to a dual. the character were likable the main character Itto, the brave prostitute who he saves and last but not least in my opinion the most likable the child. in my opinion the music which was perfect early 70s cinematic music was excellent. the sound effects were brilliant. the editing was perfect also the colours and camera angles were absolutely beautifully perfect especially during the swordfight/ dual scenes. I would have to rate this movie a 10 out of 10 my second favourite film behind the godfather.

Even before seeing the "Kozure Ôkami" (aka. "Lone Wolf And Cub") films, I was already a fan of director Kenji Misumi, for entries to the popular "Zatoichi" series, and even more so, for his sleazy and brilliant 1972 Samurai-Exploitation masterpiece "Goyôkiba" (aka. "Hanzo The Razor - Sword Of Justice") starring the great Shintaro Katsu. At the latest when I first saw this first part to the "Kozure Okami" cycle, Misumi irrevocably became one of my favorite directors of all-times. He directed the first, second, third and fifth film of what is arguably the most brilliant Samurai-saga ever brought to screen, and this "Kozure Ôkami: Kowokashi udekashi tsukamatsuru" aka. "Lone Wolf And Cub: Sword Of Vengeance" of 1972 is the first of these incomparably brilliant films. Tomisaburo Wakayama, elder brother of the more famous and equally great Shintaro Katsu ("Zatôichi", "Hanzo The Razor"), is brilliant in the role of his life as Ogami Itto, my personal favorite (anti-)hero character in the history of motion pictures.Ogami Itto, the 'Kaishakunin' (highest executioner) of the Shogunate, falls victim to a conspiracy by the powerful Yagyu-clan. After his wife is murdered, Itto is supposed to commit seppuku with his infant son Daigoro. He waits for his accusers in mourning dress. Not in order to kill himself, however, but to announce that he and his son will henceforth walk the 'path of hell' as an assassin, killing for 500 ryu as the 'Lone Wolf with his child', in order to clear his name and avenge his wife's death...Tomisaburo Wakayama as Itto Ogami is, as mentioned above, in my opinion one of the greatest (and most bad-ass) characters in motion picture history. Even though the 'Ôkami' films are based on a comic book series, it seems like the role of Ogami Itto was written especially for Tomisaburo Wakayama, and as if Wakayama was born to play this particular role. Sheer brilliance also comes from Akihiro Tomikawa, who plays Ogami Itto's infant son Daigoro, and who never played another role after the "Lone Wolf and Cub" series. Never have I seen a greater child-character nor a greater child-performance in a film. In this first film, Daigoro is still a toddler who doesn't speak a word, and yet it is him who is responsible for some of the most ingenious and witty moments in the film. The film is blood-soaked throughout (and the successors become even more violent) and yet the father-son relationship of Ogami Itto and Daigoro gives these ultra-violent Chambara-highlights a sort of heart-warming touch at times. The ingenious score by Hideaki Sakudai is equally impressive as the brilliant editing and prefect cinematography. Hardly have sequences made an impact on me as in the 'Ôkami' films when the music suddenly stops and hardly a sound is heard. Simply everything about "Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance" is perfection in my eyes: the unique atmosphere, the feeling, the brilliant performance and characters (above all Ogami Itto and Daigoro), the impressive locations, the swordplay sequences and incomparably stylish gore, the score... I could keep on praising this film for a long time, but I'll simply conclude with an advice: Get this film now! The entire "Kozure Okami" cycle ranks high on my personal all-time favorite list, and this first film is particularly essential! The American director Robert Houston edited the first two 'Okami' films together as "Shogun Assassin" in 1980 (I haven't seen it yet), but, as far as I am considered the Japanese Language is an absolutely essential factor here, and I strongly advise everybody to go for the (subtiteled) Japanese version. I first saw this film when I got all six 'Okami' films on DVD about a month ago, and I have seen the entire cycle three times by now, so you can imagine how deep an impact this has made on me. In short: "Kozure Ôkami: Kowokashi udekashi tsukamatsuru" is a masterpiece that is absolutely essential for any lover of film to see! 10/10!