Shogun Assassin

"He whips out his sword and relieves his victims of their heads!!"

1980 1h 25m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 197

ActionAdventure

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A Shogun who grew paranoid as he became senile sent his ninjas to kill his samurai. They failed but did kill the samurai’s wife. The samurai swore to avenge the death of his wife and roams the countryside with his toddler son in search of vengeance.

“He whips out his sword and relieves his victims of their heads!!”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Tomisaburō Wakayama
Ogami Itto
Akihiro Tomikawa
Daigoro Ogami
Kayo Matsuo
Supreme Ninja
Minoru Ōki
Master of Death
Shin Kishida
Master of Death
Shogen Nitta
Master of Death
Reiko Kasahara
Azami
Akiji Kobayashi
Lord Kurogawa

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Robert Houston
Writers: Robert Houston, Kazuo Koike, Kazuo Koike
Languages: English, Japanese
Countries: Japan, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

85 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

46 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Japanese.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Japan, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by W. Michael Lewis. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Lee Percy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Tomisaburō Wakayama and Akihiro Tomikawa and Kayo Matsuo carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "He whips out his sword and relieves his victims of their heads!!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Robert Houston directs. W. Michael Lewis scores. Lee Percy cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan, United States of America. Dialogue in English, Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

185 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
246 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Japanese.
4International production across 2 countries: Japan, United States of America.
5Original score by W. Michael Lewis. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Lee Percy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Tomisaburō Wakayama and Akihiro Tomikawa and Kayo Matsuo carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "He whips out his sword and relieves his victims of their heads!!".
9IMDB entry: tt0081506 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.