Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance

1972 1h 24m JA

👍

7.4

SOLID

🍅

86%

FRESH

⭐

7.7

IMDB

★7.4TMDB · 257🍅86%Rotten Tomatoes★7.7IMDB · 9,100

DramaActionAdventureThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Official Shogunate executioner Ogami Itto has been framed for disloyalty to the Shogunate by the Yagyu clan, against whom he now is waging a one-man war, along with his infant son, Daigoro.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Tomisaburō Wakayama
Ogami Itto
Fumio Watanabe
Bizennokami Yagyû
Tomoko Mayama
Osen
Shigeru Tsuyuguchi
Kurando Yagyû
Asao Uchida
Kenmotsu Sugito
Taketoshi Naitō
Ichige Gyobu
Yoshi Katō
Danjô Tonami
Reiko Kasahara
Crazy Woman

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Kenji Misumi
Writers: Kazuo Koike
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

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

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

54 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Lone Wolf and Cub Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Kenji Misumi, shot by Chikashi Makiura. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Hideaki Sakurai. 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 Toshio Taniguchi 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 Fumio Watanabe and Tomoko Mayama carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0068815 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Kenji Misumi directs. Chikashi Makiura behind the camera. Hideaki Sakurai scores. Toshio Taniguchi cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

184 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
254 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Part of the "Lone Wolf and Cub Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Kenji Misumi, shot by Chikashi Makiura. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Hideaki Sakurai. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Toshio Taniguchi shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Tomisaburō Wakayama and Fumio Watanabe and Tomoko Mayama carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0068815 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 11 themes, including "japan", "assassin", "samurai", "chambara".
10Released under 12 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Chikashi Makiura
Original score: Hideaki Sakurai
Editing: Toshio Taniguchi
Runtime: 84 min · 1h 24m
Status: Released
Original language: JA
IMDB: Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance (1972)
Rotten Tomatoes: 86% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 7.7/10 · 9,100 votes
MPAA: Not Rated

Part of

Lone Wolf and Cub Collection

The tale of a renegade samurai fighting for revenge alongside his young son. Bloodshed is nonstop as they fight through an everlasting gob of enemies, aided by a variety of weapons. Shogun Assassin and Shogun Assassin 2 are not included as they are in fact American made compilations.