15 Most Underrated Samurai Films Of All Time
1. Shogun Assassin (1980)
If it’s an over-the-top, blood-filled B-Movie you’re looking
for, then you’ll want to add Shogun Assassin to the top of your list.
One of the most peculiar aspects about this film is that it’s not a standalone film in the conventional sense. Rather, it’s a compilation of the first two films from the Lone Wolf And Cub series (Sword Of Vengeance and Baby Cart At The River Styx), which are themselves based on the manga series of the same name.
The plot follows disgraced executioner Ogami Itto (Tomisaburô Wakayama) forced to live as an outlaw after he’s accused of treason. Traveling with his infant son, he vows to avenge his wife’s murder and cuts down anyone who gets in his way, which he does in spectacular geysers of blood.
Although this edited version lacks the quieter moments of the original Japanese films, viewers do get all the gore – and there’s a lot. The violence is so excessive, in fact, that Shogun Assassin found itself classified as a “video nasty” in the UK.