Shogun Assassin

The shogun's executioner is accused of treason by his master, loses his wife and takes to the road with his small son. The father works as an assassin, the child rides with him in a wooden cart, and the child's voice narrates. Robert Houston is credited as director, but this is not a newly shot film. It was assembled for American audiences from selected sections of the first two Lone Wolf and Cub films, re-edited, with English dubbing, a new score and the boy's narration added afterwards. The result is faster and bloodier than its source. The shape of the violence changed too: the arterial spray was pushed forward in the edit. In Britain it landed on the banned list during the video era and circulated cut for years. Its influence outgrew its reputation. GZA's Liquid Swords samples its dialogue, and Kill Bill refers to it directly. Who it is for: viewers curious about samurai action and the history of cult recuts. Who it is not for: anyone after the original; those films are buried under this edit.