Hanzo the Razor: Sword of Justice

The first of a classic chanbara trilogy, this cult film introduces outrageous samurai constable Hanzo "the Razor" Itami (Shintaro Katsu), a maverick who lives and plays by his set of rules. In this installment, Hanzo learns that his underhanded boss and a political crook share a lovely temptress' sexual favors. Hanzo uses his razor-edged rapier -- along with his sexual prowess -- to earn a promotion by exposing his superior's peccadilloes.

This masterpiece is in the same category of cheesy samurai flicks such as the Lone Wolf and Cub. However, the Hanzo flicks differ from the Lone Wolf by its decidedly more tawdry sexual aspects. This is definitely not a film for the family or most people with somewhat decent morals. The film is a bit slow in the action department and mainly deals with Hanzo's "unique" interrogation techniques with the ladies and his battles against corrupt officials. One of the funniest aspects of the movie is how Hanzo "toughens" himself up to make himself an even more efficient lady interrogator. His two bumbling assistants also add to the humorous aspect of the movie. It is funny how many of the samurai actors of the day such as Shintaro Katsu are pudgy and slightly overweight. Hanzo has a serious double-chin goin' on in this film but he still pulls off the bad-ass cop in this film really well. You can tell that he is not one that criminals should want to deal with. A good description of Hanzo is part Dirty Hairy and part John Holmes. If you don't mind or if you actually enjoy a samurai film that verges on soft-core porn, than this is a must see.