Hanzo the Razor

Amazon.com

Are you a fan of samurai films, but wish they were somehow...dirtier? Welcome to the deranged world of Hanzo the Razor, a weird blend of swordplay and sexploitation. The first Hanzo movie, Sword of Justice, came out a year after Shaft and Dirty Harry and fuses the influence of both: stout and surly Hanzo (Shintaro Katsu), a rebellious yet obsessively moral samurai, is also enormously well-endowed and provides almost unbearable pleasure to the women he "interrogates"--that is to say, rapes in the name of the law. Hanzo also tortures and blackmails without qualm as he slices through crime, uncovering corruption at higher levels in each progressive film. In Sword of Justice he overturns his own craven superiors; in The Snare, he breaks into a temple used by local magistrates for the sadistic torture of young girls; in Who's Got the Gold, the shogunate treasury is being looted by its own officials--had there been a fourth film, Hanzo would probably have confronted the shogun himself. But while the movies wallow in Hanzo's ruthless treatment of criminals and women, it also ogles the torture Hanzo inflicts upon himself! Sword of Justice will knock you sideways as you struggle to balance Hanzo's puritanical code with his masochism and brutality (as well as the funky '70s soundtrack). The Snare and Who's Got the Gold?, disappointingly repeat many of the same routines (in particular, the "net torture" of female suspects). But while the fight choreography in the first two films is often crude, Who's Got the Gold (directed by Yoshio Inoue) has more visual finesse and social commentary--not many movies combine temple orgies and geysers of blood with inflation, unemployment, and high interest rates. (There's a particularly eerie scene in which a samurai in debt is hounded by a pack of blind men.) Hanzo the Razor undoubtedly influenced the moral outrage/leering voyeurism mix of Death Wish and its ilk, but Shintaro Katsu's gleeful ferocity (in contrast with Charles Bronson's dour, repressed deadpan) makes this trilogy stranger and sleazier. Katsu was also the star of the hugely popular Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman series. --Bret Fetzer

Description

He's Hanzo "The Razor" Itami; the incorruptible and uncompromising samurai cop, and he packs a weapon more devastating than any sword (just ask any of the female suspects he "interrogates"). From the creator of the Lone Wolf and Cub series comes this legendary 1970s trilogy based on Kazuo Koike's classic mangas, and starring Shintaro Katsu (Zatoichi) as Hanzo, the screen's most outrageous samurai anti-hero. In the name of justice, there's no torture he won't endure, no pain he won't inflict, and no superior he'll bow to. Each film is presented complete and uncut.

Customer Reviews:

A Sick And Twisted Cinematic Fare!.......2007-01-05

For those of you expecting to see the beloved Shintaro Katsu as the anti-hero in these films, forget about it. Stick with the 'Zatoichi' episodes for great cinematic films. As for me, I really am not a fan of these DVDs. As one of the other viewers noted in his review, I too would recommend watching [and purchasing] the film "Ronin Gai," also starring Shintaro Katsu. I never watched these films until about ten-years-ago, and ONLY because of Shintaro Katsu. However, you might want to save your hard earned money. As you can see from the many Japanese films I have reviewed, I love Japanese films, and know a good one from a bad one. These are ones I will probably never view again.

Some of the other reviewers state that these films are good because they are so non-PC. Well, there are quite a lot of non-PC films that I don't think are great. Just because they are non-PC, does not mean that they are going to be good. I am only writing this review so that you can save your money. Really, rent them first just in case they are your kind of films. As for me, I would rather put that hard earned money towards the many great samurai films, [or any other genre of Japanese films] that you have been saving up for. I really hate to see people waste their hard-earned money on films that you will find yourself disappointed in. For those who find that they like "Lone Wolf and Cub" series, and expect the same kind of action: Well, forget it. And as for the comparisons some of the viewers gave to "Zatoichi," these films don't even compare to those cinematic treasures. You've been warned.

Sharp, but far from razor-sharp.......2006-04-17

Interesting and entertaining, but not a breakthrough of any kind. Quality is on par with good Japanese tv shows of the same era (yes, I saw those tv shows). Not the amazingly different take on the samurai myth that Amazon's review led me to expect. Katsu's "Zatoichi" blind masseur series is actually much superior. "Hanzo the Razor" isn't exactly a waste of money to buy, but I doubt you will watch it more than once. I won't. Far more interesting is "Ronin Gai," about the murder of prostitutes on the outskirts of Edo in the 1830's, and the wandering samurai who get a chance at redemption, also available from Amazon.

sick...degrading...not even good..........2005-10-11

What other reviewers have already said is true. Hanzo's method of interrogating female suspects is by raping them with his enormous member and then holding back until they confess. Yes, its sick, twisted, and perverted (and extremely degrading towards women).

This is the most offensive thing I've encountered since John Norman's "Gor" series. I assumed, from others' descriptions, that it would be so over the top that it would be sort of a parody, like "Riki-Oh", or "Death Wish 3". Sadly, its more offensive because its not over the top enough, if you get my meaning.

Sadly, the sheer shock value is about all these movies have going for them. Customers like myself who were blown away by "Lone Wolf and Cub", and who are seeking more of the same will be sorely disappointed. The fight sequences are nowhere near in the same league, and they're few and far between. I didn't find any of the story lines to be of particular interest. I kept dozing off during "Sword of Justice". I had trouble following it, because my mind kept wandering, because I was SO BORED!!! Seriously.

Each film is better than the one that proceeded it, but that's not saying much. Seriously, the only thing that makes these movies remotely interesting is the afoementioned depictions of rape, but by the 3rd film, the "joke" has completely worn thin. Save your money.

Dead-Pan Bawdy Fun.......2005-07-16

What can you say about a guy like Hanzo Itami? He's a cop in the shogun's police force, a lone wolf, incorruptible, grim and dedicated to putting the bad guys away. If that means stepping on his superiors' toes or breaking a few rules, so be it. He's also a master swordsman and skilled in the martial arts. He's not above using torture to get the truth. He's tortured himself (he has the scars to prove it) so that he will know how much to use on others. And for women, he's trained his shorter sword to be just as tough. He uses beatings with a wooden stick, scalding water and weights to, ah, bring it up and ready. Whether he's using the twisting basket technique or the power thrust, he'll have a female suspect begging to tell the truth...and then begging for more.

Think of a samurai Dirty Harry combined with soft porn. The sex is often ludicrous but funny because the movie doesn't play it for laughs. The director knows everything is a send-up and is careful not to wink at the audience. There's plenty of sword action -- the long sword kind -- to keep things moving. Blood squirts like squished tomatoes. A slash through a backbone is handled, well, kind of delicately.

The movie works because it is so outrageously non-PC, because it determinedly takes everything seriously, and because of a great performance by Shitaro Katsu as Hanzo. Katsu starred in the Zaitoichi movies and he brings a lot of dead pan authority to the role. He's a solid guy, a bit pudgy in the face, and no one would mistake him for a Japanese Clint Eastwood. But he also looks like a fellow you wouldn't want to mess with.

Now, what's the story about? I'm not sure. As best as I can tell Hanzo, an honest cop, realizes his superior is corrupt and that the connection might reach into Edo Castle, the home of the Tokugawa Shogunate. He tracks down the truth, encountering a notorious murderer, Killer Kanbei, whom everyone thought had been exiled. He forces the truth from two women, and discovers what the conspiracy had been all about. And at the end of the movie, with the case solved, he helps out a poor young girl and her little brother [...]. His good deed brings the first and only smile to Hanzo's face. You've have to see it.

This is a funny movie balancing on the border between outrageousness and bawdiness. The movie comes as part of a three pack. The other two movies are The Snare and Who's Got the Gold? The joke is the same for all three and I may not get around to watching them soon. The DVD transfer looks very good although there is one jump that I assume came from two or three seconds of lost film. There are no extras to speak of but the case holds brief liner notes that describe the manga comic book origin of the Hanzo character, how the movie came to be made and the importance of Shintaro Katsu.

Terrific Hanzo the Razor Series.......2005-04-15

After having used the Laser Disc set of these films for years it is really nice to see HVE come out with the definative DVD series in breathtaking sharp digital picture that rivals what I remember seeing in the theatre years ago, and certainly is far superior to any format available until now. The color is gorgeous, the subtitles accurate, and the sheer beauty of the transfers is wonderful indeed. This is my first Home Vision purchase, and certainly will NOT be my last. You owe it to yourself and your collection of Japanese films to purchase this set now!

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