Leofwine_draca This follow-up to the excellent SWORD OF VENGEANCE is everything a sequel should be: it's better than the original, taking themes and running with them, and as a whole more expansive and elaborate than the first film. To be honest, I often find origin stories quite tiresome, as it can take ages to set up story lines. Here, we already know what's going on, and are thrust into the thick of the action right away! This one's definitely more focused on action, with endless battle sequences and none of the slow spots that the original had. I loved it to bits. It retains the style of the first movie but goes more overboard on the gore sequences, with all manner of grisliness – especially at the eye-popping climax, one of the goriest fight sequences I've ever watched! Although the action-focused plot is slimmer than in the first film, the central characters are explored at more depth. Wakayama becomes ever more remarkable, a relentless assassin who can survive pretty much anything that's thrown at him – sometimes literally – and Tomikawa is scene-stealing as the infant the whole audience must love by now. In fact, he's quickly becoming, in my eyes, the greatest child character ever put on film – the scene with the water is endearing beyond belief. The supporting cast is pretty iconic, with a ruthless female fighter who becomes gradually attached to the killer twosome, and a trio of imposing 'gods of death' who cut quite the figure with their huge helmets and outlandish weaponry.There are so many great bits in this short film that it's hard to remember them all. A highlight for me is when Ogami must contend with a clan of female assassins, who come at him in a series of spectacular ambushes. Then there's the fight in the forest, in which Daigoro reveals his own propensity for violence for the first time, and the bit on the ship. All of these (admittedly great) moments are eclipsed by the quite brilliant climax, with a desert backdrop, in which the blood flows like never before – and I'm talking literally! After I finished watching, I knew straight away that this was a film I'd taken to heart, and one I'm going to enjoy watching over and over. It may well be the most entertaining samurai film ever made!

Ky-D I love the entire 6 part series, but this one is my personal favorite with it's grand collection of action, emotion and gory dismemberment.Time has passed since the Yagyu clan framed Ogami Itto as a traitor and murdered his wife, but the wandering assassin is as determined as ever. The Yagyu clan is active as well in seeking to eliminate the former Shogun executioner; they enlist the aid of one of the clans sects, the Asuki Yagyu women, to kill Itto and his son. At the same time, Ogami has just accepted a job to assassinate dye maker.Arguably the bloodiest of the series, but also the most methodical. Story elements are presented in slow, stiff dialogue exchanges, only to be off-set by quick, bloody bursts of violence. Much of the film is silent as well, there is very little talking for the whole picture. Once swords are drawn, however, the movie becomes a whole other beast entirely; the action is fast, it's gory, and it's ever so fun to watch.Story wise, this one doesn't do much for the overlapping plot of the series. Despite clashing yet again with the Yagyu clan very little is resolved on that front. It ends pretty much were it started, but while the story lacks a grander scale, it makes up for it with interesting characters and a well told (if ultimately unimportant) side story involving the dye maker hit. Inparticular, the three 'Gods of Death' are a nice addition; Ogami's fight with them is the best of the series in my opinion.Nothing much to say on the technical front, it's no better or worse then any other film in the sub-genre. Sound, lighting, direction, acting are all sufficient enough to get the job done.A classic of samurai film and another hardy addition to a great series.9/10

Rob I found Babycart in a sale and it had two other movies with it. The reason I bought it was because it had a special cover that indicating it had something to do with Kill Bill and it did. They were three films that had the biggest influence on Kill Bill so I thought it must be good but I didn't expect it to better. When viewing it I was watching how real films about samurai films were made and what they were like and they were more than I could have ever expected. The use of silence in some of the fight scenes were great but at first I thought it was really strange and didn't have a clue what was going on and I was saying every swear word in the dictionary of swearing then my Fiancée brought me back down to earth and said that she once read that samurai attacks in completely silence so it's enemy isn't aware of his moves which was the reason the film was like this and my thought straight away was `Clever Buggers'. It's because if you haven't grown up watching films like this and you are quite oblivious to what samurai films like this and Shogun Assassin are about you see them as a ray of sun shine into you're life because you are being introduced into this new genre which you never ever knew anything about which is always nice.I was taken into this film from the start and was just amazed by how influential these kind of films have been for so many years and when you watch them you will see why.

soytupadre ogami itto still in the path of avenge his wife,this time he has to fight yaigiu ninjas,killer women, and three weird guys that uses unusual weapons. i found this part better then the first part because there is much more action.