Shadow Hunters

1972 [JAPANESE]

Action / Adventure / Crime

3
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Certified Fresh 96%
IMDb Rating 6.3/10 10 153 153

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Plot summary

Set during the declining years of the Tokugawa shogunate, Shadow Hunters details the questionably noble exploits of three ronin who act as "Shadow Hunters". These three ronin are not your normal ornery ruffians who are looking for a drink, a broad and someone to jab a sword into, but are in fact former samurai who, rather than follow their destroyed fiefs and murdered masters into death via seppuku, have dedicated their combined sword prowess to stopping the government from raping its daimyos for valuable resources.

Director

Toshio Masuda Photo
Toshio Masuda

Top cast

Mikio Narita Photo
Mikio Narita as Moonlight
Kiyoshi Kamoda Photo
Kiyoshi Kamoda as
Tetsurô Tanba Photo
Tetsurô Tanba as
Ruriko Asaoka Photo
Ruriko Asaoka as Chitose
720p.WEB 1080p.WEB
819.74 MB
1280*534
Japanese 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 29 min
Seeds ...
1.49 GB
1920*800
Japanese 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 29 min
Seeds 1

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by chaos-rampant

For completists and hardened genre veterans only

Much like its Italian brother genre, the spaghetti western, Japanese chambara of the early 70's, after the golden age of samurai cinema in the 60's, was in desperate need for a breath of fresh air, for new ways to satisfy an audience tired of the same old offerings. SHADOW HUNTERS belongs to that particular niche that saw more titillating and bloodier pulpy b-movies bordering heavily on exploitation and infused with purely comic book sensibilities. Of course all these were already staples of the genre in the 60's and Shadow Hunters, without any lofty ambitions it must be said, follows the path of Nemuri Kyoshiro and other popular low-brow chambara characters, with the violence and blood amplified and some female nudity thrown in for good measure.The plot and dialogues never rise above comic-book pulp, as three dishonoured ronin called the Shadow Hunters come to the aid of an impoverished clan fighting to secure its future against the greedy paws of an ailing Tokugawa Shogunate. Escorting an envoy of the clan en route to Edo, the three ronins hack and slice their way through Shogunate agents, ninjas and spies, leaving behind them a trail of blood and chopped limbs and pausing enough to reminisce in flashback of how the Shogunate wronged them. Nothing we haven't seen in other, better movies but still boasting a capable body count and more than enough swordplay action to please the hardened chambara aficionado.What really detracts from it however is first the awful score, the kind of groovy jazz music one would usually encounter in pinku and yakuza films of the time and completely out of place in the context of rural 18th century Japan, and then Toshio Masuda's workmanlike-to-poor direction. Jubei's flashback of being made to act as the second (executioner) to the lord of his own clan, no more than a child, ends literally in a whirl of embarrassment. If you can ignore the above and done made your way through superior chambaras of the early 70's like the mighty LONE WOLF AND CUB series, this is good for 90 minutes of brainless fun.
Reviewed by daisukereds 7 / 10

"I make a Virtue out of Cruelty"

Three Shinobi (ninja) Hunters are hired to stop a group of.. Ninja, from destroying a small Fief out of the waning Government's greed.

Plot is secondary to the sparse gratuitous-nudity and plenty of bloodshed (one is more appreciated than the other)!

But it serves its purpose in specifying the era and the objective of those in play. As a stepping point, it is quite interesting (specially for those of us interested in Daimyo and the like). It also feels quite focused and smart from what you'd expect.. if not a bit barren. The type of movie you watch to pass the time more than anything.

Still, the strongest part of the movie is certainly the Lead Trio, as they show strong and believable camaraderie, well-written characters, decent enough backgrounds, interesting personalities and even "weaknesses". Secondary is the plentiful action that is never over the top. Sound effects are cheese but fit well (the musical score is almost-horrid), excellent lighting, good locations and overall acting. One thing I respect and love about this film, it's how they use the camera and cinematography angles to hide Shinobi for surprise attacks and to show their agility!

Finally, I quite liked the unexpected final resolution! As in, it was a tad unpredictable as well as abrupt! Not to say that it feels incomplete.. but I'll definitely be watching the sequel next, to hopefully get more closure.

"Make women happy by letting them play with your swords" is an idea uttered in the film. Make of that what you will.

Easy recommendation.

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