I’m woefully behind on my ninja viewing. Shogun’s Ninja has so much ninja goodness it makes up for several movies. Sonny Chiba plays the villain, but our hero is the great Hiroyuki Sanada. He’s still kicking in John Wick: Chapter 4 but you may have also seen him in Royal Warriors or The Last Samurai.
His ninjas wear blue but that’s dark enough to blend into the night. The bamboo forests are full of strategic puddles, traps and flying stars. There are female warriors with nunchucks and ninjas climbing trees in camouflage.
The shogun aren’t messing around either. A gauntlet of spears stands three stories tall. There is a character named Hattori Hanzo which will be familiar.
The music sometimes scores the action with wacky comedy music. The odd juxtaposition makes viewing the film unique.
It is a good thing I waited to catch up on ninja movies because we never got quality presentation in the ‘80s. This Blu-ray is widescreen high definition. It opens with Chiba meeting his lord shrouded in shadow. A harakiri spills bright blood and the various costumes glow in the natural countryside.
In a bonus interview, Clement Rauger explains Japanese film industry of 1980. Chris Poggiali’s commentary has two hours to go into even more detail. He’s scene specific as individuals appear, and gives the context of the Japan Action Club stunt team. He also explains the band who did the score and what they were going for with the tonal shifts.