Review

by Sam S

Remarkably violent

Sonny Chiba's first really big smash outside of Japan, this is renowned for being one of the most violent martial arts movies ever made – it was the first ever film to receive an X-rating purely on the basis of violence. Released to capitalise on the success of Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon, this really increased the stakes as far as blood and guts are concerned. Eyes (and much more) ripped out, blood everywhere, you only have to get a few minutes into this before the violence begins. Featuring some classic fights and stunts, the plot details are not the important thing here (something to do with an attempted kidnapping and bloodfeud, if you are interested…). For those who are fans, there are also three sequels which continue in much the same manner – also worth checking out is the lesser known Karate Bearfight, unrelated to this but featuring Sonny Chiba. Fighting a bear. With Karate.