Hanzo the Razor: Sword of Justice
So, Mark Buchanan the boss of Anime Central walks up to me in the office and says in his Glaswegian brogue;
“Steve, loved your Transformers review. I just got a couple of DVD’s in and I’d like you to take a look at them.”
“Yeah sure,” said I.
“What are they?”
“It’s a trilogy of Japanese films. They’re really twisted, but I think you’ll love them!”
“Ok.”
Now I don’t know what kind of reputation I’ve managed to procure for myself within these office walls, but it’s certainly not one I seek to exploit after viewing this atrocity.
Hanzo Itami is an officer who upholds the law in Edo. As you would expect he is a little tougher than your average constable, a cop who doesn’t play by the rules and abhors the powers that be.
When he isn’t tackling crime, he likes to relax with a nice hot bath, after which he lays his penis on a stall and proceeds to beat it with a stick. He subsequently tops things off by copulating with a bag of rice.
This first of a trilogy of films, Sword of Justice centers around Hanzo attempting to track down a mysterious killer who has returned from exile. As we join him throughout his investigation we see him following a trail of corruption that goes all the way to the very heights of the local government.
The film is essentially a Japanese exploitation film that would have certainly inspired Tarantino when he conceived the Kill Bill movies. It has the classic seventies soundtrack and a high quotient of over-the-top violence, featuring blood that was obviously purchased from Homebase.
The most infamous feature of the trilogy is Hanzo’s deplorable contempt for the fairer sex. Now don’t get me wrong, I know Shaft wasn’t exactly a bleeding heart feminist but in this film Hanzo sees fit to rape female suspects to procure the relevant information. Paradoxically it doesn’t quite constitute as rape as they always end up loving it anyway!
Its hard not to mention Shintaro Katsu without mentioning Zatoichi, a series of 27 films that are highly regarded within the Japanese film industry. There is, however, no way you can compare those films with this. It is as if Katsu, who also produced Sword of Justice and the subsequent Hanzo adventures, just wanted to film his darkest desires resulting in the film being deeply unpleasant to watch at the best of times.
I think imdb.com sums it up best with the following plot keywords:
Large Penis / Rape / Exploitation / Samurai
Sword of Justice is proof that the combination of these elements do not necessarily constitute an enjoyable viewing experience.