 A film in three minutes. Long ago, in an age of swords and proud warriors, of grindhouse theatres and rogue directors, there was a film that inspired a generation. A film that was as stylish as it was violent. A film that actually is made up of two films with extensive re-editing and story changes that nevertheless has stood the test of time, whose legacy can be seen in countless other movies, all bowing and paying tribute to the honor, the majesty, the awesomeness that is Shogun Assassin. The 1980 seminal sword fighting masterpiece replete with insane over-the-top slicing and slashing, cutting and thrusting, and samurai, Cirque du Soleil that would make Akira Kurosawa green with envy. Or maybe that should be read. Brought to Western shores by producer David Weissman, Shogun Assassin is actually a combination of the first two entries of the popular Japanese Lone Wolf and Cub film series, Sword of Vengeance and Baby Cart at the River Styx, based on the successful Manga Strip written by Kazuo Koiki and illustrated by Gozeki Kojima. As such, the storyline of a proud, almost indestructible Shogun decapitator who must protect his toddler son from attacks by ninja, samurai and highly skilled assassins is at times a little perplexing both tonally and narratively. However, you don't watch a film called Shogun Assassin for the plot, but instead for the beautifully stylized action, which this film has by the perambulator. Every fight scene oozes an exquisite cinematography and editing approach that presents the action as being both astonishing and absurd, with the at times deranged world of the story and its bizarre over-the-top set pieces only kept grounded thanks to Tomisaburo Wakayama's stoic performance as the Lone Wolf, whose penetrating gaze and intense presence makes him easily one of the coolest, most badass protagonists of the G-Digeki genre. Whilst his son, Daigaro, the Cub whose life is under constant threat, humanizes the lone warrior and offers a more complex insight into his character than if he were just a mindless, soulless killer. And once you combine this action, character and style with the eclectic synthesized soundtrack and then layer over a somber yet often times hilarious English language voice dub, it's really easy to understand why Shogun Assassin enjoys a strong cult following to this day, with fans which include Quentin Tarantino, whilst other filmmakers have taken inspiration from the art direction, fight sequences and wardrobe in countless other films, founding a legacy that has remained as razor sharp as the wolf's trusty sword and proves that when it comes to kick ass cinema, few make the cut as well as Shogun Assassin.