Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

And man, doesn't my title say enough per se? A very gratifying experience and OK maybe not a movie for everyone, since you must love and understand Martial arts action films here, to really be a fan! However there's plenty of something else too: from a cinematography rocking some of the wisest most cinematic scenes to date and not just your usual average cable film way too filled of unnecessary tacky close up's, this opts immediately for that almost Super Panavision or Cinema Scope look that brings you back immediately to that long forgotten visionary and virtuoso images composition truly worthy of some true cult predecessor's such us (clearly) Corbucci's miraculous "The Great Silence" or even I would dare saying some Sergio Leone's perfection! The score also is pretty damn fun although I would have personally enjoyed more a more distinctive homage to Ennio Morricone's masterful works of the 1960's! If some of the story is even too contrived to be narrated there's a brilliant true Tarantino's feel, especially in all the scenes with exceptional actor Domiziano Arcangeli as villain Nathan Flesher, who truly steals the show here making of your stereotypical villain something way more complex and profound and with eyes that do owe the same intensity of a Terence Stamp during the days while ironically playing all the weaker spots with a glacial, surprising Klaus Kinski class act of rare enigmatic charisma: Arcangeli is one of those actors who truly grew up in Europe making some of the later classic's of the hey days, when a boy, and that today, instead as a mature rugged sinister and yet somewhat disturbingly sexy man works a lot , but, for me so deliriously employed in way too many flicks unworthy of an extraordinary, natural presence and film's star charisma, that when given an opportunity, makes him shine and sustain every thing he does with uncommon depth and some serious virtues! I saw him playing completely diverse roles always mainly becoming one of the truly unforgettable parts of the movie is in! Hoping that the stubborn blindness of certain ugly producers or casting directors -who seem way too often so busy to employ just always those same boring actors all looking like bank clerks sporting classic soap passable looks and deliveries- finally more often give instead back to the movie such outstanding and enigmatic performers bring to their characters, as he does here with Flesher, i will have also to note that another formidable real presence such as Amanda Plummer, manage to do the same with minimal if wild screen time, making of a cameo something also quite unique and innovative here, wiry and psychotic and true carrying material nobody else could with such nonchalant bravura! All the Asian actors were phenomenal, even though I must honestly say that I prefer Mr.Mitsutake as a cult and wildly imaginative, prepared director than as my lead ( scorned) man and by far! The Drifter played with the young Eastwood's appropriately hunky look, is instead not enough of an actor to carry such weight with any convincing energy or wit! While a note must go to other 2 minor but key characters, the truck driver exceptionally played by a young actor I would also Enjoy to see more often and by the brave understated but quite remarkable performance delivered by Megan Hallin as the lone wolf truly tragically murdered wife in some of the most shocking and most accomplished sequences of this original, roller coaster of a movie and involving of course Flesher and his men, in some particularly cruel and truly hard to watch moments of high tension, extreme and sick, morbid sexuality and all together a true despair and degradation so effective at least ( and if You can get to behold them without feeling almost and truly unexpectedly brutalized as I did with some remorse!) to set up the story for such a strong powerful start able eventually to justify the still bloody but way less realistic and more grind house playful segments truly colorful and able to ensure plenty of wilder enthralling entertainment to virtually all audiences, and not just those strictly of the most hard core and not always so brilliant Martial Arts main theme! I don't and won't even be able to tell a third of this carnival filled with hot topless and deceitful bimbos a go-go, sexy dark ladies whom beside moral codes and exploitative nudity, will surprise anyone by becoming witches of a carnal and sickening evil, cowboys providing action like truly as seen from a real Spaghetti western, and dark dangerous zombies, lost dead ghost cities with secrets that need an ironic off screen narration in order to be understood , before arriving to one of the most gore galore's truculent finale's ( with explanations) I have seen in a very long time! And here a praise also for all the A list SFX department truly right on! An "incredible" film? Maybe. But here we are talking mostly of that "incredible " that makes for real insane and fun movie magic, and not just an exercise in violence or worse an another today's sad amateur attempt to recreate a classic cult Film! Here there is a huge and highly professional accomplishment in a movie that needs to become ( and despite all of the well deserved Awards already Internationally won!) way more popular and celebrated along with some of its wonderful main cast and amazingly skillful director! Don't miss this gem! Just bare with the excessive violence of some moments : it will be well worth it at the very end ! And, what about a sequel maybe?

I love plenty of IMDb 3's and 4's but this one is just a load. Maybe I shouldn't have watched 13 Assassin's just a couple nights before, but I doubt anything could save this one. This guy just took all the best parts (and quotes) right out of the Baby Cart series and made yellow American cheese out of it. I LOVE Baby Cart, the series is long enough to enjoy repeat viewings for a lifetime. There's no need to watch this homage rubbish. He even stole the pistol slice move from Bohachi - Clan of the forgotten 8 (Highly recommended!). From the juvenile cut scene narratives to the 25mins worth of Reshething scenes, this blind wolf was a sad display. I'm sorry, but did we really need you to stop the film every 15mins to narrate to us how TRULY SKILLED these characters are!?

It's sad to see a jewel of a movie to get such a low IMDb score. This movie is like Planet Terror, or Dead Alive. Not to be taken too seriously.It steals ideas and general storyline from movies all over the place. There's elements from so many movies I wouldn't even know where too start. This is B-movie cult stuff, but may be too cheesy for most viewers.If you like samurai, loads of unrealistic blood and awesomely bad acting.... this is the movie for you. Give the movie a try, you'll know within 5 minutes if you're gonna like this movie or not :)

The cons out way the pros, but i respect the director's vision and the fact he had a go despite having a lame script, awful actors and no budget...'A' for effort anyway...Its typical revenge fare and the blood and violence factor is high (maybe thats why i liked it?!)...there's a lot of samurai lore involved yet it appears most the actors have no martial arts abilities...i may be mistaken, since I've never heard of any of them, but usually its easy to tell the difference between someone who has learnt to throw a punch or kick or swing a blade in front of the camera and someone who is a trained martial artist. And only one dude here looks like he knows what he's doing but since no-one else does, he has to hold back from actually swinging his sword properly, or make his punches and kicks look as ineffective as everyone elses...either that or they were using real swords that were super sharp and so were afraid to swing them with any kind of real force or finesse...There's shades of lots of old Japanese samurai flicks, plus bits of Tarantino's Kill Bill and Planet Terror (especially the grainy camera effects and use of 'old looking' filming techniques), plus Ninja Scroll, Azumi, Versus and possibly Shinobi, but its not as good as any of them...still, it was entertaining, and there's nudity and blood, so it wasn't all bad!