Too much of everything

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

FEARLESS AVENGER begins with a recap of the first part, TRAIL OF BLOOD, summing up the events that sent badass swordsman extraordinaire Jokichi of Mikogami on a bloodthirsty quest for revenge. Add to that the overall small duration of 79 minutes and one quickly realizes this is more akin to a new episode in a continuing saga than a fully fledged movie but still a good double bill with its predecessor for that matter.Having killed one of three yakuza bosses responsible for the murder of his wife and son in the previous film, in FEARLESS AVENGER Jokichi hunts down the second one, Boss Chogoro, leaving behind him a trail of blood strewn with the hacked bodies of disposable extras. In the course of the film he is called upon to escort the daughter of the most powerful and feared yakuza boss back to her father, while a group of mysterious figures stalks him on his way. The final conclusion is similar to that of TRAIL OF BLOOD with Jokichi knowingly walking into a trap. Bloody mayhem ensues.What makes the Mikogami movies so enjoyable, despite their rather unimaginative adherence to genre formulas, is Jokichi's character. An alienated ronin taken straight from the mould of Ogami Itto and other serialized chambara antiheroes but with a twist that sets him apart. A master swordsman as likely to try and avoid trouble with three scrawny thugs he could cut down in a second as he is to storm a gathering of yakuza bosses and take on 100 henchmen single-handedly. Hellbent on his quest for revenge but without allowing his monomania to be sidetracked into charity. Yoshio Harada early in his career does a sterling job in the title role. He would go on to work for such famed Japanese directors as Masahiro Shinoda, Kinji Fukasaku and Hideo Gosha.In the end, this is not for the newcomer to samurai cinema. It's not as sophisticated or as complex as the jidai-geki of the 60's, nor is it trying to be. It's a pulpy b-movie for the dedicated chambara aficionado, with a decent revenge plot and enough swordplay to keep the whole family happy.

The Fearless Avenger is the second in the Mikogami Trilogy. In the first installment, we met Jokichi (Yoshio Harada) a drifter turned family man, only to see his dreams die with his new family. Three men were responsible for this; Kaiun Chogoro, Kunisada Chuji, and Boss Kyubei, all of which are powerful bosses. The trilogy breaks up Jokichi's thirst for vengeance into three parts, for three bosses.This time around, we find Jokichi on the dusty trail, wandering through nameless towns, in search of the three men who wronged him. He has one thing on his mind... vengeance... bloody, murderous vengeance. On one of his stops, he hears of a meeting of the eight bosses of Kanto, a meeting which Kaiun Chogoro will be attending. A meeting Jokichi is dead set on crashing. And he does, and while he makes a negative impact among the rulers of Kanto, Jokichi also makes an unlikely ally; Boss Juzaburo. After being thrown off a bridge, Jokichi makes the acquaintance of Umezo of Yoshiro, who in turn, sets him up with a job for Boss Juzaburo. His task? Escort the daughter of Juzaburo to the aforementioned estate. On his way, Kokichi has to deal with assassins, loose ends from the first film, and a random assortment of murderers, rapists, and quite possibly Boss Chogoro.The film begins with a recap of the previous film, which is fine. But then the film launches into the opening credits, which is the same as the opening of the first film. Which helps create some small plot holes. For instance, the opening features a limping Jokichi, which doesn't make sense when followed by the second part shows a Jokichi who walks just fine. It doesn't help the film's continuity and just shows the viewer how low the film's production values are. But truly, this is a insignificant gripe for a 70's Samurai Film.In truth, the plot is truly unimportant. Most of the trilogy's plot is set up in the first installment. This is not to say that The Fearless Avenger is mindless. No, it definitely has a sense of direction but the director didn't really focus on developing the plot as much as he focused on the action scenes and choreography. Which, could be either a positive or negative depending on the viewer. Personally, for me, I didn't mind... I don't exactly watch 70's Samurai Flicks for the plot development.As far as action scenes goes, The Fearless Avenger has plenty of them. There's a bit more action in the second installment than in Trail of Blood. And it's also a bit bloodier than the first, which is fine with me. Although, it still doesn't reach the level of exploitation that the Lone Wolf and Cub series attained. The blood sprays and severed limbs are in there, just much more sporadic. In terms of action, one of the things I love about this trilogy is that it's almost impossible to tell when Jokichi will decide to unsheathe his sword. Sometimes I think, "He's pointlessly outnumbered, he won't dare attack." And then I'm pleasantly surprised, as he draws his sword and proves me wrong. Oh, and by the way, if you happen to be a woman in medieval Japan and you come across a guy named Jokichi. Stay well away, it seems as if every woman Jokichi knows of loves in this trilogy is destined to a brutal death or rape... or both. It almost becomes a rule and makes the trilogy a bit predictable at times.Bottom Line- Samurai Fans will love it. While the film has some issues and is plagued by low production values, the main focus is on well done action sequences, which The Fearless Avenger has plenty of.

I could summarize this flick for you, but, I'm not going to do that. Basically, you wouldn't be reading this if you weren't a samurai flick fan. And if you aren't, then this Mikogami Trilogy is a good start (Lone Wolf and Cub also a good start). What gets my blood pumping in these films and keeps me plastered to the seat is the non-stop jams. How can you have a action hero without a theme song? Where as Trail of Blood represents a softer side of Jokichi, we are given more of adventure into the hardcore drifter side of the man worthy of that cool 70's beat. Other's say this one lacks story. I disagree. There's a great story here which further develops the overall character of Jokichi the Drifter. And even though I did not like the reverse sword fighting as much in Trail of Blood, Fearless Avenger definitely made me dig it a whole lot more.Contemporary directors and cinematographers could learn a lot here.

After the heart pounding final fight in The Trail of Blood, The Fearless Avenger (part 2 of the Mikogami Trilogy) drops us right into more fights and more turmoil for our wandering Samurai Jokichi. Running at an all to brief 80 minutes The Fearless Avenger leaves little time for story and gets us straight into some entertaining fights including a very ballsy confrontation with "Boss Thunder" and the entire Yakuza Boss Squad during a night of gambling and partying.For the most part little is here in the way of story and that is fine as we already know the situation going into this movie. If not there is a brief summary in the beginning of the prior film's events. What story we do have that is new is that Boss Thunder has hired Jokichi to bring his runaway daughter home and in return he will give him information on where 2 of the bosses he is hunting are hiding. Not to spoil anything but things do not go as planned for Jokichi as more fights and attacks occur throughout.What I've really liked so far about the series is that the character of Jokichi. I like that even though his character is to be that of an untouchable Samurai warrior he needs help and makes mistakes along the way. It is refreshing to see a character such as Jokichi and his code of the Samurai fail and to see what recourse is taken by not just those around him but himself as well.Saying that, if you were not a fan of The Trail of Blood, The Fearless Avenger will probably not sway you either. It is more of the same thing, Jokichi on the hunt for more Yakuza baddies for what they did to his wife and child. Again like, The Trail of Blood, other than 2 or 3 cases the kills are of the standard splatter-less variety. The best splat is probably toward the beginning when he hacks off a guy's hand and the geyser action of that time frame kicks in all to briefly. Again the violence is there and the action sequences are nice but like the first I would have liked to have seen more gruel.In the end it is another nice entry in the 70's Samurai scene but is best viewed after seeing The Trail of Blood. Fans of that film will find more of the same here which will lead you into the finale of the trilogy, Slaughter in the Snow.Score: 7/10: Good, Short running time aside this is another solid 70's Samurai Flick that is good on its own but better coupled together with The Trail of Blood. I recommend watching both to get the full effect.Both films are out now by AnimEigo DVD who have once again done a nice job of bring us another example of fine 70's Samurai action!!!