Shoguns Shadow If, like myself, you are a fan of identifying obscure sub-genres, ( a man has to have a hobby) then SHOGUNS SHADOW is a real find. Under the main Samurai/ Jidai Geki banner SS can also be classified as a Wilderness Survival Tale, akin to Deliverance or Southern Comfort. It can also be included in an exclusive sub-genre, identified here for the very first time, the Sonny Chiba Cruelty to Horses film- a rare club where the unlucky animal in question is mutilated and tormented for our viewing pleasure. But mostly SHOGUNS SHADOW is a rousing, old fashioned Boys Own adventure tale- full of deeds of derring do. Charged with accompanying the Shoguns young son to Edo before his brother attains the succession by default, our plucky group of adventurers must endure all manner of trials and hardships whilst being pursued by the dastardly Chiba- who in turn takes his orders from the scheming court offcial played by Hiroki Matsukata, a regular player in Chiba films, whose nervous but genial features were well supported by his understated acting style. Led by the benevolent Ken Ogata, the Good Guys (TM) include broadly drawn characters each designed to show off their particular skill. So we have the acrobatic kung fu monk, the explosives expert, the impulsive young buck and so on. The majority of the films running time being taken up with successive tasks and ordeals for the group to overcome. A daring escape from a mining town, mountains to traverse, and one memorable bit where everyone has to make their way over a deadly ravine on an impromptou rope bridge that features back projection effects that should have stayed in the 1950s. Of course there are also many energetic scraps with Chiba and his goombas. These fights are performed with considerable skill and imagination, showing the Japan Action Club (Chibas stunt team/martial arts school) at their best. Always coming off second best to the HK/Chinese film makers in kung fu choreography, Japanese hand to hand action has acquired a reputation for being decidedly inferior. And while the fight scenes in SHOGUNS SHADOW still don't come near the quality of an IRON MONKEY or OUATIC it is a shame that Japanese film makers didn't make more films in a similar vein. Which brings us to the horses. To acheive the numerous horse stunts and falls seen in the film, the stunt team used the old (and some say cruel) trick of tying a wire to a horse' leg and yanking it away, letting the animal crash to the ground with considerable force. Christ knows how many of em they went through to make the film. While SHOGUNS SHADOW is an ultimately inconsequential film, for two hours of pure entertainment it is hard to fault. All the actors turn in decent performances, and production design and the general look of the film is top knotch. All the actors that is bar one , the Shoguns son, the reason for this epic quest, is frankly a horrible little brat at times. Beyond the occasionally cheesy effects, the biggest blunder the film makes is the use of some heinous 80s power rock during some of the action scenes, imagine a Japanese Van Halen. Imagine it, then shudder.
3½ out of 5 | 
