Pursued by the authorities, rōnin assassin Shiro (Tetsurô Tanba) is taken in by the immoral Bohachi clan, who use the warrior's awesome sword-fighting skills to help them seize control of the local prostitution industry. When no longer of any use, the evil Bohachi leader tries to dispose of Shiro by getting him addicted to opium and caging him up with a syphilitic whore; but even stoned out of his gourd, the assassin proves to be a formidable opponent...
I'm of the opinion that, like cyborgs and dwarfs (and cyborg dwarfs), gratuitous female nudity and gore can make virtually any film more entertaining; director Teruo Ishii clearly agrees, loading Bohachi, a delightfully sleazy Chanbara movie, with countless naked Japanese cuties and very bloody sword-fights, which means that when the screen isn't full of tits (no muff: this being a Japanese film the ladies keep their hands in front of their nether regions at all times), there's severed body-parts flying everywhere instead. Sometimes, Ishii even combines the two, having his naked Bohachi women whipping out weapons and partaking in the violence themselves—something I'm all in favour of.
The name of the game here is clearly 'exploitation excess' meaning that on top of the all the wonderful big-breasted Asian babes and bright crimson blood, viewers can also expect a smidgen of torture, a smattering of lesbianism, and some opium-fuelled sex (with hero Shiro entertaining not one woman, but four!), all realised with hyper-stylised direction that uses strong experimental lighting effects to really add to that cool 70s vibe.
7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.
I'm of the opinion that, like cyborgs and dwarfs (and cyborg dwarfs), gratuitous female nudity and gore can make virtually any film more entertaining; director Teruo Ishii clearly agrees, loading Bohachi, a delightfully sleazy Chanbara movie, with countless naked Japanese cuties and very bloody sword-fights, which means that when the screen isn't full of tits (no muff: this being a Japanese film the ladies keep their hands in front of their nether regions at all times), there's severed body-parts flying everywhere instead. Sometimes, Ishii even combines the two, having his naked Bohachi women whipping out weapons and partaking in the violence themselves—something I'm all in favour of.
The name of the game here is clearly 'exploitation excess' meaning that on top of the all the wonderful big-breasted Asian babes and bright crimson blood, viewers can also expect a smidgen of torture, a smattering of lesbianism, and some opium-fuelled sex (with hero Shiro entertaining not one woman, but four!), all realised with hyper-stylised direction that uses strong experimental lighting effects to really add to that cool 70s vibe.
7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.