Shogun Assassin - Blu-Ray - Uncut - Region A - Robert Houston

Censored, banned, bootlegged, mistreated, but ultimately unstoppable, this breathtaking high-definition special edition is the release Shogun Assassin fans have been waiting for. Unquestionably the most popular samurai film in the West since the days of Akira Kurosawa, this chanbara classic was lifted from a hugely popular comic book saga and, still wet, transferred glistening to the screen. After being framed for disloyalty to his clan lord, disgraced ronin Itto Ogami (with three-year-old son Daigoro in tow) travels medieval Japan as the most skilled samurai-for-hire bar none. But as the treachery and obstacles in his latest mission quickly pile up, Ogami is forced to handle it the only way he knows how. A re-scored, re-dubbed reassembly of the first two films in the Lone Wolf & Cub series, the result has become an ageless cult sensation in its own right: a crazed thrill-ride in a booby-trapped baby cart, propelled on arterial spray, hurtling gleefully to nowhere.

Audio Commentaries

There are two tracks here. The first, which appeared on the DVD, features film scholar Ric Meyers and martial arts expert Steve Wilson discussing the Lone Wolf and Cub films, elucidating obscure elements of Japanese tradition, and commenting on the film's sword-based action. The second is an all-new track with producer Davis Weisman, graphic designer Jim Evans (Illustrator), who designed the poster art, and Gibran Evans, who provided the voice of Daigoro when he was seven years old. This track focuses more keenly on the origin of the Shogun Assassin project and the process of reworking the Lone Wolf films for an international audience.

• Samuel L. Jackson Interview (1080p, 12:43)
  
• Everyone's favorite Jedi is a huge martial arts movie fan, and in this 2009 interview, Jackson talks extensively about his love for Lone Wolf and Shogun Assassin.
  
• Restoration Gallery (1080p, 3:45)
  
• A showcase of the visual difference between bootleg, DVD, and Blu-ray copies of the film.
  
• Program Notes
  
• Text-only trivia and notes on the high definition remastering process.
  
• HD Trailer (1080p, 2:35)
  
• Region A