Hanzo, The Razor - Trilogy
Starring: Shintaro Katsu
Director: Kenji Misumi
#1 Sword of Justice
This first part in a trilogy, depicts the nefarious exploits of Edo-era cop Hanzo Itami (Shintaro Katsu), who employs two former convicts as his deputies to uncover corruption by any means. Aiding him in his pursuit for justice in an arsenal of weaponry that includes a boody-trapped house to skewer unwanted trespassers, a sai and chain for disarming swordsmen or swinging into action, and spiked knuckles for gouging out eye.
But his most prized weapon is his enlarged sexual member that he conditions much the way a stereotypical kung fu student might condition their fists with a sack of rice. He then employs it as a tool of interrogation against women, who though initially reluctant to talk, eventually blabber away while begging for more.
1972 Runtime - 90 Min.
#2 The Snare
The movie opens as Hanzo and his loyal deputies chase down a pair of petty thieves, only to end up in a tussle with samurai in the employ of a high-ranking treasury officer.
This sets Hanzo on a collision course with trouble as he makes enemies of the officer's samurai bodyguard and ends up having to take on the country's most notorious thief or face the possibility of ritual suicide. Of course, he goes about his business with his usual lack of tact and discretion.
This includes tracing a string of ritualistic abortions to an S&M gathering at a Buddhist Temple where nuns are kidnapping and drugging women to satisfy the sadistic pleasure of the treasury officer and a group of business owners. Unable to prove the officer's involvement, Hanzo tortures and pleasures the dead nun into a full confession. With his career and life at stake, Hanzo takes on the mission to bring in the country's most dangerous criminal, a killer and thief named Shobei Hamajima (Kei Sato).
Hanzo sets a trap at the treasury by hiding away with the female steward, a widow he decides needs a little special attention in order to keep her from giving his presence away when the thief arrives.
1973 Runtime - 89 Min.
#3 Who's got the Gold
From the pages of Kazuo Koike's classic manga flies the incorruptible samurai cop, Hanzo Itami. Known for his "nasty habits", fans of "The Razor" wouldn's have it any other way.
Orgying blind high priests, desperate royal wives, corruption, and conspiracy are all part of the mystery Hanzo uncovers at the Shogunate treasury. Appropriate procedures? That's not the way Edo's most well-endowed constable conducts his unique brand of police business. "Who's Got the Gold?", starring the legendary Shintaro Katsu ("Zatoichi"), brings the notorious Razor trilogy to a rousing climax, with extreme swordplay and Hanzo's even more extreme "interrogations" of his female suspects.
1974 Runtime - 84 Min.
All 3 films are Wildscreen NTSC Region free.
Japanese with English subtitles
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