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STUDIO: Animeigo
MSRP: $24.98
RATED: Not Rated
RUNNING TIME: 93 min
SPECIAL FEATURES: 

  • Trailers
  • Program Notes
  • Image Gallery

The Pitch

The Last Ninja loses his son to the evil Nobunaga.

The Humans

Raizo Ichikawa, Mikiko Tsubouchi, Tomisaburo Wakayama, So Yamamura and Shiho Fujimura

The Nutshell

Goemon retired after the end of Shinobi No Mono. Living a life as a farmer, he married and raised a son. But, evil Nobunaga can’t let the Iga live in peace. Therefore, he sends his ninja killing soldiers out to murder Goemon and his ilk. Goemon’s infant son is the sole casuality, thus sending Goemon onto a path of rip-roaring revenge.

Akira Kurosawa never could get Taiga Drama Godzilla over the ground.

The Lowdown

Goemon could’ve started off killing the main man. But, you don’t end a franchise with the first sequel. You’ve got to set the ninja lose on the bad guy’s royal court. Courtesans, scribes and other Asian royals get whacked by the cartload. After awhile, it becomes pretty non-descript. But, it’s well-shot murder for its day and age.

The bulk of the movie then moves to the action of a female ninja that Goemon is using. He wants to have the stealthy piece of ass put seeds of dissent into Nobunaga’s main ally. This leads to the only thing possible. A bunch of guys squawking about some bullshit that an Asian hoodrat made up. Nevertheless, more people die.

Masahiro Shinoda is a director that takes awhile to get used to his particular choices. He’s a journeyman action shooter similar to William Wellman. If you’re not familiar with either man, I recommend getting your ass over to Netflix and rounding up some titles to watch. Both men provide an education in the nature of the action film and serial put to film. Whether it’s a Roy Rogers picture or a Ninja revenge tale, they got what it was all about. Hooking the audience into another episode in the life of your beloved hero.

The film has decent A/V Quality for an older flick. I noticed a slight shimmering around the subtitles. But, that appears in most Region 1 foreign titles that don’t originate out of a big studio house. Well, Tartan was the exception. But, Tartan doesn’t exist in America anymore.

Shinobi No Mono 2: Vengeance provides ample opportunities to watch carnage unfold in a period piece. Sure, it’s paper-thin dialogue coupled with an over-extended plot. But, you’ve got to enjoy a good murder-revenge story. Well, the Japanese did. There were about nine of these Shinobi flicks.

The Package

Trailers, Image Gallery and Program Notes – It’s the standard AnimEigo treatment for classic Asian releases. You get a look at the trailer for the main feature, plus some coverage of other titles coming down the pike. There’s some stills from the production collected and you get a little bit of historical information on the feature. It’s not a lot of material, but it’s enough to pique your interest.

6.5 out of 10