By Paco McCullough
Hanzo the Razor: The Snare continues the legacy put forth by it’s preceding film, Sword of Justice, my Martial Arts Madness column from last week. This is both a good and a bad thing. The majority of the strengths I listed before (great setting, fun samurai action, and interesting traps) all return. Unfortunately, so do some major problems. The use of rape as an interrogation method continues in this film, as does the victim’s eventual enjoyment of it. I stated previously what a problem I have with the segments. Fortunately, they are shorter in this film than in Sword of Justice.
Surprisingly, this film does not start up where the last one left off, meaning that the anticlimatic cliffhanger of that film was completely random. Instead, Hanzo is on a new case involving a woman who died after a botched abortion. This leads to discovery of corruption at the highest levels of government, which Hanzo must put a stop to.
The Snare follows the fairly conventional pattern of a police procedural. This works, but not as well as it should. Although I recognize that these guys are bad, I’m never as angry with them as I should be. The random inclusion of a second antagonist nearly halfway through the film doesn’t work. Action is rare, but interspersed throughout the film. While there was one scene where I felt the choreography was lackluster, for the most part this film is as well fought as most of the era.
I would not recommend Hanzo the Razor: The Snare to anyone other than dedicated fans of samurai films. Even amongst fans of the genre, appeal is fairly limited. If you’ve seen most of the other samurai films, then I suppose this is worth checking out. Otherwise, you’re better served rewatching a Zatoichi or Lone Wolf and Cub movie.
2.5 out of 5 stars
Hanzo the Razor: Sword of Justice (1972)
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