Screenings: February 27, 11:30 PM (Cam 12); March 2, 9:30 PM (Rep)
Everyone knows that the standard samurai movie tropes and the standard Western movie tropes mesh well together — look at Kurosawa’s samurai classics and Clint Eastwood’s early “spaghetti” Westerns. But what do you get when you mesh them with a little less subtlety? A “sushi” western: “Samurai Avenger: The Blind Wolf.” This revenge tale takes place in the old west and features a mysterious drifter with his own motivations as our hero’s sidekick, but most of the combatants sling katana rather than guns and our hero is a blind Japanese swordsman who trained in the arts of combat after his family was cruelly murdered in front of him by a thoroughly evil, scenery-chewing villain. Said villain is now getting out of jail after serving a sentence for a different crime, and our hero is determined to be there when he’s released, even though it means he must fight through seven opponents set on collecting the bounty the villain placed on our hero’s head.
This is a thoroughly violent film with plenty of spraying blood, dripping viscera, and nudity. Viewers beware. Those of us who love over-the-top homage/send-up type films must not miss “Samurai Avenger,” but purists and the weak of stomach should stay away.