Baby on Board, Pt. 1 — Shogun Assassin (1980)

The Mandalorian and Grogu gives the feature-film treatment to a streaming series whose premise — an outcast warrior lives by a code of honor while traveling in the company of an adorable small companion — owes no small debt to the Japanese multimedia franchise Lone Wolf and Cub. But rather than comb through the six installments comprising that film series for a good match, we’re looking at another attempt to translate Lone Wolf and Cub to Western audiences via the 1980 compilation Shogun Assassin. Joined this week by Filmspotting SVU’s Matt Singer, we discuss how Shogun Assassin’s “just the hits” approach to combining the first two films in the series simplifies the plot and amplifies the action, and how this franchise’s comic-book origins come through in the film’s use of heightened violence, dynamic editing, and narration. Then in Feedback we hear from a couple of listeners about one very recent episode, and one very old one.

Please share your thoughts about Shogun Assassin, The Mandalorian and Grogu, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email or voice memo to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

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