Executioner, The (1974)

Trained in the arts of ninjitsu, Sonny Chiba joins several equally dangerous partners in stealing a large stash of cocaine from the Mafia.

The Executioner is one ultra-violent and over-sexed film that will definitely offend sensitive viewers with its depiction of brutality and womanizing. For those who are still interested (shame on you), the film offers some of the best action scenes of Sonny Chiba and Yasuaki Kurata’s career and a lot of raw humor.

The film begins with Chiba as a young boy, played by Henry Sanada who is a prisoner in his grandfather’s house. The old man vows to teach the boy all he knows of the secret arts of ninjitsu, such as sticking to ceilings. Years later, Chiba is working for a quazi-government organization, whose leader orders his men to put a stop to the drug trade in Japan. Working outside the law, the leader recruits a dangerous hitman and a mentally unstable but vicious convict who Chiba is sent to break out of prison. These three less than morally upright citizens target the Mafia and devise a plan to steal a briefcase full of cocaine, sell it and split the earnings. After several run ins with the mafia, they finally track the local boss to his home where the drugs will be and hoping to get away with the stuff alone, Chiba attacks first. He’s eventually joined by the hitman and briefly by his student (Yasuaki Kurata) as they drive right through the front door and begin kicking ass in every direction. Having grabbed phony drugs, Chiba and the hitman chase down the fleeing mafia boss along with his bodyguards for a final showdown.

This is definitely one of those “it’s so bad its good” films. On the one hand, Chiba has never looked better. He’s every bit the tough guy from The Street Fighter and even more assured in his actions and facial expressions. He’s undoubtedly one of the best fight choreographers Japan’s film industry ever had and this is a terrific showcase. A very young Henry Sanada appears at the beginning, displaying a small portion of the skill he would exhibit in later films such as Shogun’s Ninja. Yasuaki Kurata, who is well known for his roles in Hong Kong action films such as Heroes of the East has a small role that amounts to nothing more than a guy who decides to join the group for a little action and ends up dead after a brilliant fight sequence. Kurata, looking like a Japanese Bruce Lee cuts loose like I’ve never seen him do before.

What hurts the film is its ludicrous excesses. One scene has the hitman whacking a guy on the head which causes his eyes to literally pop out of their sockets. And gory scenes like those are not nearly as common as the blatant and senseless female nudity. After Chiba is captured towards the end, the mafia boss tells his party goers that he’s going to put on a show for them. This leads to a public beating on Chiba. Okay, fine. But why does the mute Caucasian girl who is basically his slave remove her clothes and start groping her boss? An earlier scene where Chiba is seen attacking various lesser drug traffickers includes a ridiculous moment when he pushes his target away and leaps on the woman in bed! There are other intentional jokes including a reference to copulating with the back end of a car and erectile dysfunction that will either offend or amuse the viewer depending on their tastes.

This film is definitely recommended for a select audience including exploitation and Sonny Chiba fans based on its offensive content. It’s somewhat of a shame too since the action scenes are so well executed. But best part about The Executioner is the irreverent and free-spirited tone that is maintained by the film’s pace and Chiba’s acting. From a purely visceral level, this is one of Chiba’s best.