Killing Machine - Shorinji Kenpo

Starring:Killing Machine
Studio: Adness
Product Type: DVD

Description

Sonny Chiba stars as Doshin So, a martial arts master who returns from the second World War after serving as an undercover spy. Upon his return, he finds that his family's land has been stolen. Doshin must also take back the town from a group of black marketers and to rebuild his life. He also helps a group of war orphans to get back on their feet including a young girl forced into prostitution. In typical Chiba fashion, it's time to make someone pay!

Customer Reviews:

More than just a martial arts film.......2007-05-12

When i first saw this film, it totally blew me away. I ordered this film thinking I was going to get nothing but senseless karate action with a moderate story plot. But instead I received it both ways. Incredible action, incredible story. The story was very dramatical. It was almost like a true war story, even though some of the events are fiction. It tells a tale of a japenese spy who gets fed up when he finds out that his country surendered and then he begins to loose control and starts killing everyone in his sight. He is then sent to a jail only to find out by a jail forman that he wants him to escape and leave out of sight. He then escapes and opens up his own martial arts school. Where he founded his own style (kenpo). He is then confronted with challenges around him that conflicts his school. That is when he has no choice but to become a killing machine. Sonny chiba is an incredible actor. I have only seen films such as the street fighter by him. But i never seen him act so dramatically in this role.

This is a great film with incredible martial arts fights and a touching story line. I highly recomended you buy this film.

True story, true action, a powerful film.......2007-05-10

Along with his bio films on the life of karate legend Mas Oyama, Sonny Chiba Shinichi made this film about the life of the founder of Shorinji Kempo, So Doshin. (Chiba actually holds legitimate black belt rankings in both kyokushin karate and Shorinji kempo). As other reviewers have properly pointed out, this film was terribly misnamed for English speaking audiences as ""Killing Machine," which of course Master So was no such thing. He was, however, a true defender of the weak, a man who believed that love, peace, and justice, backed up by the power to punish, is the true way in martial arts and the way to an orderly society. I own both the VHS, English dubbed version (the one I saw in the movie theatre years ago when this film was first released in the USA) and the DVD, Japanese language version with subtitles. Far and away, the latter is the best of the two. So much is lost in the English dubbed version, it is far better to read the subtitles which are much closer to what the actors are actually saying. There is some excellent footage of training at the Shorinji Kempo World HQs in this film and some of the actors are members of the hombu dojo. In my estimation, Master So Doshin, whose life is depicted wonderfully well by Chiba in this film, was a true saint. Buy this DVD and see why.

One of Chiba's best!.......2007-01-30

This is one of Chiba's best flicks. Although they should have stuck with "Shorinji Kempo" for the title, (he's not really a killing machine, but a budo expert who undergoes a spiritual change) the movie is really good. It follows the adventures of Doshin So, the founder of the Shorinji Kempo martial art. It's not as hammy as the Street Fighter series, but not too serious either. If you like 70's choppy-socky, don't miss this one!

Film langka tentang Shorinji Kempo.......2006-07-22

Film ini mengenai sekilas perjalanan Doshin So, Sang Pendiri, cukup bagus walau sekilas, maklum film ini dibuat dalam waktu singkat, 2 minggu...!

the japanese side of the post war depression.......2006-06-18

And man was it powerful. Just as hard hitting emotionally as a lot of good american post war movies, BUT WITH KARATE. I have to admit that I really am not a huge fan of Sonny Chiba. But then again, I don't really like the street fighter movies. I grew up on that stupid iron eagle movie. i like him more in movies like shogun's assasin, shogun's ninja, kill bill, and storm rider's but this movie is more of the "street fighter" style and is in my personal opinion, BY FAR SONNY CHIBA's SINGLE BEST PERFORMANCE. Sonny Chiba, the greatest anti hero ever is truly a killing machine in this one.

So basically every time you here a woman crying or someone is in trouble, SONNY CHIBA WILL START KILLING PEOPLE. Oh man was he awesome. He is not fighting some fat karate guy like he did in street fighter but he is playing a characeter named Doshin So. He was trained in Shaolin and eventually founded the style known today as Shorinji Kenpo. And Kenpo is beign used to just detroy people in thsi movie! He plays a renegade who after the war just gets pissed off at evreything wrong in the world and DOES SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!!! He doesn;t give up, just keeps noticign things that are wrong with his country becasue of the war and blows up. He is told to lay low, but oh no. He keeps teaching at his school and a young girl who he saved twice learns from him. So the local thugs know that Chiba is a badass and go to his school to offer him and his students money to take care of some criminal business they need done to capitilize on the post war depression, uh-oh. You just asked that question to the wrong guy. He declines of course but he goes to stop them and brings his students, of course. One of his students gets killed and uh-oh again. Yeah, some more limbs by the tens get broken and some are lost forever:)

Overall this movie has a few big flaws, but with how low of a budget they had, it was truly an epic for it's time.

Perfectly letterboxed picture, 5.1 sound is pretty good, and picture is surprisingly VERY good. Subtitles are also VERY good.

Also some trailers including another one of my favorite chiba flicks-G.I. SAMURAI.

I first saw this on the brentwood 10 pack-"Tough Guys of Kung Fu" and that is actually a pretty good buy. Full screened but probably best pictuer quality in the whole set. Still pretty bad though. I would only suggest the good version if you have the money and really enjoy this flick, casue i know I liked it enough that I had to egt teh other version. Well worth it! Enjoy.

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