Customer Reviews

Bohachi Bushido: Code of the Forgotten Eight

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

An amazing amount of breasts, wonderful gore, a cool as Hell killer and a tongue in cheek attitude about the whole thing. What more could a trash fan want? This is even better than the trailer!

I own this film and it is excessive and brutal and sadistic, to be sure. It also has some really beautiful moments including the opening stylized title sequence. Tamba is reported to have never turned down a film in the course of his career (Asian Michael Caine,) which probably explains why he is in this. Teruo Ishii is a gifted film maker, possessing a unique and overly modulated style. While initially off-putting, the story eventually becomes interesting with regard to Tanba's plight. Two stars for the sqeemish, four stars for Japanese sword-fu fans.

No other director could touch the demented terrain of Teruo Ishii's cinescapes, not even Seijun Suzuki or Kinji Fukasaku, and that speaks volumes about his works. This one's an operatic, over-sexed Edo period piece starring Tetsuro Tanba as a nihilistic, lone wolf Ronin alternately in alliance and then at odds with the Bohachi, a degenerate clan of amoral samurai dedicated to vice, specifically opium traffic and sex slavery.

Not even law enforcement or local government will go up against the Bohachi, and Tanba is a 'guest' among their leader, who has him executing operators of brothels who don't pay retribution as well as local law and yakuza that get in his way. Slayings rack up like lights and bells on a pinball machine; blood spray colors the night skies, bodies fall like leaves in October, but Tanba grows weary of all this. "To die is Hell, but to live is also Hell" he believes, but life and death do go on.

The Bohachi leader has female assassins follow Tanba around as additional protection, and they fight naked always, or so it would appear. I've never seen so many beautiful Asian breasts adorning one movie in my life. It's a beautiful thing to behold. The amount of nudity and violence is unparalleled and the low-budget indoor sets with psychedelic lighting make for a phantasmagorically decadent fever dream that you won't soon forget. Forget the 'Forgotten Eight'? Not bloody likely...

I had expected this movie to be like american "b" movies, so horrible that it was funny, but it actually turned out to be fun movie. There is A LOT of nudity(not that I'm complaining)practically every other frame..The flying heads will have you laughing,they just fly too perfectly in the air. Will you find well developed characters here? NO. A backstory to explain the main characters plight? NO.A reason why that old man has to talk so slowly? No, definitely not, but you will be entertained.And you will soon want your own group of female guards/girlfriends/assassins as well.

Toei Video released acclaimed director Teruo Ishii's 5 movies on DVDs, including Bohachi Bushido in October 2006 in Japan. I really hope Discotek Media will release this director's other good flicks on DVDs in the U.S. market very soon. Better offer his works in DVD box-sets.

Purchased this as a result of a review seen on G4 TV. It was a recommended "buy," and I would agree--a great example of the genre that was being churned out by Japanese studios in the late 70's, early 80's.

I'm so glad to have picked up this film. Yes, flying limbs and blood splattering.. decapitation and nudity. If you like LWC series you will enjoy this film. I plan on watching this film again soon. On the lines of Shadow Hunters, yet better imo. Cheers and happy slashing!

everything arrived in perfect condition and faster then I expected. My finace' was very pleased with the movie.

I've only seen a trailer as of this date - That's all it took for me! ~S->

i bought this flick after reading previous positive reviews and after watching all i should say--save your money. yes, the cover is not misleading you--there are topless chicks in action but movie itself is done by kindergarden kids. the movie pretend to be reflection on real life events but when i see main character jump about 30 feet above ground what it has to do with reality?